All My Life

Psalm 71: 5 – 7, 14

For you are my only hope, Lord! I’ve hung on to you, trusting in you all my life. It was you who supported me from the day I was born, loving me, helping me through my life’s journey. You’ve made me into a miracle; no wonder I trust you and praise you forever! Many marvel at my success, but I know it is all because of you, my mighty protector! No matter what, I’ll trust in you to help me. Nothing will stop me from praising you to magnify your glory!

David wrote this as he was getting older. You will see that in the context of the entire psalm. By looking at the psalms in a concentrated way we have come to have a sense of David’s passions and his personality. Now, we begin to compare and contrast young David with an older, more seasoned version of himself. By this point in his life, he has lived out his theology. What may have been statements of faith earlier are now proven facts. He has seen the glory of the Lord. He has seen the power of God demonstrated in his life over and over. The Lord rescued him time after time and this David is not just a passionate believer but has earned his stripes as an ardent, convinced devotee of the Almighty.

In this psalm we see David looking back upon his life recognizing the fingerprints of Yahweh throughout his life. He trusted God when he was young and full of the verve of youth. By the time of this writing, David had, not only belief, but years of experiencing God’s victorious companionship.

I often ask what makes us different from David. His walk with God is enviable. I think it fair to say that throughout his life Yahweh was his best friend. Necessity required him to rely on God but before he was anointed as king, before Saul chased him around the desert, He slew a giant. He told Goliath that he came in the name of the Lord and that alone was sufficient for triumph. Did God continually show up in David’s life because of David’s attitude and faith? What of Daniel? When they pulled him from the lion’s den, there was not a scratch on him. What about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? Not even fire could separate them from the love of God?

What makes the lives of these individuals so spectacular? God is not respecter of persons (Acts 10: 34). Is the answer contained in these psalms? Is it portrayed in the life of David? What do you think made giants out of ordinary people? And more to the point, can we have this type of life now? Is God dead? Has He moved? Or is the God of David alive and well and just as much in love with us as He was with David? Click on the comment section and share your thoughts.