In The Word
Read: Psalms 70-71
Prayer for Help against Persecutors.
For the music director. A Psalm of David; for a memorial.
70 God, hurry to save me;
Lord, hurry to help me!
2 May those who seek my life
Be put to shame and humiliated;
May those who delight in my harm
Be turned back and dishonored.
3 May those who say, “Aha, aha!” be turned back
Because of their shame.
4 May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And may those who love Your salvation say continually,
“May God be exalted!”
5 But I am afflicted and needy;
Hurry to me, God!
You are my help and my savior;
Lord, do not delay.
Prayer of an Old Man for Rescue.
71 In You, Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be put to shame.
2 In Your righteousness rescue me and save me;
Extend Your ear to me and help me.
3 Be to me a rock of dwelling to which I may continually come;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.
4 Save me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
From the grasp of the wrongdoer and the ruthless,
5 For You are my hope;
Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth.
6 I have leaned on you since my birth;
You are He who took me from my mother’s womb;
My praise is continually of You.
7 I have become a marvel to many,
For You are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long.
9 Do not cast me away at the time of my old age;
Do not abandon me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies have spoken against me;
And those who watch for my life have consulted together,
11 Saying, “God has abandoned him;
Pursue and seize him, for there is no one to save him.”
12 God, do not be far from me;
My God, hurry to my aid!
13 May those who are enemies of my soul be put to shame and consumed;
May they be covered with disgrace and dishonor, who seek to injure me.
14 But as for me, I will wait continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the art of writing.
16 I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
17 God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray, God, do not abandon me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
19 For Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
God, who is like You?
20 You who have shown me many troubles and distresses
Will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.
22 I will also praise You with a harp,
And Your truth, my God;
I will sing praises to You with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
24 My tongue also will tell of Your righteousness all day long;
For they are put to shame, for they are humiliated who seek my harm.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Many people ignore God completely, while others play church, banking on a fire insurance policy. Those who will not surrender their life to Christ want to live life on their own terms and not on God’s terms. However, there is only one way to live, not many ways, and not your own way (John 14:6). Unfortunately, many people do not realize this until later in life, after many mistakes have been made.
How blessed are those that have been taught the truth, taught how to apply it, and whom have accepted it early in life. David could say that the Lord was his confidence from his youth because he had an intimate relationship with the Lord even as a young shepherd boy. He allowed God to teach him all throughout his life. David had seen the Lord deliver him from the lion and the bear, as well as the giant and the king.
Even though David had a real relationship with the Lord, he still made mistakes. However, he knew what to do when he sinned. He had learned to confess and repent with the right heart. David never stopped serving the Lord (2 Samuel 23:1-7). We should never retire from serving God. We should serve Him and follow Him fully all the days of our life. When we are old and gray, we should still be actively declaring His strength to the current generation and the generations to come.