1
In You, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
2
Deliver me and rescue me in Your righteousness;
incline Your ear to me and save me!
3
Be to me a rock of refuge, a fortress to save me;
for You are my rock and my stronghold.
4
My God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
5
For You are my hope, O Lord, my trust from my youth, O GOD.
6
Upon You I have leaned from the womb;
You brought me forth from my mother’s body;
You are the One I praise continually.
7
I have become a sign to many, for You are my strong refuge.
8
My mouth is filled with Your praise, with Your honor all day long.
9
Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.
10
For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life take counsel together
11
and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him!”
12
O God, do not be far from me! My God, make haste to help me!
13
Let those who are hostile to my life be put to shame and consumed;
let those who seek my harm be covered with reproach and disgrace!
14
But I will hope continually and will add to Your praise;
15
my mouth will tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all day long,
for I cannot count them.
16
I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD,
proclaiming Your righteousness alone!
17
O God, You have taught me from my youth,
and until now I proclaim Your wondrous works;
18
even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me,
so that I may declare Your power to this generation, Your might to all who are to come.
19
Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens. You who have done great things,
O God, who is like You?
20
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities,
You will revive me again, and from the depths of the earth You will bring me up again.
21
You will increase my greatness and turn again to comfort me.
22
I also will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God,
I will sing psalms to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
23
My lips will shout for joy when I sing psalms to You, and my soul, which You have redeemed.
24
My tongue also speaks of Your righteousness all day long,
for those who seek my harm will be put to shame and disgraced.
🕊️🙏📖 Summary of Psalm 71 – “A Lifelong Hope in God”
Psalm 71 is a prayer full of trust from one who is already advanced in years. The psalmist asks for help and protection, while remembering the Lord’s faithfulness from his youth into old age.
He is surrounded by enemies and traitors, yet his heart remains rooted in hope in God. This psalm is a picture of mature faith, tested and still praising even in weakness and threat.
📌 1. Protection from the Lord from the Beginning (verses 1–6)
➡️ “In You, O LORD, I take refuge…”
➡️ The Lord is a rock and a place of refuge from childhood.
➡️ “From my mother’s womb You have been my support.”
🎯 True faith begins early and continues throughout life.
📌 2. Prayer in Old Age (verses 7–13)
➡️ The enemies say: “The Lord has forsaken him.”
➡️ But the psalmist says: “Do not cast me off in old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.”
🎯 The Lord never abandons His people, even in times of weakness.
📌 3. Hope and Praise That Keep Increasing (verses 14–18)
➡️ “But I will always hope and add to Your praise.”
➡️ He wants to tell of the Lord’s works to the next generation.
🎯 Old age is not the end of service — it is a time to share wisdom and testimony.
📌 4. Confidence in Restoration and Victory (verses 19–24)
➡️ “You who have made me see many troubles… You will revive me again.”
➡️ The prayer ends with a promise to praise with harp and song.
🎯 Hope for restoration does not fade, even in the midst of hardship.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord is a refuge from youth to old age
- Old age is not the end — it is an opportunity to keep hoping and praising
- Those who have been faithful to the Lord since youth will have spiritual strength in bodily weakness
- Enemies may look down on them, but God remains faithful and sovereign
- The testimony of faith is an inheritance that must be passed on to the next generation
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 Philippians 1:6
“He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion…”
➡️ Just as in Psalm 71 — the Lord is faithful to the end.
📖 2 Corinthians 4:16
“Our outward person is wasting away, yet our inward person is being renewed…”
➡️ Faith remains strong even when the body grows weak.
📖 Hebrews 13:5
“I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you.”
➡️ In contrast to the enemies’ accusation that God has abandoned.
📖 2 Timothy 1:5
“The faith that lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice…”
➡️ Faith passed down through generations — like the psalmist’s desire.
🕊️ “In You, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.” – Psalm 71:1
🕊️ “Do not cast me off in old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.” – Psalm 71:9
🕊️ “But I will always hope and will add to Your praise.” – Psalm 71:14
🕊️ “Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me…” – Psalm 71:18
