Reflections on Psalm 71

 Psalms 71:5-8 (ESV)

[5] For you, O Lord, are my hope,

my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

[6] Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.

My praise is continually of you.

[7] I have been as a portent to many,

but you are my strong refuge.

[8] My mouth is filled with your praise,

and with your glory all the day.

 

In our recent presidential election there has been a lot of mud-slinging, fear-mongering, and hand wringing. Joe Biden has been proclaimed the winner while President Trump claims fraud. Only time will tell, but at this point it looks like we may have a new president come January, assuming all the court cases can be settled that quickly. In just writing those words I have already raised eyebrows and upset a few people. But as I read and reflected on Psalm 71 again this morning, two thoughts struck me that are worth our reflection and consideration.

 

First, our hope must be in the Lord, not in our political choices. The Psalmist understood that in the face of enemies and attacks, his strength was not in his armies, his ability to think strategically, or his position of superiority. His strength was in the Lord. He recognized that from before birth he had been and still was dependent on God. He had been a portent or threat to his enemies, yet his refuge and strength was in the Lord, not in himself. Our hope in this world is not dependent on which person sits in the White House. Our hope is not dependent on how one interprets the constitution of the United States of America. Our hope is not dependent on how many guns we have, nor how many people we can muster up to vote our way. Our hope is, was, and always will be in God alone. I fear that we forget that. Certainly we sometimes talk as though we have forgotten that truth.

Second, our mouth should be filled with praise, not confirmations of everything wrong with our “enemies.” The Psalmist had enemies. He was under attack, but his focus was on God, not on his enemies. We tend to build echo chambers around ourselves listening only to those with whom we agree, and then we are surprised when we find that not everyone thinks like we do. We tend to spend more time talking about what is wrong with our “enemies” than talking about what is right with God. We talk more about the evil political plot facing us than about the sovereign Lord who assures us that whoever is in power was placed there by him.

That raises a final question for me. What if I spent more time thinking about the greatness of God than I did thinking about the vile wickedness of my political enemy? What if I spent more time in worship than in gossip about what is wrong with the world? What if my mouth was filled with God’s praise and glory all day, instead of bemoaning the everything wrong with the world? What if I took my fears to God and came away in worship and praise? How might that change my perspective? How might that change my conversations? How might that change me? Father, “Be thou my vision” today.