Psalm 71
This is the senior citizen's prayer. I can't help believing that it's key verse should be memorized by all who have arrived at or who are advancing toward that category in life. The key verse is verse 18, in which the psalmist sings, "Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come."
Surely one of the chief purposes in life for those of advancing years should indeed be to make God known to the younger generations, His power and His glory to everyone who is to come along after us. It's not an easy task. There are always adversaries, just as there were for the psalmist - those who think ill of us and oppose us, and who don't want us speaking to the younger generations about God.
Nevertheless, Whatever the particular emergency facing the psalmist at his time of writing, he wanted to be delivered from it in such a way that he might boast to the younger generation about God's mercy and goodness in that deliverance, a mercy and goodness that is available to that younger generation as well.
So it should be for any of us. We all experience troubles, difficulties, and emergencies in our lives. We should of course pray for deliverance, not only for our own sakes, but also so that we might call the attention of younger persons to the goodness of our God! Should not one of our chief purposes in life be to bring praise to Him?
QuoteSurely one of the chief purposes in life for those of advancing years should indeed be to make God known to the younger generations, His power and His glory to everyone who is to come. It?s not an easy task. There are always adversaries, just as there were for the psalmist - those who think ill of us and oppose us, and who don't want us speaking to the younger generations about God.
Oh Al the above statement speaks so much of my son, He once told me that he didn't want to to talk about Jesus to my grandchildren and I am not allowed to take them to church. The desire of my heart is to be able to see them all saved and to meet them in the kingdom of heaven. The worst case scenario is that they will never accept the Lord. I will continue to pray for their hearts to be turned toward the Lord and to be open to hear what is been said to their spirits.[/b]
And my prayer is that your son will soon see differently, that he will humble himself before our Lord in repentance and embrace Him in faith. Father, do these things, I pray, through our Lord Jesus.
May be an "oldies" psalm Al but I have always loved to read 71 and found it to be so helpful, even when young. v 5 "Thou art my hope, oh Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth."
Praise God indeed!
Pastor Al I have been reading your comments again on this psalm.
I see my grandsons growing up and am especially concerned about Phillip who will be 18 in July. He is out "in the world" now and is causing much heartache to his mother. I have tried to witness to them over the years, indeed my children went to Sunday school and to church with me and my grandsons know I am a Christian...but I do not see my daughter taking them to the Lord's House...oh she always intends to, then something else happens and she gets deterred.
This getting older brings much heartache as I look at my dear ones, without Christ. I ask for wisdom to know how to talk to my daughter about this without turning her away. It is much easieer to talk to neighbours and strangers about Jesus than to my own family.
St. Paul said "In season or out of season" so that I have no excuse but to witness.
Thank you for the invitation to call in and share with you sometimes Pastor.
Have you done a commentary on Job?
Just going to have a little read of my Bible before I go to bed. It is 10.30 p.m. here in England.
God bless.
Jenny.
Ah Jenny! I am so greatly blessed to have you commenting agan on these wonderful songs! I too know the heartaches of which you speak. Our youngest daughter professes to be an agnostic. Oh how I long to see her come fully to Jesus Christ! And of course her children did not learn of Christ either. Oh God have mercy and show Thy power!
What a wonderful time we had (Paul and I) reading this Psalm. Yes, as seniors, how important it is for us to witness to our young folk.
I'm sure that all of us have heartaches--seeing folks make professions of their belief in Christ and asking Him to be their Savior when young but when they are a little older, getting involved in the evils of this world.
Oh, that we may NEVER stop praying for these folks and witnessing to those that we come in contact with in our daily walks of life.
We have a wonderful Saviour!