Praising God in old age
December 19, 2022 - Monday, 4th Week of Advent
Psalm 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17
According to the Psalter, the purpose of human life is to offer praise to God. Through our praise, God is known in the world. For this reason, God should keep His worshippers alive and protect them from harm. But what happens if they die?
In Psalm 71, the psalmist, who is old and pursued by his enemies, asks the Lord not to forsake him in this moment of life. He reminds God about his faithfulness from his youth. Now he needs God’s help. His enemies are planning to attack him. They imagine that God has abandoned him: “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him” (Ps 71:11).
Old age is not fun. Our physical strength diminishes, and our mental abilities are not what they used to be. What we could do with ease before, we now do with difficulties or need help. Old age is even more difficult to bear if it combines with illness. At age 73, she got a stroke. She survived and mostly recovered but her speech abilities were impeded. She often asks how God could do such a thing to her. But old age is rich with experience and wisdom. My grandmother taught me “Our Father” and my grandfather taught how to deal with bruises and wounds.
As the psalmist has reached old age, he reminds God that he trusted God from his youth and has never been disappointed. And so he hopes that in his old age it will be the same. This prayer could be spoken by Zechariah and Elizabeth, faithful to the Lord from their youth and yet childless. The psalmist calls God, his rock of refuge, hope, and trust. He also indicates that no matter what happens he will always hope.
“Your prayer has been heard”, said the angel to old Zachariah. So was the prayer of the psalmist. The Lord has once again proven to be faithful. He did not forsake the psalmist in his old age. Therefore, the psalmist keeps proclaiming God’s wondrous deeds. The old couple, Zachariah and Elizabeth, was not forgotten either. We can imagine their joy at having their dream son. Indeed, the mouth of Zechariah was filled with God’s praise on the day of his son’s birth (see Luke 1:68). Both of them would teach their son about God’s faithfulness and how to be righteous in the eyes of the Lord. Till one day, equipped with the wisdom of his old parents, John the Baptist would appear in the desert of Judea preparing the way for the Lord.