Psalm 71:1-24 NIV In you, Lord , I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord , my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you. I have become a sign to many; you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long. Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.” Do not be far from me, my God; come quickly, God, to help me. May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace. As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long— though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord ; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, you who have done great things. Who is like you, God? Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honor and comfort me once more. I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered. My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long, for those who wanted to harm me have been put to shame and confusion.
The Confidence Of An Old Saint
Psalm 71 is the prayer of a person who has suffered great adversity in his many years upon earth. Persecutions, sickness, calamities, and trials have added gray hairs to his head. Yet he has maintained his close relation to God since childhood. His appeal for help once more is based upon the blessings of past experience. His desire is to live long enough to teach the present generation something of what life has taught him.
God is the God of second chances. We would all be dead if that weren’t true. If you've made big mistakes or bad decisions and feel you may have lost your chance to do something great for God, know that this is not true. If you’ve been far away from the right path for too long and don’t think you can ever really get back on it again, that is also not true. The truth is that the moment you reconnect your life to the Lord and dedicate your life to His service, He will revive you again. You can come back from trouble.
King David, who got off the path God had for him and into as much sin and trouble as anyone could—with adultery, deception, and murder on his record. (Read 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12!)
If God can do that for His chosen king, a man after His own heart who sinned terribly, He can do that for you. We too often see ourselves from our past. God sees us from our future. We see ourselves from our failure. God sees us from our purpose.
Isn’t it encouraging to know that no matter how far we have sunk down under the weight of our circumstances, we can rise again? We can come back from trouble. We can do whatever God has called us to do. We can have a second chance at greatness.
Psalm 71 is the prayer of a person who has suffered great adversity in his many years upon earth. Persecutions, sickness, calamities, and trials have added gray hairs to his head. Yet he has maintained his close relation to God since childhood. His appeal for help once more is based upon the blessings of past experience. His desire is to live long enough to teach the present generation something of what life has taught him.
God is the God of second chances. We would all be dead if that weren’t true. If you've made big mistakes or bad decisions and feel you may have lost your chance to do something great for God, know that this is not true. If you’ve been far away from the right path for too long and don’t think you can ever really get back on it again, that is also not true. The truth is that the moment you reconnect your life to the Lord and dedicate your life to His service, He will revive you again. You can come back from trouble.
King David, who got off the path God had for him and into as much sin and trouble as anyone could—with adultery, deception, and murder on his record. (Read 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12!)
If God can do that for His chosen king, a man after His own heart who sinned terribly, He can do that for you. We too often see ourselves from our past. God sees us from our future. We see ourselves from our failure. God sees us from our purpose.
Isn’t it encouraging to know that no matter how far we have sunk down under the weight of our circumstances, we can rise again? We can come back from trouble. We can do whatever God has called us to do. We can have a second chance at greatness.
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