Psalm 71

Meditating on the Word of God is not the transcendental endeavour which most people associate with the term ‘meditation’. Joshua 1:8 states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Meditation is something we ought to do moment by moment; connecting with heaven’s throne wherever we are, whenever we can. The Hebrew word for meditate is ‘Hagah’ which means ‘to utter, to muse, and to mutter’. Bible verses are to be mused over and repeated thoroughly and in prayer, to ourselves, over every situation, until they become a part of our lives.

Psalm 71

The prayer of an old man

¹In you, Lord, I have taken refuge;
    let me never be put to shame.
²In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
    turn your ear to me and save me.
³Be my rock of refuge,
    to which I can always go;
give the command to save me,
    for you are my rock and my fortress.
⁴Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

⁵For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord,
    my confidence since my youth.
⁶From birth I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
    I will ever praise you.
⁷I have become a sign to many;
    you are my strong refuge.
⁸My mouth is filled with your praise,
    declaring your splendour all day long.

⁹Do not cast me away when I am old;
    do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
¹⁰For my enemies speak against me;
    those who wait to kill me conspire together.
¹¹They say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue him and seize him,
    for no one will rescue him.”
¹²Do not be far from me, my God;
    come quickly, God, to help me.
¹³May my accusers perish in shame;
    may those who want to harm me
    be covered with scorn and disgrace.

¹⁴As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

¹⁵My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds,
    of your saving acts all day long—
    though I know not how to relate them all.
¹⁶I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
    I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.
¹⁷Since my youth, God, you have taught me,
    and to this day I declare your marvellous deeds.
¹⁸Even when I am old and grey,
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

¹⁹Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
    you who have done great things.
    Who is like you, God?
²⁰Though you have made me see troubles,
    many and bitter,
    you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will again bring me up.
²¹You will increase my honor
    and comfort me once more.

²²I will praise you with the harp
    for your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing praise to you with the lyre,
    Holy One of Israel.
²³My lips will shout for joy
    when I sing praise to you—
    I whom you have delivered.
²⁴My tongue will tell of your righteous acts
    all day long,
for those who wanted to harm me
    have been put to shame and confusion.