A Daily Devotional And Reading From The Psalms
Psalms 71:1-7
1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust:
let me never be put to confusion.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape:
incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 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.
4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For thou art my hope, O Lord God:
thou art my trust from my youth.
6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb:
thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels:
my praise shall be continually of thee.
7 I am as a wonder unto many;
but thou art my strong refuge.
Don’t you just hate those TV shows and movies that end with, “to be continued”? You get all ramped up for a resolution only to learn that you have to wait.
What if I could tell you about a “to be continued” scenario that you would like? Shall I continue?
I believe David was inspired to write this Psalm even though it doesn’t bear his name. Why? It just sounds like him and his favorite metaphors. Psalm 31 is specified as a Psalm of David and the first three verses are awfully close to the first three of this one. It is believed that David was inspired to pen the thirty-first Psalm early in his life, the seventy-first on the other hand, was written much later when he is “old and gray-headed” (Psalm 71:18). One noticeable difference between the similar verses is found in Psalm 71:3 with the insertion of the phrase, “Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort”. David looks back over his past and remembers how he ran to the Lord many times and how on each occasion he found refuge. The difference between youth and old age was the experience that God had “continually” been faithful. Since God had been continually faithful, David said in verse 6, “my praise shall be continually of thee” and then in verse 14 he said, “But I will hope continually”. God continually providing, merited David continually praising and continually coming back for more!
My hair isn’t totally gray but it has gone away.
Someone said, “you aren’t completely bald”, which is true. The Lord and I have a deal, he shaves the top and I take care of the sides. When I forget to shave my half, I do see some gray. I am beginning to understand why later in life David would add the part about “continually” running to the Lord. When I was younger, every heartache was a new experience that forced me to run to the Lord. I continually found him a faithful friend and helper who continually answered my prayers and calmed my spirit. Many times I have caught myself thinking how the details may be different but the situation is really the same. Guess how long I plan to praise him? That’s right, continually! I continually run to the same hiding spot in Christ. Why not? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! So here is the good news of Psalm 71. This wonderful cycle of care, praise and hope doesn’t end but is…to be continued!