Sep-03-0504-Faith that grows stronger with age
504_Faith that grows stronger with age Psalm 71 In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! 2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me! 3 Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. 4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. 5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. 6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you. 7 I have been as a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. 8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. 9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent. 10 For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together 11 and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.” 12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! An old man owned a stout, weathered walking stick. It wasn’t fancy—just a sturdy piece of wood, smoothed and darkened by years of use. Whenever he went on walks with his grandson, he leaned on that stick—not just for support, but almost as if it were an old friend. His grandson once asked him why he didn’t buy a newer, lighter one. He smiled and said, “This stick has been with me for many years. It’s carried me through uneven paths, steep hills, and slippery ground. It’s not just a stick—it’s part of my journey.” The child didn’t understand his grandpa’s statement at the time. As he grew, he realized that the old walking stick was more than a tool—it supported his grandpa’s confidence in his mobility. In the same way, the psalmist in Psalm 71 leaned on God as his unfailing support through every stage of life. And as he grew older and weaker, his dependence and his confidence only deepened. Psalm 71 testifies to the righteousness and strength of God. It is the song of one who had walked with God for a lifetime and found Him faithful at every step. As the old man looks back, he remembers God’s steadfast care. Yet his words are not just reminiscences of the past—they are the confident prayers of one who knows that the God who carried him through youth will not abandon him in old age. He begins in trust: “In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.” As his strength faded and his enemies threatened his life, it would have been natural for him to feel vulnerable. As we age, we may lose confidence in our abilities. We may even