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THOU ART MY ROCK
God's Recipe for Success in Old Age (1)
PSALM 71
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SCRIPTURE READING IN ENGLISH
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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;
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.
8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.
12 O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!
20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
22 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.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
One of the most fatal things in the life of the Christian is discouragement. One of the most helpful is cheerfulness - a praising and rejoicing heart. And with cheerfulness, comes strength and comfort to press on the pilgrimage to heaven.
How do we overcome discouragements in our daily walk in the face of diverse temptations and trials?
The psalmist tells us it is by prayer. He showed to us the key ingredients of his prayer life -
(1) continual trust (v 3 ) and
(2) continual hope (v 14 ) in the Rock of our salvation, the divine protector/defender of our soul (v 3c ) - the living the true God.
And the result is continual
(1) praise
(2) rejoicing
(3) strength and
(4) comfort of the heart.
We shall examine the source of the Christian's faith and hope. We shall then reap the fruits of faith and hope - praise and rejoicing, strength and comfort in the heart.
It is my prayer that the LORD will renew our faith and hope in Him and give to us a cheerful countenance to triumph over every trial and temptation that will come our way. This is possible as we spend time to study and meditate upon Holy Scriptures in the next 4 days.
The title "Thou art my Rock" is taken from verse 3c to point us back to God, our safe refuge, strong, secure and dependable. We are to put our trust in Him (v 1 ) who is the strong habitation that we may continually resort (v 3a ) and hope continually (v 14 ). Even amidst the most difficult time in our life, the psalmist taught us to strengthen ourselves in the LORD and receive comfort to go in the strength of the LORD (v 16 ).
It was "in the time of old age" (v 9a ), when he was "old and greyheaded" (v 18 ), that this psalm was penned. He was undergoing affliction of faith by "the hand of unrighteous and cruel man" (v 4 ). Physical weaknesses have set in when strength faileth (v 9b ) and a strong sense of been forsaken (v 9a ,18a ). The psalmist tells us, the feeling of loneliness and being abandoned is a real struggle in his heart leading to discouragement.
How did he regulate his heart and mind in times of loneliness (v 9 ) and in the face of these incessant attacks from adversaries of his soul (v 13a ) and remain strong in his daily walk?
It is interesting to note the thoughts of the Psalmist's heart each time he uses the personal pronoun "I". You will notice a transition in the emotional state of the psalmist from threatened "confusion" (v 1 ) to great rejoicing and praise (v 23 ). How blessed it is for us to learn from the psalmist how to turn every sorrow to joy and every unrest of the soul to peace!
(1) A Continual Trust in the Unfailing Rock (v 1-3 )
- TRUST CONTINUALLY (v 1-3 )
(2) A Continual & Steadfast Hope Against Overwhelming Odds (v 4-14 )
- HOPE CONTINUALLY (v 4-14 )
(3) His Continual Praise, Rejoicing, Strength and Comfort won at the Throne of Grace (v 6c ,15-24 )
- PRAISE CONTINUALLY (v 6c ,15-24 )
Outline
(1) A Continual Trust in the Unfailing Rock (v 1-3 )
a. In confusion, he exercised faith! (v 1 )
b. In distress, he prayed! (v 2 )
c. The LORD is his Rock and Fortress - stable safe refuge, utterly secure and dependable. (v 3 )
(2) A Continual & Steadfast Hope Against Overwhelming Odds (v 4-14 )
a. His Predicament - Tormented by unrighteous and ruthless man (v 4 )
b. Recalled God's past faithfulness (v 5-8 )
i. God his help from young (v 5 )
ii. He acknowledged God as the source of His being (v 6 )
1. Praise continually (secret of success) - A cheerful countenance of praise!
c. Although man despised him - he continues to remain steadfast in God (v 7 )
d. He persisted in worship - praising and honouring God (v 8 )
e. He pleaded God's abiding presence (v 9-12 )
i. In his old age - strength fails, felt forsaken (v 9 )
ii. His enemies conspire to undo him (v 10-11 )
1. Blasphemed and ambushed (v 10 )
2. Threatened and persecuted (v 11 )
iii. He asked for God's swift intervention (v 12 )
f. He resolved to hope & praise continually (v 14 )
(3) His Continual Praise, Rejoicing, Strength and Comfort won at the Throne of Grace (v 6c ,15-24 )
a. Compelled to testify God's unfailing love and care for him - he is filled with gratefulness (v 15 )
b. Renewed and strengthened in the heart to plod on, relying solely on His God (v 16 )
c. He will declare his experiential knowledge of God to the younger generation to strengthen their faith (v 17-18 )
d. He extolled God's goodness and righteousness toward him (v 19 )
e. Although his troubles are great and burdens heavy, he is confident that God will prosper him even more and grant to him comfort in the heart (v 20-21 )
f. Fully assured of God's help, he breaks forth worship with praise and singing (v 22-23 )
g. He is assured God will confound and bringing shame to his unrighteous enemies. (v 24 )
Discussion Questions
(1) What are some of the discouragements that you face in your Christian walk especially in your old age?
(2) How did you overcome them?
(3) How can we overcome the feelings of loneliness in old age?