Psalms 70-71

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

An Urgent Prayer of David; The Lord will Help Believers in Old Age

(Transcript not available - coming soon)

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Urgency in prayer is not a sin.

  2. The Lord is sufficient for the fears of old age.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. When you are old, speak to the young!

QUESTIONS

  1. Why might Psalm 70 look familiar to you?

  2. What was David’s main concern in the midst of this intense circumstance?

  3. Describe the life of the psalmist in Psalm 71?

  4. What was one of the keys given for experiencing the Lord’s sufficiency through the fears of old age?

  5. What other key do we see in verses 17-21?

ANSWERS

  1. This psalm is almost identical to the last five verses of Psalm 40. Only a few words are different.

  2. David’s main concern was that the Lord be magnified (verse 4).

  3. The psalmist was a committed believer who had come to know the Lord at an early age. Now in his old age some new fears arise. Some wrongdoers and adversaries wanted to bring him down. They were even saying that God had forsaken him in his old age- now that his natural strength was failing.

  4. Continuing to praise the Lord for who He is and how He is blessing us

  5. These verses encourage us to remember God’s help and deliverance in the past. God is the same, even as we age!

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Discuss the balance between being concerned about an urgent need and waiting patiently for the Lord’s answer. When have you had to strike this balance in your prayer life? Urgency in prayer is not a sin but demanding that God act immediately on our terms is a sin.

  2. Discuss some of the fears of old age given and think of your own. How will you call on the Lord for help with these fears?

CHALLENGE

  1. In his old age, the psalmist wanted to share the goodness of God with the younger generation. This is a wonderful desire! When you are old, speak to the young! When you are young, take time to hear.

KEY VERSES

  • “But I am poor and needy; Make haste to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.” Psalm 70:5

  • “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.’” Psalm 71:9-11

  • “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.” Psalm 71:18



Old Testament, Psalms, TalksDeb HarmsPsalms 70-71