This guide gives you questions and answers for studying Psalm 86 in a small group, a Sunday class, or on your own. Psalm 86 is a prayer of David (the psalm is headed “A Prayer of David”), in which a needy person pleads with God for mercy and asks to be taught God’s way. Each set of questions below includes notes a leader can use to guide discussion.
Psalm 86 at a Glance
The psalm moves through a steady rhythm of asking and remembering. It opens with a plea from someone who describes himself as poor, needy, and trusting in God, and it asks for protection, joy, and listening. Then it turns to praise, naming God as good, forgiving, and rich in loving kindness toward all who call on him.
In the middle of the psalm the writer looks around at a world of other gods and nations and concludes that no one compares to the LORD. The final third returns to pleading: a request for teaching, an undivided heart, and a sign of God’s goodness, set against proud and violent enemies. The psalm ends where it began, with a cry for help, but now shaped by a confident memory of God’s faithfulness.
Observation Questions
Use these questions first to establish what the text actually says before anyone offers interpretation. Ask the group to point to the words on the page, and resist explaining meanings until the observations are clear.
Psalm 86:1-4
1 Hear, the LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You, my God, save your servant who trusts in you. 3 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I call to you all day long. 4 Bring joy to the soul of your servant, for to you, Lord, do I lift up my soul.
(WEB)
Read this opening section aloud to set the tone of honest need and relationship. It frames the entire psalm and gives the group language to bring their own requests to God.
Psalm 86:5
For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
(WEB)
This verse names God’s goodness, readiness to forgive, and abundant loving kindness. Reading it aloud gives the group a clear picture of God’s character before the discussion turns to application.
Psalm 86:8-10
8 There is no one like you among the gods, Lord, nor any deeds like your deeds. 9 All nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord. They shall glorify your name. 10 For you are great, and do wondrous things. You are God alone.
(WEB)
These verses lift the group’s eyes from their circumstances to the uniqueness of God. Reading them together helps shift the session from problems to worship.
Psalm 86:11-12
11 Teach me your way, the LORD. I will walk in your truth. Make my heart undivided to fear your name. 12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with my whole heart. I will glorify your name forever more.
(WEB)
This passage holds the prayer for teaching, an undivided heart, and wholehearted praise. It is a fitting text to read near the end of the study as a call to commitment.
Psalm 86:15
But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
(WEB)
Verse 15 is the psalm’s central description of God as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth. Reading it slowly gives the group a steady anchor for the whole session.
Memory Verse for Psalm 86
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we come to you as the psalmist did, poor and needy, and yet trusting that you hear us. Thank you that you are good, ready to forgive, and rich in loving kindness toward all who call on you. Teach us your way, and make our hearts undivided so that we fear your name with reverence and walk in your truth. Where we face opposition or fear, show us your goodness, and let us remember your faithfulness when we are tempted to despair. We praise you for who you are, and we trust you with what we bring. Amen.
