Skip to main content
Psalmlog Logo
Read

Psalm 86:5

For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on 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.
6Hear, LORD, my prayer. Listen to the voice of my petitions.
7In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me.
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →
← Psalm 86:4Psalm 86:6 →
Notice

“Ready to forgive” describes the Lord’s disposition toward those who call on him, touching the fear that asking for mercy might meet reluctance.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What do you expect from God when you ask for forgiveness, compared with “ready to forgive”?

Write on this

What would you want to bring before a Lord described as “abundant in loving kindness”?

Write on this

How might God’s goodness shape what you ask for in prayer today?

Write on this
Connect

Where else Scripture says this

12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Exodus 34:6The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD! The LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,The phrase “abundant in loving kindness” appears in both God’s proclamation of his name and this prayer addressed to him.
Psalm 100:5For the LORD is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.Both psalms declare that the Lord is good and speak of his loving kindness.
Matthew 7:7“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.Psalm 86 speaks of calling on the Lord; Jesus tells his hearers to ask and promises they will receive.
1 Peter 5:10But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and …Both prayers appeal to God's generous character: Psalm 86 names his loving kindness, while Peter names him the God of all grace.
Acts 2:21It will be that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’Both speak of calling on the Lord, connecting that call with his loving kindness in the psalm and salvation in Acts.
Psalm 103:8The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.Both describe the Lord as “abundant in loving kindness,” joining that abundance with forgiveness or mercy.
1 John 4:8He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.Psalm 86 describes the Lord’s abundant loving kindness, while John states that God is love.
Psalm 36:7How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.Both address God’s loving kindness, describing people who call on him or take refuge under his wings.
Romans 15:5Now the God of perseverance and of encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus,Both prayers name God’s generous character, though Psalm 86 concerns forgiveness and Romans 15 asks for unity according to Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,The Lord’s readiness to forgive and abundant loving kindness share the emphasis on mercy in Paul’s blessing of God.
Psalm 145:8–9The LORD is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.Both describe the greatness of the Lord’s loving kindness, alongside his readiness to forgive or his mercy.
Joel 2:13Tear your heart and not your garments, and turn to the LORD, your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness, and …Both name God as “abundant in loving kindness,” grounding a call to him or a return to him in his character.
Where this verse fits

Guilt and confession. wanting a steady prayer habit. feeling distant from God.

What the Bible says about guilt →What the Bible says about doubt →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Begin one prayer with Psalm 86:5 read aloud

prayeroncelight
Encouragement

Your plea for mercy rests on the Lord’s character. In the midst of repeated requests for help, this prayer names him as good and ready to forgive.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 86:5. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 86 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

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).