Everyone is getting older. If you’re not getting any older then you are not alive. For some, getting older is a pleasure, something they are eagerly looking forward to. They are young, and have so many plans, so many ambitions. For others, usually older folks, getting older can bring fears. They face weakening strength and abilities, poorer health, less income, the loss of friends and fear of loneliness. The unknown author of today’s psalm was probably a senior citizen, and faced some of these fears. However, he had trust and praise for God’s faithfulness and protection, whatever age he was. Let’s look into this psalm.
Our psalmist had lived many years, and he knew that throughout life there were trials and troubles. Through these times, he prayed for God’s protection and deliverance (vs. 1-4). We all know that we face difficulties, no matter what age we are, especially after we leave our parents home. During these times, like the psalmist, we need to seek refuge in God, and trust in His righteousness and power to save.
As the psalmist continued, we read of his view of life. He praised the Lord for His constant salvation, and hoped with certainty that even through great and severe troubles, God would revive him once again (vs. 5-8). He believed that the Lord had been watching over him even from before his birth, and that He provided for his safe birth as He took him from his mother’s womb. From the psalmist’s youth up, the Lord has been his trust. It was a lifelong trust, and shows us today the importance of a personal relationship with God that begins early in life and continues throughout one’s days.
As the psalmist wrote, he was in his senior years, and those fears that are so common to those of us in this time of life, started to creep in. One of his concerns was about being abandoned in old age (vs. 9). Yet he continued to call on God for ongoing support. He prayed that the Lord not forsake him, now that he was an old man. Rather than spending those years relaxing and taking it easy, he continued to have enemies, whether actual people after him, or other problems, such as poor health or financial woes (vs. 10-13). He trusted in the Lord to help him in old age, as He always had before.
Continuing on, our psalmist committed to praise God and proclaim His deeds to others (vs 14-18). He knew how very important it is that the younger generations be told all about the Lord. If we don’t pass on the message of the Lord Jesus to the younger generation, then that message will end with us when we die. It is so important to share our faith and testimony with others, especially with the next generation. Rather than just criticizing and complaining about young folks, we should be sharing the message of Jesus with them, and praying for them.
As the psalmist concluded his psalm, he committed to bring praise to the Lord God for His righteousness and salvation (vs. 19-24). Believers know that God is faithful in delivering His children, and it is important to praise Him for His mighty works. It is vital to have a personal relationship with God that spans our entire life. We can trust in His protection, and no matter our age, we should seek refuge in Him, and trust in his power to deliver us from all adversity. Knowing and experiencing this, we need to remember how important it is to share our faith with the next generation, and they, in turn, pass it on to the next. That is how we, in the 21st century, still hold the faith of the Apostles, centuries later.
In closing, let me share one of the greatest legacies a Christian can leave on earth - to be known as one who continually trusted in the Lord, both in good days and bad, at the beginning and the end of life. Let our legacy be that we trusted God until our very last breath.
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