Psalm 86:15

This verse is one of Scripture's great descriptions of God's character, and it stands as a deliberate contrast. The preceding verse describes proud and violent men who have risen against David; this verse begins "But thou, O Lord" -- against their cruelty, David sets God's compassion. Five qualities pile up: full of compassion, gracious, longsuffering, plenteous in mercy, and plenteous in truth.

These words echo the description God gave of Himself to Moses, and David draws on that ancient self-revelation as the foundation of his prayer. "Full of compassion" pictures a deep, tender pity, the kind a parent feels for a child. "Longsuffering" means slow to anger, patient with human failure rather than quick to punish. And the closing pair holds two things together that we might separate: "mercy and truth." God is not merciful at the expense of being truthful, nor truthful at the expense of being merciful -- both are abundant in Him at once. For a man surrounded by enemies, this is solid ground. He does not appeal to a distant or unpredictable power, but to a God whose tenderness, patience, and faithfulness are part of His very nature, and therefore can be counted on.