Tags
aging, dementia, depression, discouragment, God, golden years, Prayer, seniors
Reading: Psalm 71
Verses 9-18
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 (NIV).
Reflection
I am not officially a senior, but I am inching my way toward that prize, if you can call it that. With each passing year I can more fully identify with the psalmist’s prayer. For those of us in our sixth decade and beyond, great wisdom can be found in this psalm. As physical vitality declines, more and more we come to rely on the strength of God.
This Old House— photo courtesy of Donald Adam
The psalmist laments, “For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together.”
Our enemies don’t all strut about on two legs. Some of them creep into our lives in more subtle forms like discouragement, depression, dementia and disease. These are the more common enemies that conspire against us. When they gain the upper hand, our golden years lose their lustre. Against this backdrop the psalmist is defiant. He takes his stand. As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more…
Having come this far by the grace of God, this is not the time to retreat… till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.
Response: LORD God, thank you for your presence with me since my youth. Continue to fill my life with joy, meaning and purpose. Day by day, be my help and strength until I see you face to face. Amen.
Your Turn: Do you look forward to your golden years?
I love the Psalms 
Very good observations David. It is true that physical vitality does indeed decline. But still I pray to be in tune with God at this stage of my life. Blessings Mary.
Yes Lord, I need to be tuned up and and in tune with you.
Yup enemies come in many shapes and forms and we have to just be aware.
Agreed. Negative thoughts spoken into our mind can be the most difficult enemies to defeat. That’s why I need Jesus and the power of his word.
Amen to that David.
I’m in my golden years and find them quite tarnished, but by he grace of God I can look forward to the golden gates of heaven.
Ah, but you are using the time the Lord is giving you here for His great purpose. I think in due time that tarnish will be transformed into greater glory!
Thanks!
Having arrived at that goal a few years ago, I can tell you that it is indeed a prize. When I look back on my life now, I can see and better understand that God’s mercies are truly new every morning. With each new day, my heart rejoices more than ever before!
Wally, your growing closeness to the Lord is an example and witness to others. To God be the praise.