do not discard

Psalm 71:7-11 (JDV)

Psalm 71:7 I am like a miraculous sign to many, and you are my strong refuge.
Psalm 71:8 My mouth is full of praise and honor to you all day long.
Psalm 71:9 Don’t discard me in my old age. As my strength fails, do not abandon me
Psalm 71:10 because my enemies talk about me, and those who spy on me plot together,
Psalm 71:11 saying, “God has abandoned him; chase him and catch him, because there is no one to rescue him.”

do not discard

Many of us who are getting on in years feel like the world is forgetting we exist. The psalmist was an old man, and felt that he was in danger of being discarded by God. He pleaded for God to keep up being his strong refuge. He thought his enemies were recognizing his new vulnerability because God had left him along with his dark hair.

Our God will not abandon us, but we will probably feel like he has. Like this psalmist, we can use those abandoned feelings to get back in touch with our rock and fortress.

Lord, do not discard us. We are not beyond our “use by date.”