It is not obvious when David composed this psalm. Obviously, it was a time of trouble (v. 7) caused by wicked men (v. 14), and since he links it to a need for forgiveness his concern must be connected to a desire for pardon (v. 5). Perhaps he was concerned that personal sin had caused the Lord to turn against him.
Nevertheless, David is conscious of his servant relationship with the Lord and indeed regards himself as godly (v. 2). His trouble threatens his life (v. 2) and his circumstances cause him to pray all day long, although he does not say how many days he has been doing so. His concerns, however, have resulted in a loss of spiritual joy (v. 4), the absence of which is an indication that something is wrong. David knows that the remedy is not in himself because he is poor and needy (v. 1). Still, he expects the Lord to help him, so he lifts up his soul to the Lord.
What is it about God that encourages David? His character as the covenant God of mercy who pardons sinners is one reason. A second reason is that the Lord answers prayer. A third reason is that he is different from the gods that other nations prayed to – those gods could not do anything since they did not exist whereas his God did incredible things in creation and providence. Indeed, because of God’s great power, worshippers would come from all the nations (vv. 5-10). We can use those reasons for our own encouragement.
David’s desire is for divine teaching. He is not asking for information as such, but for wisdom to know what to do in his current situation. His desire is that he would react in a manner that was pleasing to the Lord, and he was concerned that his problems would affect his heart and turn it away from confidence in God. If the Lord would enable him to have a devoted heart, it would cause David to glorify God with gratitude. He had an obvious reason for gratitude – previous divine deliverance from the possibility of death. It looks as if his current opponents had the same intention, and David asks God to repeat the deliverance (vv. 11-13).
So he tells the Lord about the situation. His opponents are aiming to get him, and they do so because they do not consult with God about him. In contrast, the Lord remains the same kind God and who can be relied upon by David to help him. Therefore, David prays for divine favour, for strength and deliverance.
David mentions that his mother was a godly woman. (The same idea is mentioned in Psalm 116:16, but that psalm does not have a heading saying that David wrote it.) For some reason, he thought of the covenant line as he wrote Psalm 86. Perhaps he recognised that her prayers for him had been answered, and the God who answered her prayers could also answer his.
The desired outcome would be that clear divine deliverance of David would compel his opponents to give up their campaign, a response that would embarrass them publicly, as even they would have to acknowledge that the Lord was with David.
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