¹In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be ashamed. ²In Your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline Your ear to me and save me … ⁹Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.

The line of demarcation between being a full-bodied person and elderly sneaks up. The psalm writer reflects on the universal aging experience as he is cresting into his physically declining years. He’s old enough to be aware of the physical and mental changes of advanced aging, but he wants to know that he is still useful to the Lord. Indeed, this psalm resonates with believers who see the horizon approaching. But those who are oblivious to the horizon and see their faith as strong and invincible will find great encouragement to build a deep well of faith experiences to draw upon when they are surprised to see the horizon appearing in their purview.

With age comes reflection on a broader scope of life, a perspective the young must take by faith, respecting the wisdom of those who have gone before. Hear what the psalmist says: “By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb; my praise is continually of You” (vs. 6). Notice the concern of this godly writer who, after a lifetime of serving the Lord, intensely prays, “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails” (vs. 9). He wants to remain helpful in the service of the Lord. A common element of growing older in all areas of life is questioning: “Can I can continue to ply this world, give back to others, and make an impact in this world for God. Or will I be shelved because of declining physical or emotional strength?” For many older people, there is a recognition of declining energy. For the godly person, the solution, among other ways of dealing with aging, is to focus on passing his or her knowledge of God on to the next generations. This is not necessarily academic knowledge but firsthand experience of the reality of God.

O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come. (Ps 71:17–18)

When I was younger, I desperately looked for godly older men and women, examples of a lifelong commitment to Christ. Sadly, there seemed to be very few whose lives went below the surface of cultural Christianity. The ones that lived wholeheartedly for the Lord were the ones who declared by their lives, along with their words, the greatness of God’s transforming power in a life fully committed to Him. Can we share our testimony of God’s goodness and strength over our lifetime?

At the heart of the matter, the need for faith is the same at all ages: we need to grow in our faith, in seeking the Lord’s help during overwhelming times. In a sense, the call for help (as is typical in “lament” psalms) continues on the course of trusting God, which has become characteristic of the life of faith. The lament is directly mentioned only in verses 4 and 10-11; however, the lament aspect of his prayer comes more as a backdrop, even an informed context, that gives rise to praising God for His greatness. Years of experience leads him to use his request for help as a platform for praising God. What the psalmist needs is to avoid shame, which in his case, would be the military and political shame of being a loser. But he also needs the continual security of God as he calls on the Lord to be his rock and fortress (vs. 3). He does not take for granted the past experiences of the Lord’s protection; but past faith will not suffice for the present need. Faith must be new each day. He quickly turns in confidence to the God who has protected him all his life; there is no greater praise than to rehearse to God how great He has been in one’s life. His life of faith and protection from God is acknowledged by his continual praise to God for what He has done (vss. 7-8).

However, his detractors don’t share the awe of his faithfulness and undermine the validity of his faith by asserting that God has abandoned him. This elicits the cry for God’s active presence, “O God, do not be far from me; O my God, hasten to my help!” (vs. 12).

How does one pray for his enemies? This godly writer turns to the Hebrew practice of imprecation, using language designed to align him with God’s righteousness. He turns their criticism back against them. When they taunt him that God has forsaken him (vss. 11-12) and try to shame him into submission and defeat, he asks God to, “Let [them] be ashamed and consumed; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, who seek to injure me” (vs. 13). But his higher thoughts are toward praising God rather than dwelling long on his detractors, and so he continues to focus on the Lord as his hope and the object of his praise (vss. 14-17).

The rest of the psalm (vss. 18-24) consumes this older, experienced believer with the greatness of God, for he knows that truth resides in God (vs. 22). This is not as our popular culture speaks of, “You have your truth, I have mine,” which is nothing more than asserting one’s opinion and disallowing any disagreement. But the godly person turns to God’s truth, the only foundation for faith and confidence in His greatness to help us in our times of trouble.

What a tremendous Word from the Lord, the encouragement to continue the life of faith at all stages of our walk. We close with the psalmist’s words as our own …

I will also praise You with a harp, even Your truth, O my God; to You I will sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; and my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long; for they are ashamed, for they are humiliated who seek my hurt. (Ps. 71:22–24)