Psalm 71 - The Contemplative Bible Meditation Series

Psalm 71 is a song of faith,

Perseverance and surrender.

It expresses a deep,

Enduring trust in God that transcends youth and old age,

Pain and joy,

Hope and despair.

This psalm reaches across the centuries to speak to each of us in our own struggles,

Offering us comfort and guidance in times where we may feel abandoned,

Afraid or uncertain of our path.

The verses of Psalm 71 unfold like a gentle dialogue with the divine,

A reminder that in our darkest and most vulnerable moments there is a refuge beyond all human strength.

As we journey through each verse,

May we find a resting place in the wisdom of these words,

A place where our hearts might find solace,

Strength and renewal.

Psalm 71 In you,

O Lord,

I put my trust.

Let me never be put to shame.

Deliver me in your righteousness and cause me to escape.

Incline your ear to me and save me.

Be my strong refuge to which I may resort continually.

You have given the commandment to save me,

For you are my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me,

O God,

Out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For you are my hope,

O Lord God.

You are my trust from my youth.

By you I have been upheld from birth.

You are he who took me out of my mother's womb.

My praise shall be continually to you.

I may become as a wonder to many,

But you are my strong refuge.

Let my mouth be filled with your praise and with your glory all the day.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age.

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

For my enemies speak against me,

And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,

Saying,

God has forsaken him.

Pursue and take him,

For there is none to deliver him.

O God,

Do not be far from me.

O my God,

Make haste to help me.

Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life.

Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt.

But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

My mouth shall tell of your righteousness and your salvation all the day.

For I do not know their limits.

I will go in the strength of the Lord God.

I will make mention of your righteousness of yours only.

O God,

You have taught me from my youth,

And to this day I declare your wondrous works.

Now also when I am old and grey-headed,

O God,

Do not forsake me until I declare your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is to come.

Also your righteousness,

O God,

Is very high.

You who have done great things,

O God,

Who is like you,

You who have shown me great and severe troubles,

Shall revive me again and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

You shall increase my greatness and comfort me on every side.

Also with the lute I will praise you and your faithfulness,

O my God.

To you I will sing with the harp,

O Holy One of Israel.

My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to you and my soul which you have redeemed.

My tongue also shall talk of your righteousness all the day long.

For they are confounded,

For they are brought to shame,

Who seek my hurt.

This first verse is a declaration and a plea all at once,

A surrender of our fears and a yearning for dignity.

Trusting God,

Truly placing our trust invites us to let go of the need for external validation and to turn inward to a deeper divine reassurance.

In our lives,

Shame often emerges from comparison,

Judgment or unmet expectations.

But here,

The Psalmist invites us to root ourselves in God's presence as the ultimate source of self-worth.

Take a moment today to consider an area of your life where you seek approval or you fear shame.

Gently release this concern and replace it with the intention to trust in full.

Whisper to yourself,

I am held by something greater than I can see.

I release my fears into the hands of a loving presence.

Deliver me in your righteousness and cause me to escape.

Incline your ear to me and save me.

A longing for divine intervention and rescue.

We each have moments when we need deliverance from self-doubt,

From situations that feel beyond our control or from emotions that overwhelm us.

To ask God to incline his ear is to trust that we are heard,

That our whispers and pleas reach the ears of a loving,

Attentive God.

It is to know that we are not alone in our distress.

Verse 3 Be my strong refuge,

To which I may resort continually.

You have given the commandment to save me,

For you are my rock and my fortress.

A fortress is impenetrable,

A place of ultimate security.

We are invited here to see God as that stronghold we can return to time and again.

In a world where so much is transient,

Having a rock provides us with a sense of grounding,

A place where we know we are defended against all that would wear us down.

Visualize a place within yourself that is peaceful,

Steadfast,

Resilient.

Imagine it as a sanctuary that you can return to in any situation.

Breathe into this safe place and affirm,

I am grounded,

I am protected,

I am safe within.

Verse 4 Deliver me,

O my God,

Out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

Here we call upon God to deliver us from the forces of cruelty and negativity in the world.

These forces may not always be people.

They can be the inner voices or past traumas that keep us from living in freedom.

This verse simply acknowledges that there are real struggles we face and in the simple act of naming them,

We release them into God's care.

Verse 5 For you are my hope,

O Lord God,

You are my trust from my youth.

You are my trust from my youth.

This is a gentle reminder that we are never too far from that childlike trust and faith.

Life may have weathered us,

But our core,

The place where faith began,

Is still reachable,

Is always reachable.

When we remember God as our hope,

We allow ourselves to be carried beyond our own limitations and we rekindle the light of innocent faith.

Verse 6 By you I have been upheld from birth,

You are he who took me out of my mother's womb.

My praise shall be continually of you.

This verse is a profound affirmation of our worth and purpose.

We are held unknown even before we knew ourselves.

To continually praise God is to recognize this sustaining force that has carried us through every step.

There is beauty and grace in knowing we are cherished simply for being.

Verse 7 I have become as a wonder to many,

But you are my strong refuge.

Our lives are unique.

Each of us,

Our lives are unique.

Each one of us a wonder in the eyes of others,

Even when we may not feel it ourselves.

And yet,

No matter how others view us,

God remains our steady refuge beyond praise or blame.

In our uniqueness we are embraced fully.

Take a moment to reflect on your life's journey.

Reflect on the unique qualities that make you who you are.

Embrace them,

Affirming,

I am a unique expression of life and I am protected and embraced.

Verse 8 Let my mouth be filled with your praise and with your glory all the day.

With our hearts filled with gratitude,

Our burdens automatically lighten.

Let's shift our focus to gratitude,

To praise the beauty,

To praise the love,

To praise the grace we encounter every day,

Even amid trials.

Begin and end your day with one thing you're grateful for,

Be it small or be it large.

But focus on it deeply,

Allowing gratitude to fill you.

Affirm,

My heart overflows with praise.

Verse 9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age,

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age,

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

Old age,

A universal fear,

The vulnerability that can come with aging and times of weakness.

In this verse,

The psalmist is asking God not to abandon him when he feels frail.

It is a plea for support when strength wanes.

It is also a reminder that in every season of life,

God's love remains constant and unfailing.

Our worth is not determined by our physical strength or our abilities,

But by the enduring love that surrounds us.

Verses 10 and 11 For my enemies speak against me,

And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,

Saying,

God has forsaken him,

Pursue and take him,

For there is none to deliver him.

This verse confronts the experience of feeling misunderstood,

Betrayed or judged by others.

It's a common human experience to feel alone in our struggles,

As though others cannot truly understand or empathize.

But here,

We are again reminded that while others may judge or abandon us,

God's faithfulness is unwavering.

Verse 12 O God,

Do not be far from me,

O my God,

Make haste to help me.

In times of need,

This verse is a direct plea for God's nearness,

A call for immediate help and comfort.

It's an honest expression of longing for divine support.

It's an honest expression of longing for divine support.

And it's a beautiful reminder that we can ask openly for help without hesitation,

Simply trusting that God's presence is both close and responsive.

Verse 13 Let them be confounded and consumed,

Who are adversaries of my life.

Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor,

Who seek my hurt.

This verse expresses a desire for protection from those who wish us harm.

We often carry unresolved feelings towards those who have hurt us.

And this verse acknowledges the need for justice and boundaries.

It also invites us to entrust our hurt to God,

Knowing that divine wisdom will guide our healing and protect us from harm.

If past hurts weigh on you,

Imagine placing these wounds in divine hands.

Allow yourself to feel free of the need for revenge or justice and simply trust that you are protected.

Say,

I am protected and I release the burden of resentment.

Verse 14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

This verse shifts from fear to hope,

Affirming a spirit of praise even amid adversity.

Continual hope is a choice.

To believe in the light even when we cannot see it.

Praise too is a choice.

A daily offering that keeps our hearts oriented toward grace and possibility.

Verse 15 My mouth shall tell of your righteousness and your salvation all the day,

For I do not know their limits.

In this verse the psalmist acknowledges the vastness of God's goodness and salvation.

A goodness so immense that it has no limits.

We are reminded of the endless grace that supports us and the transformative power of sharing this with others.

Speaking of God's goodness brings healing not only to ourselves but also to those around us.

Verse 16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God.

I will make mention of your righteousness,

Of yours only.

This verse calls us to walk in divine strength rather than relying solely on our own.

In times of weakness,

In times of doubt,

God's strength becomes our support.

We are encouraged to let God's strength flow through us,

Carrying us beyond our own limitations.

When you are weak,

Visualize yourself surrounded by divine light.

A strength beyond measure.

Say,

I walk in the strength of the divine.

I am upheld by a power greater than myself.

Verse 17 O God,

You have taught me from my youth and to this day I declare your wondrous works.

A reminder that God's presence has been with us since our earliest days.

From our youth we have been shaped,

Taught and guided by God's love.

Reflecting on life's lessons can inspire gratitude and awe for the wisdom that we have gained through experience.

Think of one significant life lesson that has shaped you positively.

Offer thanks for this growth knowing that it has been guided by a higher wisdom.

And say,

My life is shaped by divine wisdom and I am grateful for each lesson.

Verse 18 Now also when I am old and grey-headed,

O God,

Do not forsake me until I declare your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is in need.

When I am old and grey-headed,

O God,

Do not forsake me until I declare your strength to this generation,

Your power to everyone who is to come.

This verse speaks to our legacy.

The desire to leave behind a message of hope,

Strength and faith.

Sharing our experiences can inspire and guide future generations.

Verse 19 Also your righteousness,

O God,

Is very high.

You who have done great things,

O God,

Who is like you?

This verse is a reverent acknowledgement of God's greatness.

It invites us to pause and marvel at the beauty,

Wisdom and love that surpasses all understanding.

In moments of awe,

We are drawn closer to the mystery and wonder of the divine.

Verses 20 and 21 You who have shown me great and severe troubles,

Shall divide me again and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

You shall increase my greatness and comfort me on every side.

These verses recognize the reality of suffering,

But also the promise of renewal.

Life's trials can feel overwhelming,

Yet God's presence offers comfort and revival.

Even in our deepest pain,

There is the assurance of renewal and the strength to rise again.

Verse 22 Also with the lute I will praise you and your faithfulness,

O my God.

To you I will sing with the harp,

O Holy One of Israel.

To you I will sing with the harp,

O Holy One of Israel.

A song of joy and gratitude for God's enduring faithfulness.

Music and song can express our hearts in ways words alone cannot.

In singing our gratitude,

We align ourselves with divine love and open our hearts to joy.

Imagine yourself singing or playing a melody that expresses your gratitude.

Let your heart be filled with praise.

Whisper,

My life is a song of praise.

I rejoice in the love that surrounds me.

Verse 23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to you and my soul which you have redeemed.

This verse is a continuing of the outpouring of joy and gratitude.

The psalmist expresses that when we recognize the depth of God's redemption,

His ability to restore us,

To save us,

Our hearts are filled with praise.

Rejoicing in this deep love is not only an outward expression,

But a celebration that echoes within our very souls.

When we remember how God has brought us from despair to hope,

Our hearts naturally burst forth in songs of praise.

Verse 24 My tongue also shall talk of your righteousness all the day long,

For they are confounded,

For they are brought to shame who seek my hurt.

This final verse is a commitment to speak of God's goodness continually.

When we talk about the love,

Grace and righteousness of God,

We affirm that goodness and keep our hearts focused on it,

Regardless of any adversity.

This verse also reassures us that any negativity directed toward us is temporary.

God's presence provides protection and even those who intend harm cannot diminish the peace and righteousness that flow from the divine.

A prayer Beloved God,

Our refuge and strength,

Let our lives be filled with trust,

Hope and praise.

May we rest in your presence in times of need,

Seek your strength in times of struggle and sing of your goodness in times of joy.

In every season,

Guide our hearts toward peace and may our days reflect your unwavering love.

Amen