889

LORD, My Petition Heed

Scripture References

Thematically related:

Further Reflections on Scripture References

This psalm is fitting for any of God's people threatened by those who would rob them of their security as children of God. The psalmist's hope and plea is that God will graciously forgive his children and deliver them as well. "Poor and needy" in a time of great peril, the psalmist pleads for God's help as a servant who trusts confidently in the LORD (st. 1). With the psalmist, we pray for God's mercy on us and for the comfort of forgiveness in a time of need (st. 1-2). 0 LORD, you far out­ shine all other gods, says the psalmist (st. 3); you command the praise of all people (st. 4). The psalmist asks for guidance in the way of truth and vows to praise and glorify the LORD forever (st. 5; v. 12). Then he praises God for abundant love and grace and returns to a plea for help (st. 6), mercy, renewed strength, deliver­ance, and comfort–so that enemies may be put to shame in the knowledge that the LORD is our friend (st. 7). Bert Polman versified this psalm in 1983 for the Psalter Hymnal, retaining several lines from the 1912 Psalter.

 

Bert Polman, Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Belgic Confession, Article 26 provides the foundation for all our praying: “We believe that we have no access to God except through the one and only Mediator and Intercessor ‘Jesus Christ the righteous,’ who therefore was made human, uniting together the divine and human natures, so that we human beings might have access to the divine Majesty. Otherwise we would have no access.” We offer our prayers, therefore, “only on the basis of the excellence and dignity of Jesus Christ, whose righteousness is ours by faith.” Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 46, Question and Answer 120 verifies this privilege when it says, “Through Christ God has become our Father, and…just as our parents do not refuse us the things of this life, even less will God our Father refuse to give us what we ask in faith.”

889

LORD, My Petition Heed

Additional Prayers

Merciful God, whose very name is Love,
you never turn away from anyone who seeks you.
Like the tax collector who cried for mercy, keep us honest and humble in our prayer,
receiving your forgiveness in our broken lives and proclaiming your salvation,
available to all the world through Jesus Christ. Amen. 
— Psalms for All Seasons (http://www.psalmsforallseasons.org)
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
To you, gracious God, we lift grateful hearts, knowing that you are never further than the reach of our need and our prayer. If we call, you will answer. If we lament, you will listen. If we pour out sorrow, you will commiserate. Surely, beyond anything we can ask or imagine, you comfort your people for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
— Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
889

LORD, My Petition Heed

Tune Information

Name
MASON
Key
F Major
Meter
6.6.4.6.6.6.4

Recordings

889

LORD, My Petition Heed

Hymn Story/Background

This psalm is fitting for any of God's people threatened by those who would rob them of their security as children of God. The psalmist's hope and plea is that God will graciously forgive his children and deliver them as well. "Poor and needy" in a time of great peril, the psalmist pleads for God's help as a servant who trusts confidently in the LORD (st. 1). With the psalmist, we pray for God's mercy on us and for the comfort of forgiveness in a time of need (st. 1-2). 0 LORD, you far outshine all other gods, says the psalmist (st. 3); you command the praise of all people (st. 4). The psalmist asks for guidance in the way of truth and vows to praise and glorify the LORD forever (st. 5; v. 12). Then he praises God for abundant love and grace and returns to a plea for help (st. 6), mercy, renewed strength, deliverance, and comfort–so that enemies may be put to shame in the knowledge that the LORD is our friend (st. 7). 
 
MASON, by William F. Sherwin, was published as a setting for the first three stanzas of Psalm 86 in the 1912 Psalter. Since he studied with Lowell Mason, Sherwin could well have named the tune after him. 

Author Information

The 1912 Psalter was the first ecumenical psalter published in the United States and the most widely used metrical psalter of the twentieth century in North America.  The United Presbyterian Church invited all other Reformed and Presbyterian denominations to join them in the effort to provide a new versifications of the psalms; six Presbyterian denominations, as well as the Christian Reformed Church and the Reformed Church in America joined in the effort in revising the 1887 Psalter (whose texts actually dated back to the 1871 Book of Psalms; the 1887 edition had added music to the texts.).  The 1912 Psalter included all the psalms in 413 settings, eight doxologies, and the three Lukan canticles (Song of Mary, Song of Zechariah, and Song of Simeon).
— Bert Polman and Jack Reiffer

Composer Information

Although he lacked much formal education, William Fiske Sherwin's (1926-1888) interest in music prompted him to attend singing schools and to study with Lowell Mason and George Webb. He became the music director at Pearl Street Baptist Church in Albany, New York, and a teacher at the Albany Female Seminary. Later he taught voice at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. In 1874 Methodist Bishop John H. Vincent, founder of the Chautauqua Assembly in New York State, asked Sherwin to organize and direct the Assembly's choruses. Sherwin retained that position until his death. He wrote few hymn texts but many hymn tunes and contributed to song collections such as Robert Lowry's Bright Jewels (1869) and Silas Vail's Songs of Grace and Glory (1874).
— Bert Polman
Dale Grotenhuis (b. Cedar Grove, WI, 1931; d. Jenison, Mi, August 17, 2012) was a member of the 1987 Psalter Hymnal 1987 Revision Committee, and was professor of music and director of choral music at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, from 1960 until he retired in 1994 to concentrate on composition. Educated at Calvin College; Michigan State University, Lansing; and Ohio State University, Columbus; he combined teaching with composition throughout his career and was a widely published composer of choral music. He also directed the Dordt choir in a large number of recordings, including many psalm arrangements found in the 1959 edition of the Psalter Hymnal.
— Bert Polman
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