Well, the great, now deceased musician, Prince, wrote a famous, hauntingly beautiful song that was made a big hit by Sinéad O'Connor, called, Nothing Compares 2 U. That should be the title of Psalm 86, because Psalm 86 is about the incomparable, infinite greatness of God, that literally, there is nothing in heaven, there is nothing on earth that could ever come close to comparing to the majestic splendor, the glorious glory, the perfect holiness, the boundless love, the unfailing wisdom, and the inexhaustible grace of the Lord! There's just nothing like the Lord.
Let me read a longer portion than I normally read in these studies.
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.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
The Psalmist says there, "I run to you because, frankly, there's just no one like you. No one is great like you. No one is gracious like you. No one is loving like you. No one can do what you can do. You are the incomparable great one!"
There is no one who can meet your every need. There is no one who can solve your greatest problem. There is no one who can heal your wounds and give you back your strength. There is no one whose commands are always right and best for you. There is no one who never takes his eye off of you. There is no one who can bear with you, for you, your heaviest burden. There is no one who will do all of these things all the time and never fail you, but the Lord!
And the Psalmist says at the end, "...unite my heart to fear your name." He doesn't mean terror; that would drive you away from God. He means awe that would make you run to him, put your hope in him, surrender your life to his will.
Does the glory of God cause you to want to unite your heart to him, to put your trust in him, to believe that his will for you is always right all the time, that no one can do for you, in you, and through you, what he is able to do?
When I read Psalm 86, I sort of have that tune in my head that says, "Nothing compares to you." By grace, you have been united to the Great One. Nothing compares to him. And because you've united to him, you have hope even when you're confused, even when you're weak, you have hope because he is the Great One!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Where have you been tempted to go in your need if it hasn't been to run to God? Apart from him, where have you gone to have your problems solved? Your wounds healed? Your burdens lifted? Your desires met? How have those other places left you unfulfilled and ultimately unsatisfied?
2. Why is God utterly unique in comparison to any and every other thing in this universe? How does it make you feel to know that you can run to this unique God in any and every situation?
3. How has your life lacked awe of God? In what ways can being in awe of God make you run to him? Put your hope in him? Surrender your life to his will?
4. Take some time to meditate on the glory of God and ask him to help you long for him. Ask him to give you a desire to unite your heart to him, to put your trust in him, to believe that his will for you is always right, and to trust that he can work in and through you to make you more and more into the image of his Son.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• What is the most important thing to you? What makes you the most excited each day? What are you most looking forward to this week? This month? This year? Now--why would the Bible say that God is better than all those things you just said? How can God be better than those things you just said?
• Where do you think you and I have a habit of running to in order to find hope each day? How can we shift our way of thinking and feeling to find hope in God instead of those other things? Let's pause and pray right now--let's ask God to help us run to him for hope and satisfaction when we're tempted to go elsewhere.
For Older Children:
• What is the most important thing to you? What makes you the most excited each day? What are you most looking forward to this week? This month? This year? Now--why would the Bible say that God is better than all those things you just said? How can God be better than those things you just said? Do you think it's just being hyperbolic or do you think it's actually true that God is better? Why do you think it's so hard for us to live like God is better than those other good things you listed?
• How can you and I keep one another accountable for believing and living in a way that treats God as if he's actually better than any good thing we could ever think of in this world? Why is Jesus the one who makes it possible for us to experience the "betterness" of God?
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