When our lives feel out of control, or we are surrounded by problems, we will resonate with Psalm 86.

Many of us will never forget the fear that spread as Covid 19 entered our thoughts and lives.  Almost overnight, businesses closed, masks went on, 6 feet apart lines formed at the grocery stores, ammunition sold out, rhetoric and blaming reached new heights, isolation prevailed, while worry, sickness and death tolls filled the news.  Inside all this angst, we felt out of control.

King David’s opening words in Psalm 86 sound like a desperate cry for help as he wailed, “Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy” (Psalm 86:1).  Imagine David, surrounded by enemies attacking him, moaning, “ruthless people are trying to kill me” (Psalm 86:14).

Now, 3000 years after David wrote these words, we certainly feel his pain.

But the beauty of this Psalm is found in how David responded by reminding himself, again and again, who God is.  The fact that the king calls himself, “poor and needy” shows how little the mighty King David is when compared to the sovereign, powerful God.

So, David prayed and worshipped saying, “You are my God” and “You alone are God.”  David called God, “Adonai” which means “Lord,” of supreme power, authority as master or ruler.

With David’s words, spoken out loud, he was reminding himself, telling his own mind and his own heart, God is in control.  He did this by adoring God, saying, “You, Adonai, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call on you” (Psalm 86:5) and “You are great and do marvelous deeds” (Psalm 86: 10).

What an incredible lesson we can learn when we are faced with problems, worry or fear. . . When we are reminded of how poor and needy we are, we won’t need to wonder: Where will we go, what can we do, and who do we run to?  We, like David, can to turn to our God who is still in control.

Dear Jesus, “you alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).  You alone are God.  You alone are my God.  Help us Lord, to remember that you aren’t afraid.  You are not afraid of covid, sickness, politics or unrest. You are the true King and you are in control.  Help us to give our worries and fears to you as we turn them into praise.

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