The unknown author of Psalm 1 appears to have been struggling with aging. He wrote in verse 9, “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.” The Psalmist also stated in verse 18a, “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not.” He must have wondered if God had no further use for him.
Had God turned His back on him? Had God abandoned him in the years when he wasn’t physically strong and could not do the things he once could?
As we age, we need the reminder God has not cast us aside. Age brings a myriad of struggles — physical difficulties, waning cognitive abilities, limited finances, less independence, the loss of family members and friends. We are tempted to become impatient and intolerant. We struggle with feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and a low self-esteem.
All of these are a normal part of getting older. You have likely heard someone say (if you haven’t said it yourself) “getting old is not for sissies.” Satan plants some of these ideas in our heads. His minions make us feel worthless at times. They say there is no place for us anymore. People may even say in cruelty, “God is no longer there.”
God is there! He has not forgotten us. Psalm 71 helps us with this. How did the psalmist combat these thoughts? How do we?
First, he remembered God was the constant in his life. Notice verses 1-3: “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.”
God was his refuge. He knew the Lord as his Deliverer and Savior, his strong habitation, his rock, and his fortress. God is all those things to us as well in every stage of life. As we age, God remains constant. His promises continue to be true.
Second, he reaffirmed his confidence in the Lord. Verse 5 says, “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.” In the psalmist’s case, he had been following the Lord most of his life. He could continue to hope and trust the Lord although his life situation had changed. This is true for us as well. In all circumstances of life, we can trust the Lord. I often ask God, through His Holy Spirit, to lead me to confidence in Him.
The psalmist admitted his continued responsibility to communicate God to others, especially future generations. In verse 7a, he acknowledged people were watching him when he said, “I am as a wonder unto many.” The word wonder means he was a “portent” or “sign” to others. The same is true for us as believers. In verse 17b he stated, “Hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.” He went on to say in verse 18, “O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.”
The psalmist again acknowledged his responsibility to tell others about God, especially the importance of passing faith to future generations. We, too, have that responsibility. No matter our place in life, no matter the difficulties we face, we must tell others about God. Future generations need to hear from you. They need us to teach them about God. They have no hope without Him.
As long as we live, we should be telling about our God and living out our faith in Him.
The psalmist was intentional about counting the blessings of God. Verse 15 says: “My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.”
The writer had been blessed beyond measure. His blessings exceeded his ability to count them. That is true for all of us. While it sounds a bit cliché, we should count our blessings when we doubt God’s presence. His blessings to us have been innumerable. Be intentional about looking back over your life and remembering how the Lord has acted on your behalf.
Seph Schlueter, in his song “Counting My Blessings” sings,
One, two, three, up to infinity
I’d run out of numbers
Before I could thank You for everything, God.
I’m still counting my blessings
All that You’ve done in my life;
The more that I look in the details
The more of Your goodness I find.
Father, on this side of Heaven
I know that I’ll run out of time,
But I will keep counting my blessings
Knowing I can’t count that high.
Finally, the psalmist says to offer a concert of praise to the Lord. The reminder to praise the Lord is seen throughout this Psalm. Notice:
Verse 6: “my praise shall be continually of thee.”
Verse 8: “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.”
Verse 14: “But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.”
Verses 22-23: “I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.”
The Lord is worthy of our praise. He deserves it. Don’t misunderstand; I am not saying old age is a piece of cake. At times it is not. However, it behooves us as children of God to praise the Lord any way we can, even if it is silent and only heard by Him.
Is it hard getting older? It certainly can be. Are there times when we must pass the baton to younger saints? Of course. Does that mean God has forsaken us, and we do not mean anything to Him anymore? Absolutely not!
In those moments, just remember:
God is our constant.
We can and should have confidence in Him.
We must continue to tell others about God.
Counting God’s blessings reminds
us of His faithfulness.
We should always praise our God who alone deserves it.
About the Writer: Jeff Caudill serves as executive pastor at Cofer’s Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee, and as marketing operations manager at Welch College.
