“You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call on you.”
— Psalm 86:5 (NIV)
I. A Cry from the Road: Setting the Psalm in the Twilight
There are verses of Scripture that feel like mountain peaks—lofty, declarative, thunderous in their proclamation of truth. And there are others that feel like wells along the road: quiet, deep, and discovered only by those who have walked long enough to be thirsty.
Psalm 86:5 is such a well.
It does not shout. It does not argue. It confesses. It is the prayer of one who has known need, failure, danger, and delay—and who has learned, through the long discipline of waiting, what sort of God answers when His people call.
This psalm is attributed to David, and notably, it is one of the few psalms explicitly titled “A prayer of David.” That designation matters. This is not merely poetry; it is petition. It is theology spoken on one’s knees.
David does not begin by listing his achievements. He does not appeal to his anointing, his victories, or his covenantal status. Instead, he appeals to God’s character:
You are forgiving and good…
This is the grammar of the faithful: when all else is uncertain, we speak not of who we are, but of who He is.
In Tolkien’s world, there is a recurring truth: hope does not arise from strength, but from memory—memory of goodness that has not yet failed. So it is here. David remembers the Lord, and in remembering, dares to pray.
II. “You Are Forgiving”: Mercy That Precedes the Asking
The psalmist does not say, “You forgive when I am worthy,” nor even, “You forgive when I repent rightly.” He says simply, “You are forgiving.” Forgiveness is not merely something God does; it is something God is.
The Hebrew word used here, סַלָּח (sallāḥ), is rich with covenantal meaning. It is used almost exclusively of God, not of human beings. This is no casual pardon. It is the sovereign, holy act of God who chooses not to hold sin against His people, though He would be just to do so.
This forgiveness is not sentimental. It is costly. David knew this better than most. He knew what it was to fail grievously—to sin not in ignorance, but in knowledge. And yet, he also knew what it was to be restored.
In Tolkien’s legendarium, forgiveness often comes not at the beginning of the journey, but at its darkest hour. Boromir does not receive absolution before he falls, but as he lies dying. Gollum is spared again and again, not because he deserves it, but because mercy is part of a larger providence unseen.
So it is with God. Forgiveness is not reactive; it is precedent. It stands ready before the cry leaves our lips. As Augustine wrote, *“God is more ready to give than we are to receive.”*¹
This means that prayer is never an intrusion. To call upon the Lord is not to persuade Him to become merciful, but to step into mercy already waiting.
III. “And Good”: The Moral Beauty of God
The psalmist joins forgiveness to goodness, as though the two are inseparable. And indeed, they are. Forgiveness without goodness would be indulgence. Goodness without forgiveness would be terror.
The Hebrew טוֹב (ṭôb) speaks not merely of moral correctness, but of beneficence, of that which brings life, order, and flourishing. It is the word spoken over creation in Genesis: “God saw that it was good.”
To say that God is good is to say that He is not divided against Himself. His mercy does not contradict His holiness; His patience does not undermine His justice. All that He is, He is consistently.
Tolkien understood this deeply. Evil in Middle-earth is always a corruption, never a rival creation. Only goodness creates. Only goodness sustains. Evil can twist, delay, and wound—but it cannot give life.
When David says, “You are good,” he is anchoring his hope not in circumstances, but in the unchanging moral beauty of God. This is not naïveté. It is faith sharpened by suffering.
IV. “Abounding in Love”: The Measureless Supply
Here the psalmist stretches language to its limit. God does not merely possess love; He abounds in it.
The Hebrew phrase רַב־חֶסֶד (rav-ḥesed) is covenantal gold. Ḥesed is steadfast love—loyal, enduring, promised love. It is love that binds itself by oath, not by emotion.
To say that God abounds in ḥesed is to say that His love is not easily exhausted. It is not rationed. It is not thin.
In Tolkien’s imagery, this is the light of Eärendil’s star—small in appearance, yet sufficient to drive back ancient darkness. It is not the force of armies that turns the tide, but the persistence of grace.
This abundance is not limited to the righteous elite. David is careful to say:
…to all who call on you.
This is not tribal favoritism. It is an open invitation. The only requirement named is calling.
V. “To All Who Call on You”: The Nearness of God
This final phrase shatters the illusion that God is distant or selective in His mercy. The Lord’s love is not hoarded for the strong or the impressive. It is given to those who call.
Calling implies need. It implies humility. One does not call for help unless one knows one cannot save oneself.
In Tolkien’s stories, help often comes to those who least expect it and least deserve it—not because they are heroes, but because they are desperate enough to ask.
So it is in the kingdom of God. Prayer is not performance. It is dependence.
David does not say, “to all who obey perfectly,” or “to all who understand rightly.” He says, “to all who call.”
This is the theology of the open door.
VI. The Shape of a Forgiving God in the Long Story of Scripture
Psalm 86:5 does not stand alone. It echoes and anticipates the entire arc of redemption.
- In Exodus 34:6, the Lord declares Himself “compassionate and gracious… abounding in love.”
- In the prophets, God pleads with His people not to despair, for His mercy is greater than their rebellion.
- In the Gospels, Jesus embodies Psalm 86:5—eating with sinners, forgiving the unclean, welcoming the outcast.
- At the cross, forgiveness and goodness meet in blood and wood.
- In the resurrection, abounding love proves stronger than death.
As N.T. Wright observes, *“The God revealed in Jesus is not a new deity, but the fulfillment of Israel’s deepest hopes about YHWH’s forgiving love.”*²
VII. Living Beneath the Banner of Mercy
What then shall we do with such a verse?
First, we must believe it—not abstractly, but personally. Many Christians affirm God’s forgiveness in theory while doubting it in practice. We imagine that mercy applies to others more readily than to ourselves.
Second, we must pray from it. Psalm 86:5 teaches us how to approach God: not with self-justification, but with trust in His character.
Third, we must reflect it. Those who live beneath abounding love are called to become its conduits. Forgiveness received must become forgiveness given, lest it curdle into pride.
Tolkien warned that those who hoard power—even moral power—are corrupted by it. Grace, too, must be released to remain grace.
VIII. When the Road Is Long and the Night Is Deep
There will be days when Psalm 86:5 feels distant. Days when forgiveness seems improbable, goodness obscured, love exhausted.
On such days, remember: the verse is not a feeling; it is a confession of truth. David wrote it not in triumph, but in trouble.
And trouble does not nullify mercy. It reveals it.
Like Samwise Gamgee, lifting his eyes to a star above Mordor, the believer learns that there are lights no darkness can reach.
IX. Four Questions for Reflection
- Where in your life do you struggle most to believe that God is abounding in love rather than merely tolerant?
- How does understanding forgiveness as part of God’s nature (not merely His actions) change the way you approach prayer?
- In what ways might you be called to extend forgiveness as a reflection of the mercy you have received?
- What does it look like, practically, to “call on the Lord” in seasons of silence, delay, or disappointment?
X. Conclusion: The Well That Does Not Run Dry
Psalm 86:5 is not a slogan. It is a lifeline.
It tells us that at the center of reality is not indifference, nor wrath untempered, but a God who is forgiving, good, and lavish in love toward all who call.
The road may yet be long. The burden may yet be heavy. But the well is there—and it is deep.
Drink, and live.
Scholarly Sources
- Augustine of Hippo. Confessions. Trans. Henry Chadwick. Oxford University Press, 1998.
- Wright, N. T. Scripture and the Authority of God. SPCK, 2013.
- Brueggemann, Walter. The Message of the Psalms. Augsburg Publishing House, 1984.
- Goldingay, John. Psalms, Volume 2: Psalms 42–89. Baker Academic, 2007.
Tolkien-Free Summary
This devotional explores Psalm 86:5 as a confession of God’s forgiving, good, and abundant love. It examines the verse’s Hebrew terms, its place in David’s prayer life, and its connection to the broader biblical story. The devotional emphasizes that God’s forgiveness is part of His nature, available to all who call on Him, and meant to shape both prayer and daily life. Four reflection questions and four scholarly sources are included.
Derby Family Ministry 