“Through all the seasons of life”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, November 9, 2023
Psalm 71 (Forward, p. 11) CEV p. 596
Today’s psalmist ‘waxes eloquent’ about God’s protective care no matter what his stage in life ‘happens to be’ at that particular moment. On his earliest stages of life, he has this to say:
“I depend on you, and I have trusted you since I was young. I have relied on you from the day I was born. You brought me safely through birth, and I always praise you” (verses 5-6);
“You have taught me since I was a child, and I never stop telling about your marvellous deeds” (verse 17).
And, at the other end of life, he has this to say:
“Don’t throw me aside when I am old; don’t desert me when my strength is gone” (verse 9);
“Don’t leave me when I am old and my hair turns gray. Let me tell future generations about your mighty power” (verse 18).
And, in like manner, he continues to trust in God in the here and now:
“I run to you, Lord, for protection. Don’t disappoint me. You do what is right, so come to my rescue. Listen to my prayer and keep me safe. Be my mighty rock, the place where I can always run for protection. Save me by your command. You are my mighty rock and my fortress” (verses 1-3).
Our psalmist’s experience is that God has always been for him in the past, and so he is full of confidence that it will continue to be so, now in the present—and, on into the future. And so can each of us trust as well.
Forward notes: “Now that I am old and gray-haired…do not forsake me, till I make known your strength to this generation, and your power to all who are to come” (verse 18).
“I was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 2019, after three years of misdiagnoses (I was comparatively young and didn’t have tremors) that led me through two huge, painful, and ultimately useless neck surgeries.
“After finally getting a correct diagnosis and appropriate meds, I wrote a book called The Way In: What a Hospice Chaplain Learned Living with Parkinson’s, In Poetry and Prose. During readings, I always tell the listeners that I talk about Parkinson’s so much because most people who are as sick as I am are old, and no one is listening to them. Many gray heads nod in discouraged recognition when I say that.
“Some young people are suspicious, mistrustful and impatient with ‘organized religion’, often with good reason. So, what are we to pray for when our strength fails if simply being allowed to live long enough to spread the Good News is not enough?”
Moving Forward: “How will you share the Good News of Christ today?”