In You, O LORD, I Take Refuge
In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In
your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save
me. Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my
rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of
the unjust and cruel. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my
trust, O LORD, from my youth. Upon you I have learned from my birth; it was you
who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.
I have been like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your
glory all day long. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake
me when my strength is spent. For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who
watch for my life consult together. They say, “Pursue and seize that person
whom God has forsaken, for there is no one to deliver.”
O God, do no be far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! Let
my accusers be put to shame and consumed; let those who seek to hurt me be
covered with scorn and disgrace. But I will hope continually, and will praise
you yet more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds
of salvation all day long, though their number is past my knowledge. I will
come praising the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD, I will
praise your righteousness, yours alone.
O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your
wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Your power and your
righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens.
You who have done great things, O God, who is like you? You who
have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the
depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my honor, and
comfort me once again.
I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my
God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips
will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have
rescued. All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help, for those who
tried to do me harm have been put to shame, and disgraced.
Psalm 71:1-24
Some people remark how young they feel, even when they hit the
magic 60 years of age. There are many lessons we have learned by that age. Life
has been exciting. The lessons of the past can bring about a change of how we
look at things.
Such is the aging process. We learn from our past in order to live
in our present.
As we look back, we can see the faithfulness of God. With
confidence in that faithfulness, we can face the future and its uncertainties.
As the years add up, God’s faithfulness keeps
multiplying.
Our Daily Bread – January 29, 2009