old & gray

I have become a marvel to many, For You are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with Your praise And with Your glory all day long. Do not cast me away at the time of my old age; Do not abandon me when my strength fails.

~Psalm 71:7-9

In 2009, Apple launched an iPhone campaign touting all the various applications available on their smartphone (hard to believe that smartphones have already been around that long). You probably recall the famous slogan: “There’s an app for that.” This is the exact reason I so love the Psalms. No matter what you’re experiencing in life, there’s a Psalm that meets you right where you are. Feeling alone and abandoned? Overwhelmed by your sin? Persecuted? In awe of God’s glorious creation? Wanting God to “get” your enemies? Overcome with thankfulness for your salvation and God’s incredible goodness? 

There’s a Psalm for that.

As I found myself in Psalm 71 recently, it dawned on me that I’d never noticed its title before. In the NASB, it reads, “Prayer of an Old Man for Rescue”… in the ESV, “Forsake Me Not When My Strength is Spent”. As a 58-year-old woman, I had to chuckle at these titles. But it also made me read this beautiful Psalm with new eyes (well, new “old” eyes, so to speak). As we get older in our faith—and older in body and mind—it’s easy to think that our walk with the Lord will get smoother, and less tumultuous. Yeah, that doesn’t happen. In fact, with every step forward on our sanctification journey, from glory to glory (2 Cor 3:17-18), our sinning becomes more and more apparent to ourselves. And, hopefully, with this spiritual maturity, our rate-of-repentance quickens and the grace we find to extend toward others grows exponentially.

Although we don’t know who wrote this Psalm, it definitely has the same ups and downs as many of David’s songs. Here’s the basic, beautiful flow, along with its old-guy wrap-up: 

1. A cry to God for rescue and deliverance—to be a rock of refuge, with an immediate follow-up of “You ARE my rock!” (vs 1-3). Ah, a reminder that this plea is one we’ll utter all the days of this life.
2. An appeal for protection against the wicked, unjust, and cruel (v 4). Jesus Himself promised us troubles (John 16:33).
3. A proclamation of long-time and continual hope and trust in the Lord, and a recounting of a long life of reliance on and praise of God (vs 5-6).
4. A recognition that the world—and those in it—marvel that he makes the Lord his refuge, praising Him all day long and through all the “even if” times (vs 7-8).
5. A plea for God to not forsake him in his old age, when the body starts failing and enemies start plotting against him because they think God has abandoned him (9-12). He urgently shouts, “God, hurry to help me!” (We’ve all been here!)
6. About his enemies, he says, “Go get ‘em God! May my enemies be disgraced!” (v 13) Gotta love the honesty of the Psalms, am I right?)
7. “But as for me…” (vs 14-16) Here is where most Psalms turn, regardless of the specific theme/struggle: “But as for me, Lord, I will praise You and tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation.” Yes, friend! No matter what—when He gives and takes away—we bless His holy name. And we will declare His salvation even to our enemies (v 16).

For the rest of the Psalm, the writer leans into the old-and-gray points (vs 17-24): He begs God to not forsake him even when he’s getting up there in age. In fact, he begs God for more time to tell the younger generations about Him. (Ouch, is THIS our plea to the Lord as we wake up achy and don’t recognize that old person in the mirror?) He then again acknowledges the greatness of God and His righteousness. He accepts the “many troubles and calamities” the Lord has given him and seen him through…and that with the next one and the next one, God will carry him through and comfort him. His lips and soul will shout for joy with praise. Finally, he recognizes that his enemies will be dealt with by the Lord—so all he has to do is sing praises (and not worry about them).

Friend, as we age, because we will, let’s take to heart this Psalmist’s perspective. Let’s continually praise the Lord and acknowledge His righteousness and the salvation we have in Him—despite our enemies’ efforts and regardless of life’s inevitable calamities. And let’s never tire of sharing the joy of salvation with those younger than us.

Father God, thank You for the wisdom that comes with getting older. May I embrace all that comes with it and continually praise You in it all.