Psalms 71: Even When I Am Old
An aging believer who has trusted God since birth asks not to be forsaken in old age, vowing to declare God's strength to the next generation.
Psalms 71 (WEB)
1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Never let me be disappointed.
2 Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me. Turn your ear to me, and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
5 For you are my hope, Lord Yahweh; my confidence from my youth.
6 I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother’s womb. I will always praise you.
7 I am a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth shall be filled with your praise, with your honor all the day.
9 Don’t reject me in my old age. Don’t forsake me when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,
11 saying, “God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him.”
12 God, don’t be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.
13 Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.
14 But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise.
15 My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure.
16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.
17 God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
18 Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
20 You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Increase my honor, and comfort me again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall shout for joy! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!
24 My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.
Psalms 71 (KJV)
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.
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.
Psalms 71 (ASV)
1 In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge: Let me never be put to shame.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and rescue me: Bow down thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 Be thou to me a rock of habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me; For thou art my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue 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 Jehovah: Thou artmy 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 My mouth shall be filled with thy praise, And with thy honor 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 concerning me; And they that watch for my soul take counsel together,
11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: Pursue and take him; for there is none to deliver.
12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me.
13 Let them be put to shameandconsumed that are adversaries to my soul; Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, And will praise thee yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of thy righteousness, Andof thy salvation all the day; For I know not the numbers thereof.
16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord Jehovah: 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 Yea, even when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not, Until I have declared thy strength unto the next generation, Thy might to every one that is to come.
19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high; Thou who hast done great things, O God, who is like unto thee?
20 Thou, who hast showed us many and sore troubles, Wilt quicken us again, And wilt bring us up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Increase thou my greatness, And turn again and comfort me.
22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, Even thy truth, O my God: Unto thee will I sing praises with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall shout for joy when I sing praises 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 put to shame, for they are confounded, that seek my hurt.
Summary
This is the prayer of an old believer looking back over a long life of faith and forward toward its final stretch. "In you, Yahweh, I take refuge" sets the theme: God has been his rock and fortress since before he was born. He recalls relying on God from the womb, praising him from his youth, and now he pleads, "Don't reject me in my old age. Don't forsake me when my strength fails." Enemies sense his weakness and say, "God has forsaken him," but he answers with stubborn hope: "But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise." His central concern is not merely survival but testimony—he longs to declare God's strength and righteousness "to the next generation" and to everyone yet to come. He trusts that the God who has shown him many bitter troubles will revive him and bring him up again, increasing his honor and comforting him. The psalm ends with the harp and lyre, shouting for joy with a redeemed soul. It is a moving model of aging faithfully: still hoping, still praising, still passing the faith forward, trusting the God of a lifetime to the very end.
Voices
- The aging psalmist — A lifelong believer who has trusted God from the womb and now seeks not to be forsaken in old age.
- God / Yahweh — The refuge, rock, and fortress who has been the psalmist's hope and confidence since his youth.
- The enemies — Those who watch for his soul and say, "God has forsaken him," hoping to seize him in his weakness.
- The next generation — Those still to come, to whom the psalmist longs to declare God's strength and wondrous works.
Key Verse
Psalm 71:18 (WEB)
Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.
Lessons Learned
- A lifetime of trusting God becomes the ground for hope in our final years.
- When others say God has abandoned us, we can answer with stubborn, ever-growing hope.
- Old age is not the end of usefulness; it is a prime season to pass the faith to the next generation.
- God who has carried us from birth can be trusted to bring us up again from every depth.
- Trust God across a whole lifetime. "I have relied on you from the womb" and "my confidence from my youth" (Psalm 71:5-6, WEB); faith is meant to span every season from birth to gray hair.
- Answer despair with growing hope. When enemies say God has forsaken him, the psalmist replies, "But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise" (Psalm 71:14, WEB).
- Make the next generation your aim. He asks God not to forsake him "until I have declared your strength to the next generation" (Psalm 71:18, WEB); the elderly carry a vital ministry of testimony.
- Expect God to revive you again. "You will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth" (Psalm 71:20, WEB); the God of a lifetime restores his people from every low place.
- How does the psalmist's lifelong trust (vv. 5-6) shape the way he prays about old age?
- What is the enemies' accusation in verse 11, and how does the psalmist answer it in verse 14?
- Why is declaring God's strength "to the next generation" (v. 18) so central to this aging believer's prayer?
- How does the psalm hold together honesty about "bitter troubles" (v. 20) and confident hope?
- How might you honor or learn from older believers who are passing on their faith—or, if you are older, who might you tell?
- Because God has been his refuge since the womb, the psalmist prays from a posture of long-tested trust. His history with God gives him confidence to ask not to be forsaken now, when his strength is failing.
- The enemies say, "God has forsaken him" (v. 11), interpreting his weakness as abandonment. The psalmist refuses this verdict, answering, "But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise" (v. 14), letting hope grow rather than shrink.
- His chief concern is not comfort but legacy: he wants to live long enough to tell the coming generation what God is like. This frames old age as a season of crucial witness, handing down the knowledge of God.
- He does not deny the "many and bitter troubles" God has shown him (v. 20), yet he trusts the same God to revive and restore him. Honest lament and confident hope coexist, anchored in God's faithful character.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage younger members to seek out and honor the testimony of older believers, and older members to identify someone to whom they can pass on their faith. As leader, affirm that every stage of life has a part in declaring God's strength.