I’m Not Dead Yet … are you? – christinelind.com
Are you feeling old and without purpose? King David wrestled with these issues in Psalm 71. Most scholars believe he wrote this psalm – some believe Jeremiah. But it sounds like a David psalm, poetic and from the heart. He probably wrote it in his 60’s. He died at 70, so he would have been considered an old man.
But he fought this notion. He didn’t want to become obsolete, or yesterday’s model. None of us will escape the trials and tribulations of life, certainly David didn’t. But he seemed to have the proper response to the onslaughts of life as he grew older. This psalm is also a warning for the young. In order to meet the demands of this life, it is best to lay a good foundation in your youth.
But it is never too late. You can begin now, at any age. Learn from David who walked with God all his life and desired to serve him as long as their was breath in his body. Here is Psalm 71, and some reasons (excuses) that hinder us from serving God in our later years, and I assume David too; and his powerful heartfelt prayers back to God, his arsenal against the fiery darts of the devil:
You have guilt about your past. You feel you have failed yourself, others, and ultimately God. “In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me. For you are my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 71:1-3 NKJV).
You wonder why you were ever born. You no longer find any joy in life. “Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked. Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth! You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You” (Psalm 71: 4-6 NKJV).
You feel you have lost your integrity with others. “I have become as a wonder to many, but You are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with your praise and with your glory all the day” (Psalm 71: 7,8 NKJV).
You suffer from serious health problems. “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me; And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, saying, ‘God has forsaken him; Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him’” (Psalm 71: 9 -11 NKJV).
People you thought would always be with you, have walked away. “O God, do not be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let them be confounded and consumed who are the adversaries of my life; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day. For I do not know their limits, I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only” (Psalm 71: 12 -16 NKJV).
You feel you are no longer viable, or have anything to offer. No one needs you anymore. “O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. 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” (Psalm 71: 17,18).
Your life feels shattered and too chaotic to redeem. “Your righteousness, O God is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You? You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side” (Psalm 71: 19-21 NKJV).
And lastly David sings, “Also with the lute I will praise You, and Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long” (Psalm 71: 22-24a NKJV).
So don’t be dead just yet; don’t give up, and don’t give in to old age. Get out your lute. Get out your harp. Get out anything. Let’s follow David’s example. We have everything we need to serve our Lord till the end.
