God’s manifold mercy, God’s lovingkindness that embraces us in our manifold needs, is the hope of the psalmist in the next section (waw-section; 119:41-48). His prayer: “May your steadfast love reach me.”
That lovingkindness is understood here as “deliverance” (v. 41b), and that deliverance is understood as “an answer for those who taunt me” (v. 42).
God’s mercy is manifold: it comes to us where we are — in all our concrete particulars. Moms and dads, men and women, children, students, teachers … and we could go on to list everything we do and all the kinds of folks we are. In each of those particulars, God manifests his manifold mercy.
The psalmist reminds me of something important: no matter how small I am, no matter how small my concern, God hears. His infinity so intense and extensive, that God knows and cares about everything. All this psalmist wants is the capacity to answer his opponents.
If we are tempted to think we should bring only the big ones to God, the psalmist evidently thinks otherwise.