A personal reading and interpretation of Psalm 86

Condescend to hear me, Lord,
     for I lack so many things.
Preserve my life,
     for I am set apart for you -- you are my God.
Save your servant who trusts in you!
Show mercy to me, Lord,
     for I cry aloud to you all day long.
Make glad the soul of your servant,
     for I lift up my soul to you.

For you, Lord, are good.
For you, Lord, are ready to forgive.
For you, Lord, are rich in mercy to all who call upon you.

Give ear, Lord, to my prayer,
     and listen to my petitions.
     In the day of my distress I will call to you,
for you will answer me.

Among the great powers there is none like you, Lord, nor are any works like yours.
All nations -- whom you have made! -- shall come and worship in your presence, Lord,
And shall call your name glorious!
For you are powerful, and do incredible things -- you alone are God!

Show me your path, Lord -- I will walk in your truth.
Make my heart unified, to fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with my entire heart,
     and I will glorify your name forever!
For you have been merciful to me,
     and you have brought out my soul from deep subterranean darkness.

O God, prideful thoughts have risen within me,
     and a host of destructive sins have sought to destroy me -- they do not consider you!
But you, Lord, are a God full of compassion, and full of grace,
     long-suffering and overflowing in mercy and truth.

Turn to me and have mercy on me!
Give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.
Show me a sign of your goodwill towards me, so that I would be ashamed of my rebellious thoughts,
     because you, Lord, have have helped me and comforted me!

Mutual edification -- a debate

Christ says:

Encourage one another in the Lord, bear each other's burdens, confess sin to each other.

The Accuser says:

Who are you to speak words of encouragement? Hypocrite! You know struggles and discouragement as much or even more so than they. "Physician, heal thyself."

Christ replies:

God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, so that no human being might boast in His presence. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

The Accuser says:

You don't really know them very well. Every man is an island, after all. Do they LOOK like they need your help? Their lives are probably fine without your help.

Christ replies:

All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. 

Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "Surely we did not know this," does not he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

The purpose of a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

The Accuser says:

Tellings others of your struggles or your sin just burdens them AND you.

Christ replies:

Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

Two are better than one, for they have a good return on their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

The Accuser says:

 They will misuse the information and embarrass you or think less of you, or will avoid talking with you.

Christ replies:

In humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also the to the interests of others. Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant. He humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. 

Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.