Faith Daily Lectio Tuesday, October 20, 2026 Evening Psalm
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · Tuesday in the week of the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 24)
Evening Psalm
Oratio (prayer)
Lord, You are good and ready to forgive. As this day ends, send Your Holy Spirit as I pray Psalm 86, that I may call upon You in my trouble and trust Your mercy in Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Psalm 86
A Prayer of David.
1Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.
2Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
3Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
4Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
6Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.
8Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
9All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.
10For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
11Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
12I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.
13For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
14O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
15But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
16O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
17Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Psalm 86:5)
What other lines speak to you?
The Law David prays, "Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name" (v. 11). Our hearts are divided. By evening we know how often we have feared other things more than God and walked our own way. We have no claim of our own to bring, only the plea, "for I am poor and needy" (v. 1).
The Gospel "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee" (v. 5). "For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell" (v. 13). Jesus went down into death for you and rose again, so that this verse is yours. In the day of trouble you may call on Him, as David did, "for thou wilt answer me" (v. 7).
Prayer Lord, I confess my divided heart and my wandering ways. Forgive me for Jesus' sake. Thank You for Your great mercy toward me and for delivering my soul. Unite my heart to fear Your name. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
"In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee" (v. 7). David was surrounded by proud and violent men, and still he prayed. Under trial it may help to pray the Psalm's last verse tonight, "Shew me a token for good" (v. 17), and to remember that God has already given the surest token in His Son's cross and empty tomb.
Evening prayer Lord, bow down Your ear to me tonight. Preserve my soul, comfort me, and keep me in Your mercy until morning. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
