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Psalm 86:3
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
1A Prayer by David. Hear, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
2Preserve my soul, for I am godly. You, my God, save your servant who trusts in you.
3Be merciful to me, Lord, for I call to you all day long.
4Bring joy to the soul of your servant, for to you, Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
Notice
“All day long” stretches this plea for mercy across hours, touching the strain of returning to God with a need that remains.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What need would you bring to the Lord in a plea for mercy today?
Write on thisHow does David’s “all day long” compare with your experience of asking God for help?
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Where else Scripture says this
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Luke 18:1He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray and not give up,David’s calling to God all day shares the persistence Jesus teaches when he says to pray and not give up.
Psalm 25:5Guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. I wait for you all day long.Both prayers stretch across “all day long,” with one asking for mercy and the other seeking guidance and teaching.
Psalm 57:1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for …Both prayers ask God for mercy, with Psalm 57 naming the danger from which the speaker seeks refuge.
Psalm 88:9My eyes are dim from grief. I have called on you daily, LORD. I have spread out my hands to you.Both speakers keep calling to God over time, and Psalm 88 names grief as part of that continued prayer.
Ephesians 6:18with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints.David’s all-day plea shares with Ephesians an emphasis on prayer that continues with perseverance.
Psalm 55:17Evening, morning, and at noon, I will cry out in distress. He will hear my voice.Both texts describe cries to God across the day, with Psalm 55 naming evening, morning, and noon.
Luke 2:37and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day.David’s all-day calling and the widow’s petitions night and day both portray sustained prayer to God.
Luke 11:8–13I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as many as he …David’s repeated prayer and the persistent request in Jesus’ story share an insistence on asking for help.
Luke 18:7Won’t God avenge his chosen ones who are crying out to him day and night, and yet he exercises patience with them?Both texts describe people crying out to God over time, with Luke naming the chosen ones’ cries for justice.
1 Kings 8:28Yet have respect for the prayer of your servant and for his supplication, LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which your servant prays before …Both prayers address the Lord with a personal plea, asking him to attend to the servant who cries out.
Daniel 6:10When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his room toward Jerusalem) and he kneeled on his knees three …David calls to God throughout the day, while Daniel’s established practice includes prayer three times a day.
Acts 10:2a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God.Both passages portray sustained prayer to God, expressed as all-day calling in the psalm and constant prayer in Acts.
Where this verse fits
Wanting a steady prayer habit. waiting.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
A plea for mercy can last through the day. David keeps calling to the Lord, and the surrounding prayer names him as good and ready to forgive.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).