Praise to the Lord for His Love and Faithfulness
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, on an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.
For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this. When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever.
But You, Lord, are on high forevermore. For behold, Your enemies, O Lord, for behold, Your enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; my ears hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me.
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, on an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.” Why is praising the Lord and thanking Him such a good thing? We become what we focus on. When we focus on God and His goodness, His mercy, and His grace, we are uplifted and our whole bodies respond positively. Whether or not you can play any instrument or sing, you can still speak out the praises of God. Your body will thank you!
“For You, Lord, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep. A senseless man does not know, nor does a fool understand this. When the wicked spring up like grass, and when all the workers of iniquity flourish, it is that they may be destroyed forever.” Face it, most of us think shallow thoughts much of the time. But when we focus on God and His creation, there are no end to the wonders. Sometimes we feel frustrated and angry; why should wicked people prosper? But God wants all to come to repentance, and eventually the wicked will be caught in their own wickedness.
“But You, Lord, are on high forevermore. For behold, Your enemies, O Lord, for behold, Your enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; my ears hear my desire on the wicked who rise up against me.” In Biblical times, horns represented power. For the psalmist’s horn to be exalted like a wild ox means that that God is giving him renewed power and strength. When God anoints with fresh oil, He gives new strength, new hope, and new inspiration so that we are able to fulfill His perfect will for our lives. We should never allow ourselves to get caught up in games of revenge, for God can deal with our enemies far more effectively than we can.
“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” It is not God’s will for the elderly to dwindle, wasting their days thinking about what might have been. If we have been allowing God to use us, the older we get, the more God can demonstrate His love through us. Our horizons should be expanding, not contracting.
APPLICATION: The older I get, the more I treasure the last few verses of this psalm. As a physician, I have always enjoyed older patients who are vitally interested in everything and everybody around them. Many of my older patients have served as inspirations.
Spoiler alert: Retirement is not in the Bible. Moses was 80 when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and he only died at age 120 because his work was done. One of my favorite Bible characters is Caleb. When Moses sent twelve men to spy out the Promised Land, Caleb and Joshua were the only ones to bring back a good report. All the others terrified their fellow Israelites with tales of giants, and paid for their faithlessness by dying in the wilderness. But when the Israelites were moving into Canaan, Caleb demanded that Joshua allot him the city of Hebron, where there were still giants. Caleb was then 85 but he told Joshua that he was just as strong as he had been 40 years earlier. Caleb marched in and conquered those giants, no problem!
In Africa, elderly are still respected for their wisdom and experience. Personally, I desperately miss my late stepmother Mary. Mary raised five great kids under very difficult circumstances and forged a highly successful career for herself as a newspaper woman in the process. No matter what problem I would throw at Mary, she would always have an insightful and encouraging answer. Even when Mary’s health was deteriorating and she was house-bound, she still served as one of my major advisors. I would call her several times a month from Ghana just to hear her calm advice and her warm chuckle as she pared my problems down to size. The last time I spoke to Mary from Ghana was only a few days before her death. I miss her still.
What can you do as an elderly person? Exercise, even if it’s chair yoga. Chair yoga works just fine, incidentally. Spend time with kids, especially reading to them and with them. While completing my Master’s degree in public health at Tulane University, I volunteered in a reading program for inner city kids. Once a week, I would go to a grade school and snuggle on a couch with three fourth grade girls. My girls would read specially planned selections to me and then I would read books they had chosen to them. Those children now have children of their own, and I hope they are reading to them.
You can write notes, send cards or e-cards, and emails, texts, etc. You might man your church’s prayer chain or a ministry to shut-ins. If you like to cook, the possibilities are endless. The most important thing is to be passionately interested in others. If the passion is there, God will guide you into the ministry He has for you. Just ask Him to show you what to do.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, may everyone who reads these words take them to heart. Your Will for us is that we always be fruitful for You and Your people. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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