Psalms
Psalm 71
KJV
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress.
Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.
By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee.
I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge.
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.
O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help.
Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.
Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!
Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.
Overview
Psalm 71 is a prayer of lifelong trust. The speaker seeks refuge, remembers dependence on God from youth, faces the vulnerability of old age and hostile observers, resolves to hope continually, asks to remain a witness to another generation, and closes with renewed life, comfort, music, and testimony.
Setting and context
The psalm gives unusual prominence to aging and continuity of faith. It neither romanticizes decline nor treats reduced strength as diminished dignity. Enemy language remains prayer language and does not authorize retaliation.
Themes
Refuge · Lifelong trust · Aging and dignity · Hostile pressure · Continual hope · Intergenerational testimony · Restoration · Praise
Reflection
Bring danger and aging honestly to God; use practical support without shame; resist interpreting vulnerability as abandonment; let long memory deepen hope; pass faith across generations through witness rather than coercion; and leave vindication to God.
Reading notes
The psalm brings fear of abandonment into prayer while affirming continuing dignity, hope, and vocation. Vindication is entrusted to God and does not authorize humiliation, harassment, sabotage, vigilantism, or violence.
Key passages
Psalm 71:5: God is named as lifelong hope from youth. Let long memory deepen present trust without turning it into a guarantee of ease. Psalm 71:9: The speaker pleads not to be cast off in old age when strength declines. Treat aging and reduced strength with dignity and seek appropriate support. Psalm 71:18: The speaker asks to remain a witness to another generation in old age. Share faith through testimony and teaching rather than coercion. Psalm 71:20: Severe troubles are remembered alongside hope for renewed life and restoration. Hold hope and honest acknowledgment of suffering together.
Questions readers ask
What is the main message of Psalm 71? Psalm 71 presents lifelong trust: refuge in danger, memory of God from youth, honest prayer about aging, continual hope, restoration, and testimony to another generation. Does Psalm 71 devalue old age? No. It brings fear of abandonment into prayer while affirming dignity, hope, purpose, and continued testimony in old age.