Bow Down Your Ear, O Lord

A Prayer of David.

Bow down Your ear, O LORD, hear me;
For I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am holy;
You are my God; Save Your servant who trusts in You!

Psalm 86:1-2 (NKJV)

The Prayer of David found in Psalm 86 is one of my favorite prayers in the Psaltery. It seems to capture the heart of David at a time when he is in strong communion and fellowship with Jehovah, his covenant keeping God. It expresses something of David’s deep and abiding love, faith, obedience and willingness to both speak and listen to the Lord through prayer and supplication. As I examine excerpts from this Psalm, I pray it is a blessing to you.

In verse one, we find David simply pleading with the Lord to condescend to hear his petition. David uses the figurative language of a parent or father turning an attentive ear towards the mouth of his child as they seek to speak to him. In verse one, the author, David also admits the reason for his prayer – that he is poor and needy. David’s plea for God’s ear is not one based on his merit, but on God’s mercy. King David was rich and certainly not needy in a physical sense yet, he understood as a sinner before God, he was poor in spirit and needful of the Lord’s grace.

Then in verse two we find David recounts his relationship before his God. David had found favor in the sight of the Lord. David was holy (1 Sam. 16:13); set apart by divine sovereign grace. He was called and sanctified by God’s Spirit. The God of heaven and earth was also his Redeemer and Friend. God’s holiness had fallen mercifully upon this servant of the Lord. Through prayer, David comes seeking the Lord’s presence, power and protection. He trusted in God’s provision to preserve His life. Though David had the armies of Israel at his command, he knew in his heart, his hope, strength, covering and protection was found only the Lord.

God eagerly invites the humble heart into His presence through prayer. His ear is ready and willing to hear from those who desire His close communion and abiding fellowship. As we found David doing here, it is good in prayer to recite back to God those truths Jehovah God has promised about His people. We are holy. He is our God. The Lord is faithful to those who trust in Him. May our prayers be strengthened and enhanced as we learn from this Scriptural prayer.