There are certain periods in our life where we can become anxious and stressed. The first one is when we enter Year 12 at high school and prepare for the Higher School Certificate. For some reason we think that our life totally depends on how we perform in these exams. As if! And the next stressful period of life centres on our employment and the early days and months of our first job. Again we think our life and its outcomes depends on this choice. As if! Then relationships with the opposite sex become paramount in our thoughts and the stresses we place on ourselves to find the perfect spouse is almost overpowering with our very life depending on the right choice. As if! Then, for many of us, we enter a period of life known as ‘mid-life’ where we suddenly realize that life is passing us by and we enter a time of crisis! And then, as the years role by, ‘old age’ looms and we wonder what our quality of life will look like and anxiety begins to take root. For many of us these times usher in periods of needless spiritual dryness!
Today’s Bible reading is a wonderful one … well at least for me it is! It appears to me that the author, David, has entered into a stage of ‘mid-life’ crises. He can see old age fast approaching and, as we all know, with old age comes a number of difficulties. So he calls out to God, “Do not cast me aside when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone … even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God …” The thought of old age approaching brings many people to a stage of concern, distress and spiritual dryness because of the fear they have in being thrown on to the proverbial scrapheap! In this Psalm, David shares a strategy to help us cope with the inevitable. He teaches us to remember back to the times when God was incredibly faithful to us in our childhood and youth.
David really does provide wonderful counsel to us in addressing the fears and concerns we have that often lead us into a stage of despair and despondency. He once again takes us to the hope we can have in the Sovereign God of all gods. He challenges us to praise Him through prayer and through the declaration as to His goodness. David desires to use his days in old age declaring God’s power and love to the future generations. O to be like this in our old age where we cherish the thought of passing on what we know about a dependable, faithful, trustworthy, all-powerful and loving God to the children of future generations! Let us not tire, regardless of what age we may be, and tell others of the goodness and wonder of our Lord God and His Son Jesus until our last breath!