A Life Lived with God


Psalm 71
1In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!
2In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!
3Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
5For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
6Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.
7I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
8My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.
9Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.
10For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together
11and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.”
12O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!
13May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt.
14But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.
15My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.
16With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
17O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.
19Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?
20You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
21You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.
22I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
23My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.
24And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt.

My first reaction upon reading this psalm was a mental fist pump! Yeah, God, Yeah!!! I noticed that as I read, the voice in my head became louder and the words flew by more quickly as my enthusiasm for God and all that He has done rose higher and higher with each word. Way to go, God!

Now – let’s look a little more objectively at this spectacular prayer. Even though there is not a line at the top of the psalm naming David as the author, most scholars believe it is indeed his work. It is written in his style and mirrors closely other psalms we know to be his. Assuming this is David’s work it is also believed this was written toward the end of his life. Clearly the writer has lived a great deal of life and is reflecting back not on his own life, but primarily on the goodness and power of God. David still sees God’s mighty hand at work in his life and is grateful for all that has been given to him by God. David knows just exactly who to praise for the benefits of his life.

Even if you are not “old” this psalm can resonate through your experiences. David goes clear back to the time in his mother’s womb and recognizes that God is the Author of his life. His successes are God’s and his struggles have been handled by God. And here is where this psalm speaks for all of us. God is sovereign over all of our lives and all praise must always go His way as we experience success or think back over all that we have done. And if we take the time to really think about our struggles, we have to declare that God has brought us through each and every one of them. In fact, if you are currently experiencing pain in your life, it is just a good solid practice to think back over God’s hand on your life in the past. That can be a genuine faith builder.

This is one of those prayers that you should mark in your Bible. This is a psalm that deserves to be revisited on a regular basis, for all of us can use a reminder of God’s control over our lives. Again, to God alone belongs the glory!

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