“In You O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.” (Psalms 71:1-2)
We don’t know the author of this Psalm but it is an awesome Psalm that has the author crying out for deliverance and salvation to the only One who can provide it: Our God. He beseeches God to incline His ear and to save him. He reminds God that He is the Rock and Fortress we can depend upon in time of trouble. Who do you depend upon when times are tough? The author continues:
“Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress…..For You are my hope, O LORD God; You are my trust from my youth.” (verses 3,5)
Again the author talks of God as someone he can turn to for comfort and safety. He remembers that it is God who has saved him and because God commanded it, then it is a fact that cannot be denied. He has put his faith in God since his youth. That is a good thing if you have had God to turn to since your youth, but if not, you can still turn to him now, and put your trust in him for the time you have left on this earth.
“By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.” (verse 6)
Wow! Think of it! God has been with you since your birth! God saw you safely delivered from your mother’s womb. In Psalm 139 King David says: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mothers womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And my soul knows very well.” (Psalm 139:13,14) God has made us in His image and He has done a wonderful job of it! We should be praising Him daily just for this simple act of creation that He supervised in the womb. (Continue reading Psalm 139 for more, especially verse 16)
The author of Psalm 71 continues: “O God, You have taught me from my youth; And to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now I am old and grayheaded, O God do not forsake me, Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” (verses 17,18)
Even though I was 30 years old when I surrendered my life to be a follower of Christ, I can remember many times in my life prior to that time when my God was with me and was preparing me for the day when He would save me and adopt me as His son. Now it is my job to declare His wonderful works to all I come in contact with. God will not ever forsake me, even though I am considered “old and grayheaded” by most people. I need to declare His glory to my children and grandchildren that He has blessed me with.
Of course, there is much more in this Psalm. Read it for yourself and see if the Holy Spirit has much more insight about our God and His marvelous plan for each one of us today!
Pray:
1. Lord, Indeed you are my strong tower, my Rock, and my Fortress. Thank You for always walking with me whether it is a bright sunny a day or a walk in the “valley of death.”
2. Help me Lord, to always depend upon You and not my own intelligence or understanding of the situation. You are the faithful One upon I can always cast my cares upon.
3. Fill me with Your Spirit today, and allow me to see others and my situation in Your eyes. Help me to proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.
