Last week, we read from Psalm 71 that ageing ought not to be feared. It can be a journey filled with much spiritual blessing and we can remain joyful and strong despite trials. To prepare for old age, one must cultivate faith and a walk with God now. We continue with our reading from last week by looking deeper into the habits of trust, praise and hope.
Eld Sim Chow Meng
A. THE HABIT OF TRUST (71:3)
The whole psalm is an affirmation of the psalmist’s trust in the Lord, even in difficult circumstances when his life was in danger. Spurgeon calls it “the utterance of struggling, but unstaggering, faith” (Treasury of David, [Baker], 3:294).” The psalmist’s trust came from knowing God well, having experienced His faithfulness in past trials (71:20), which gave him confidence in the present. Are you developing a habit of trusting God in the difficult times of your life? If you have trouble trusting, concentrate on getting to know God more. Trust in God grows through a deeper knowledge of Him. Reflect on God’s past actions, as the Psalmist did (71:5-6, 15-20, 23-24), to strengthen faith. By remembering God's past preservation, salvation and sustenance, you can trust Him for present and future problems.
B. THE HABIT OF PRAISE (71:6)
Praise doesn’t come naturally to everyone, especially to those prone to complaining. However, God desires us to develop a habit of praise, even in difficult times, as the psalmist did (71:8, 14, 22-24). How can we learn to praise God when trials come? The answer is, “Learn to trust Him.” Because just as trust stems from knowing God, so praise stems from trusting God.
To develop a habit of praise, focus on two steps: First, concentrate on getting to know God and His ways. This psalm emphasises God’s righteousness (71:2, 15, 16, 19, 24) because the psalmist was fearing unjust treatment at the hands of unrighteous men, and he wanted to affirm the righteousness of the God he trusted. He is good and faithful, even when He brings troubles and distress (71:20) into our lives. Second, review what God has already done for you. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one.” We tend to forget His many benefits on our behalf (all undeserved), and thus we fail in praise.
C. THE HABIT OF HOPE (71:14)
The psalmist had not only developed habits of trust and praise, but also of hope. We need to understand that there is a big difference between secular hope and biblical hope. Both forms of hope contain the idea of future expectations. But secular hope is uncertain because its object is uncertain, whereas biblical hope is sure because God is its object (71:5). Believers should be people who have a habit of hope built on the promises of God. Unfortunately, many Christians have picked up the negative, hopeless spirit of the world because they focus on the problems instead of God and His promises. If you’re developing that habit, it will make you bitter, not better, as you grow older. God’s people should be people who hope in God. Thus, the psalmist was in good stead in his old age because he had developed a deep knowledge of God, and he had developed the godly habits of trust, praise and hope.
3. He had developed a lifestyle of ministry for God
Though the psalmist was old (71:9, 18), he remained committed to ministry, seeking to proclaim God’s greatness as long as he lived (71:8, 15-18, 24). Unlike the worldly attitude that prioritises personal leisure over Christian service, the psalmist saw life as an opportunity for ministry, not rest. Christians should challenge the idea of retirement as a time for self-indulgence. Instead, freed-up time and health should be seen as opportunities for full-time service to God. There is no biblical basis for retirement at 65; rather, all of life should be lived under Christ’s lordship. The psalmist viewed his extended life as a chance to pass on his knowledge of God to the next generation (71:18), encouraging us to build a lifestyle of ministry rooted in trust, praise and hope, making for a meaningful old age.
God’s way for us to grow old is for us to develop a walk with Him now — a walk that involves a deep personal, experimental knowledge of God, a walk that includes the habits of trust, praise and hope, and a walk that involves a lifestyle of ministry for God. Then, as long as we have life and breath, we can show and tell and sing of the greatness of our God for the benefit of the next generation.
Reference:
Extracted and condensed from “Growing Old God’s way”. Source: https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-71-growing-old-god%E2%80%99s-way
CNA Today, Source: The Big Read: Singapore will be 'super aged' in just two years. Is the country ready? (channelnewsasia.com)”
CNN Health, Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/20/health/dramatic-human-aging-scli-intl-wellness/index.html
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