From: March 30, 2023
“My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long. And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside. Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing” (Psalm 71:7-9 NLT).
The psalmist asked that the Lord not abandon him when he became old and weak. He knew that the Lord had cared for him since birth and that any accomplishment or good reputation that he had was from the Lord. But now that he was getting older, he wanted to be sure that the Lord wouldn’t forget him in his final days.
As we age, we die by degree. Our sight needs correction and our hearing fades. Our joints lose flexibility and our hair grays. Each day seems to hold a new decrease and decline.
Yet, we may still increase in the Lord! The time of old age can be a time of spiritual advance. While the body fails, the spirit may soar on eagle’s wings in the strength of our God.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we may grow older and weaker in body as we age, but work in us to make us stronger in Spirit. For we want to finish well for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: March 30, 2016
Hope is the strong desire for a favorable future. Yet, experiences of past and present failures often dash our hopes, making us less hopeful for tomorrow. But the Psalmist found that his hope in the Lord was trustworthy and true since his youth. Anchoring his hope in the Lord, his hope for the future soared. We can make Christ our hope. He will never disappoint. Our hope in Jesus is anchored in his resurrection, trusts in his reliability and focuses on his soon return. Christ is our hope for our past, present and future.
From: March 30, 2015
This psalm is a prayer describing to God a determination to proclaim His salvation all the day, yet to do it in “the strength of the Lord.” And to never take credit for salvation, but to give total credit to God and His righteousness. This is my prayer today: To go out in the strength and power of the Lord and to declare His righteousness and salvation all the day!
From: March 30, 2014
I’m not sure that I’m as old as the Psalmist, but I am getting a little gray and I do have grandchildren. I understand his perspective I think. And so, I join in his prayer for God’s help to pass the baton of faith to my children’s children. Not only in my family, but in God’s family (which is the church) as well. I desire God’s power and presence in my life to increase as my own strength decreases. More of Christ and less of me. Lord, “let me proclaim your power to this new generation!”