Are We Enough? Lessons from Psalm 86.  By Melinda Skau.

Truth and Trust in God

I was sitting at a red light on a regular morning commute when I noticed a bold decal on an old economy car in front of me.  “You Are Enough.” I pondered the topic on my drive.

If I’m honest, there are days when I feel overwhelmed, stretched thin, and not nearly enough for the challenges I face. I have noticed that answers to life’s questions often come from my most recent reconnoiter in God’s Word. I had spent the past two weeks listening to songs from Psalm 86 and digging into the story of the stressed soldier king who wrote it. This ancient prayer, penned by the psalmist David, is a heartfelt cry from someone who knows he isn’t enough—but believes that God is.

David’s Distress: The Context of Psalm 86

Psalm 86 is believed to have been written during an unknown period of intense stress in David’s life. Here’s a brief timeline of some of David’s most distressing life events:

• Running from Saul’s attempts to spear and otherwise assassinate him (1 Samuel 19-23)
• Hiding in caves, feeling isolated and hunted (Psalm 57)
• Losing his wives and children to Amalekite marauders at Ziklag, distraught and facing a resulting mutiny from his own grieving men who blamed him for the incident: David depended on God to successfully pursue the raiders and rescue everyone safely. (1 Samuel 30)
• Watching his unnamed infant son suffer and die as a direct consequence of his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. (2 Samuel 12:14-23)
• David’s first-born son, Amnon, raping his half-sister Tamar and then being murdered by his brother Absalom in retaliation (2 Samuel 13)
• Facing betrayal from close friends and advisors (2 Samuel 15-17)
• Enduring Absalom’s rebellion and bitterly grieving his premature death (2 Samuel 15-18)
• At age 70 David was so weak and cold he needed a virgin to keep him warm. During this feeble season, his son Adonijah, who should have been caring for his failing father, took advantage of David’s frailty and tried to seize his father’s throne. (1 Kings 1-2)

These experiences highlight David’s often chaotic and dangerous life.  Psalm 86 is a petition that springs from one of these crucible moments—a prayer of desperation but also deep trust.

Psalm 86: Structure and Insights

Study into Psalm 86 reveals that this psalm can be divided into four distinct parts:

1. A Cry from Need 

Verses 1-7: David starts by calling himself poor and needy. He looks for grace because he trusts God to answer him in hard times.

2. Praise for God’s Greatness

Verses 8-10: David shifts from petition to praise. He believes all nations made by God will come and worship Him because God does great and wondrous things.

3. A Request for Guidance and a Unified Heart

Verses 11-13: David asks God to teach him His way so he can walk in His truth. He asks for a “united” or “undivided” single-focused heart to honor God’s name, and he thanks God for His love and rescue from death.

4. Protection from Enemies

Verses 14-17 Arrogant and violent men are trying to hurt David. He reminds himself that God is merciful, slow to anger and full of love. He asks God for strength and a sign of His goodness to put his enemies to shame. David’s Psalm 86 prayer closes with a renewed appeal for deliverance, based on God’s character and past actions.

Verses 11-12 of Psalm 86 are my personal favorites. They made it into my Scripture Memory App when I was anxiously preparing to present a women’s retreat. I was feeling overwhelmed at my own inadequacy to present God’s mighty working in my life. God directed me to focus on the words TRUTH and TRUST in scripture. When we bask in God’s truthful Word, He builds our trust. Psalm 86: 11-12 captures a similar turning point in David’s prayer, when he seeks not only deliverance but also guidance and a steadfast heart. David prays,

“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify Your name forever.”

Decades ago, my husband and I were two inexperienced physicians facing a daunting move to an isolated hospital in a malaria region of Nigeria. The move seemed particularly challenging considering our two young children and the plan for a service of six to ten years. My diary from September 1994 reads, “Fear has reached epic proportions; I have turned to chocolate.” My friend, I beg you not to turn to temporary measures to handle your own fear or anxiety. Follow the Psalm 86:11-13 journey instead!

These verses reveal David’s desire to align his life with God’s truth. David recognizes God’s mercy and deliverance.

“You love me so much and you placed your greatness upon me. You rescued me from the deepest place of darkness, and you have delivered me from a certain death.” (verse 13 TPT) Verse 13 ESV says “For great is your steadfast love toward me. . .” Truth leads to trust.

Life Lesson: Trusting God When You’re Not Enough

One powerful lesson from Psalm 86 is that it’s okay, in fact advisable, to admit we aren’t enough on our own. Like David, we can turn to God in honesty and vulnerability, trusting that His strength fills our weaknesses.

Other Bible references underscore this concept of our weakness completed by God’s strength:

2 Corinthians 12:9 -10  …

But He said to me,” My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that power of Christ may rest upon me. . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Isaiah 40:29 and 31 …

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…. Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.

2 Corinthians 4:7  …

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Psalm 73:26  …

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Philippians 4:13  …

I can do all through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19 …

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:8 ESV …

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

When we ask God to “unite [our] heart to fear [His] name,” we are asking for a single-minded devotion that helps us trust Him, even when life feels overwhelming. Ultimately, our security and value come not from being “enough” ourselves, but from God’s unwavering love and faithfulness.

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Psalm 86 Music: Friend, please listen to and watch the scenic instrumental worship video carefully because it captures David’s Psalm 86 heart better than plain words, lifting us up to God’s presence in scripture, music and nature.

A more modern version of “Undivided Heart” is available from Watermark Music (Live) Awaken 2021.

For children or grandchildren Seeds of Praise does an upbeat and spot-on version of verses 11-13.