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Refuge and Rock: Trusting God from Youth to Old Age
July 23, 2026 · 13 min
Psalm 71–72: God's faithfulness, finding refuge in Him, and praising the Lord through life's trials into old age.
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Purpose in Old Age: Declaring God's Strength 0:09 Good morning, and welcome to the Oasis of Praise as our journey through the book of Psalms continues today. We come to the end of book 2 of Psalms as we read Psalm 71 and 72. Verse0:21 14 of chapter 71, but I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. In chapter 71, the author is not0:33 identified, but we know he is a seasoned citizen, rich with experience and wisdom from living. Now some scholars believe this is another Psalm composed by David in his old0:45 age, most likely during Absalom's rebellion. Regardless of the author and the circumstances of its writing, it has application to us. God's faithfulness0:56 to those who trust in him is from the spiritual cradle to the physical grave and beyond. Now what stands out to me in this Psalm is that once again, we see the1:08 difficulties, the challenges, and opposition that the psalmist encountered through throughout life. And here's a news flash. Living for god in this world is not a1:20 cakewalk. Right? It's a spiritual battle. Now notice how many times the psalmist talks about god being a refuge, a rock, a fortress. Now our battles are1:32 not physical, but they're just as real in the spiritual realm. Alright? In fact, I would say that the spiritual battles can be even more challenging than the physical.1:44 Now the format is similar to other Psalms. There's a cry for help, a prayer for deliverance based upon God's character, along with the life experience of his faithfulness.1:55 Alright? And then a resolve, an intentional resolve to praise god. And I I I would, again, point to this pattern that we see over and over again in these2:07 Psalms, especially by the 1 the ones by David. Now notice that the author not only appeals to god for help, but he does so by making this about God. We talked about this2:19 before in terms of approaching God for his name, his reputation. And this is his in you, oh lord, I put my trust. You see, we cannot obligate god on to act2:31 on our behalf, but god does act on his own behalf to uphold his name and his character. When Abraham, Moses, and others appealed to god, they did so out out of2:43 a desire to protect the reputation in the name of God. So don't miss this because I think this is very important about how we approach God even today and how we make an appeal to2:55 him. You know, when Abraham was appealing to God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah, you know, the homosexual enclave of the day, he said this in Genesis 18 25, far be it from you to3:07 do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous should be as the wicked, far be it from you. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? He was3:18 interceding, not only for the for the the people in Lot primarily in Sodom, but he was appealing based upon the reputation and the character of God to protect3:30 it. Recall Moses when he interceded for the children of Israel when God wanted to destroy them because of their rebellion. Numbers 14 verse 15. Now if you kill these people as 1 man, then the nations3:42 will have heard of your fame, will speak saying, because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which he swore to give to them, therefore, he killed them in the wilderness. You see,3:54 it was all about the reputation of God. We would do well to appeal to God in a similar manner. You know, I pray for our country based upon the4:06 reproach that our nation would bring upon the name of Christ for rejecting truth and embracing immorality, the path that we've gone down. And and I'm praying that God would turn us back4:17 for his name's sake. Alright. Verse 3, chapter 71. Be my strong refuge to which I may resort continually. You have given the commandment to save me4:29 for you are my rock and my fortress. God is our defense. He's our protection. We need to make full use of what he provides. Verse 4, deliver me, oh god, out of the hand of the wicked,4:41 out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man, for you are my hope. Oh lord god, you are my trust from my youth. Now this man had trusted god from his youth, but that4:53 was that did not exempt him from difficulty. Only the promise that god would be with him and help him. You know, we're not immune to challenges because we're5:05 followers of Christ. We're just inoculated against destruction. Verse 8, let my mouth be filled with your praise and with your glory all the day. We should never ever neglect the5:17 praise of God. In fact, in the in the more difficult the circumstances that we're facing, the more prevalent our praise should be. Verse 9, do not cast me off in the time5:29 of old age. Do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me, and those who lie and wait for my life take counsel together, saying, god has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for there is none to5:41 deliver him. You know, while our present culture may reject the those who are up in age and even prey upon them, this senior is not5:52 looking for an accident or a retirement community in a golf cart. He's looking for God to help him into the next chapter of his life. Look at verse 12. Oh god, do not be6:04 far from me. Oh my god, make haste to help me. My mouth shall tell of your righteousness and your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the6:16 lord god. I will make mention of your righteousness of yours only. Oh god, you have taught me from my youth, and to this day, I declare your wondrous works. Now also when I am6:28 old and gray headed, oh god, do not forsake me until look at the purpose here, the next chapter that's being written. Until I declare your strength to this generation, your power to6:40 everyone who is to come. You know, this, I believe, is is is the heart of this Psalm and the mission of the older generation. Do not forsake6:51 me until I declare your strength to this generation, your power to everyone who is to come. This is frankly, this is not what we have today. Rather, we have teenagersMission as Long as You Breathe 7:04 oftentimes lecturing world leaders about global warming while the gray headed who carry God's warning to the next generation are silenced or ignored if they do speak up.7:16 Instead of drag queen story hours in our schools and libraries, we need grandma and grandpas who have walked with God, not perfect, none of us are perfect, but have walked with God and7:28 experienced God declaring his strength and faithfulness to the next generation. You know, those you know, as as we get older and we have time on our hands, we need7:40 to use that time to teach the next generation. Grandmas, grandpas, it's time to step up. Verse 19. Also, your righteousness, oh god by the way, let me just stop7:52 there for a moment. Don't wait for an invitation. I remember when I was 15 years old, I've I've sensed the Lord calling me to preach. And, I mean, who was gonna ask8:03 a 15 year old to preach? So I went to a local nursing home, and I began to preach and teach in a nursing home. That's where my ministry began. I took the initiative prompted by the Holy8:15 Spirit. And so I believe that there are some there are some retired men and women that are on this journey that the Holy Spirit's gonna prompt you to step forward. Maybe go to your library.8:27 Doesn't you don't have to have a big crowd. Just need to be obedient. Alright. Let me go on. Verse 19. Also, your righteousness, oh, God, is very high. You who have done great things.8:39 Oh, God, who is like you? You who have shown me great and severe troubles shall revive me again and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.8:52 You shall increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. Now this guy may have been putting on silver sneakers, but it was so he could9:04 continue running the race as Paul talked about, to win the prize. Verse 22. Also, with the lute, I will praise you and your faithfulness, oh my god, to you, I will sing with the harp, oh9:16 holy 1 of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to you and my soul, which you have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of your righteousness all the day long, for they are confounded,9:28 for they are brought to shame who seek my hurt. The bottom line of this great Psalm that both encourages and challenges is this, as long as you are9:39 breathing, alright, you have a purpose and a mission on this earth if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Don't miss that this morning. Psalm 72 is a9:51 royal and messianic Psalm. Now there's debate over whether or not David wrote this. Some suggest it was for the coronation of Solomon, but it ultimately speaks to10:03 the reign of Jesus Christ. What we can gain from this is the characteristics of godly government as was attempted by David, but most certainly and most10:15 clearly will be seen in the reign of Jesus Christ. 1st, we're gonna read here the priority. The 1st priority is justice. Judge the poor righteously, defend the10:26 poor judge the people righteously, defend the poor, deliver the needy, and crush the oppressor. Let's look verse 1, chapter 72. Give the king your judgments, oh god, and your10:38 righteousness to the king's son. Now notice where the standard for justice comes from. Where? From God. That applies to good government today. Alright? Our standard, and historically,10:51 that has been the the natural law, the the the revealed law of God has been is what shaped our system of government. Now we've deviated from that,11:02 but historically, you go back and you look at the foundations, that's where it came from. Verse 2, he will judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people andGodly Government and Justice for the Needy 11:14 the little hills by righteousness. He will bring justice to the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy and break in pieces the oppressor.11:27 You know, peace comes through obedience. I know there's a saying peace through strength, and I get that. I'm an advocate of in our foreign policy of peace through strength, but ultimately, peace comes through obedience11:39 and alignment with God. Verse 11. Yes. All kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him, for he will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper.11:51 He will spare the poor and needy, and he will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence, and precious shall be their blood in his sight. Wow.12:03 This is true in its totality only in Jesus. That's why it applies to him. Now I'll close with this benediction from the close of this Psalm. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,12:16 who only does wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name forever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen.12:27 Father, we thank you, and we do pray that the whole earth will be filled with your glory. And may you use us, lord, because our chief end is to glorify you and12:39 to enjoy you forever. And may we do so, Lord, this day, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. And until next time, keep standing12:51 on the word.12:54 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:06 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot o r g slash bible.In this video 0:00 Purpose in Old Age: Declaring God's Strength7:00 Mission as Long as You Breathe11:09 Godly Government and Justice for the Needy
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