“Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.”
(Psalm 86:1-2 ESV)
I read Psalm 86 and gave a four-minute pause to two phrases from it. Notice the author says, “I am poor and needy.” You can almost hear the sigh of strengthless desperation.
He concludes with a resolute, “you are my God.”
Poor and Needy Is a Vulnerable State
In his honest prayer, this psalmist leads our hearts into safety. For how unsafe we are, when we are poor and needy! A poor and needy person may feel humbled, discouraged, and fearful, but we are also in danger. We are in danger of being tempted away from God as our source of provision.
When we are poor, we long for something to fill our deficit. When we are needy, we long to have our needs met. Being poor and in need are both deficient states. Both are an experience of emptiness. And oh, how empty human souls long to be filled.
Do you notice how the psalmist follows up his confession of utter need? He could say many things, but he chooses this one: “You are my God.” He to place his trust in God.
How tempted we are to look to other things rather than God when we are poor and needy.
We lack money and so we put our trust in our labors. Maybe we lack strength and put our trust in our coffee, food, sleep, pills, protein, or sheer inner grit. We lack wisdom and put our trust in new titles, online forums, influencers, or that savvy friend. There’s lack in relational intimacy, and we put our trust in romantic relationships, sex, or, God forbid, heinous substitutes for real relational intimacy. We lack comfort and we put our trust in shows, scrolling, or any security blanket we can find.
Choose to Trust in God
When we are poor and needy, we will place our trust for rescue and provision somewhere. The psalmist makes a great choice. He says to the Lord, “Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God” (Psalm 86:2 ESV).
In his poverty and deep longing, the psalmist runs straight to God.
As he feels the threat of need, he looks to God for preservation. “God,” he says, “preserve my life!” He looks to no other savior than God himself. “God,” he says, “save your servant.” And when he could put his trust in a thousand other places, he says, “God, I trust you.”
Why does the psalmist make the choice to look to God in his poverty and need? He gives us the answer when he says, “you are my God.” God is on the throne of his heart and his life. The God of the Bible is his God. He looks to no other person or thing for deliverance, provision, and life.
Are You Poor and Needy Today?
Are you poor today? What are your needs? Where are you tempted to look for strength and salvation and provision, apart from God today? What lesser gods are you tempted to run to in your poverty and need?
You can choose today by the power of God’s Holy Spirit to say, “God, you are my God.” Ask for his salvation, his provision for you, and watch him be pleased to answer you.