STUDYING THE PSALMS

            I guess it is true confession time – I don’t like poetry very much. I don’t like to read it, and I certainly don’t like it read to me. So, you can guess that I do not read the Psalms as faithfully as I should. And you are thinking, “Shame on you! You are missing beautiful messages from God.” Well, you are correct. I’m trying to do better.

I was reading Psalm 71 recently. The caption of these verses was, “Forsake Me Not When My Strength is Spent.” I thought, “I can relate to that prayer!” Maybe you feel the same way. Let’s take a brief look at this psalm; I hope you will read it carefully today and see what it has to say to you. David (the most likely author of these words) began by acknowledging that God was his source of refuge and rescue. He prayed that God would hear his requests, then in verse three confirmed that he believed God would be his deliverer from the wicked.

In verse 6, David referred to his youth; he proclaimed his dependence on God from before his birth. He offered continual praise to God. In verse 8, he said that he had been the bearer of bad news concerning the future; his enemies criticized and derided him for these negative proclamations. They claimed that God had forsaken David, that he should be done away with.

Verse 17 tells us that the author planned to continue to praise God and tell of his wondrous deeds. “Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me.” As you are aging, have you sometimes felt that you have lived past your time of usefulness? Do you think your best days are behind you? Look at the end of verse18: “until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”

Apparently there is still a job for us to do. Maybe our infirmities actually give us credibility when we talk about God and our firm belief that He will never forsake us. You know, many begin the race strong; not all stay in the race until they cross the finish line. How many stories are in scripture of those who believed in the beginning, but fell away. They forsook Christ, loving this present world too much.

Verses 22 – 24 are joyous expressions of how the author planned to praise God; singing, shouting, talking, praising God all day long. And the last thought? My enemies have been put to shame and they have been sorely disappointed! God did not forsake him. We have the same promises; we can have the same hope in our God Almighty!

Patsy Shero