Psalm 71 Devotional

Still Leaning in Old Age

“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, until I proclaim Your power to the next generation, Your might to all who are to come.”Psalm 71:18 (BSB)

The speaker of Psalm 71 has walked with God a long time. He has leaned on God since birth and trusted him since youth (71:5-6). Now he is old and his strength is failing, and he asks God not to set him aside or abandon him (71:9). His enemies have decided that God has already forsaken him and that no one will come to his rescue (71:10-11).

His answer is not to look back on a finished faith but to keep hoping and to praise God more and more (71:14). God has shown him many troubles, yet he trusts that God will revive him and bring him up again from the depths (71:20). And he has a purpose for his remaining years. He asks God to stay with him even when he is gray, until he has told the next generation of God's power (71:18). A long life with God is not something to retire from. Every season, including the last, has a story of God's faithfulness worth passing on.

To think about: What has God done in your life that someone younger needs to hear from you?