Walking With God Through Life

When prayer is urgent and the clock seems cruel, what do we say, and how do we trust? We dive into Psalms 70–72 to explore the arc from “Make haste, O God” to gray-haired praise and a father’s blessing that outlives a crown. The journey begins with David’s short, desperate cry that proves sincerity matters more than length. It then widens into a lifetime of faith where dependence becomes a mission: telling God’s might to another generation. Finally, it lands in a royal prayer from David for Solomon, a blueprint for leadership marked by justice, compassion for the poor, and the refreshing gentleness of rain on mown grass.

We share two striking testimonies—one of sudden rescue after years of wandering, another of steady faith kept for six decades—to show how God both saves and keeps. Along the way, we challenge a quiet trend in many churches: the temptation for older believers to step back. Psalm 71 won’t let us retire from influence. Instead, it calls us to mentor, teach, and hand off not just tasks but a story of God’s faithfulness. We also reflect on the power of written blessings—letters to adult children that carry courage, clarity, and joy—because words can become a legacy that steadies hearts long after we’re gone.

This conversation blends biblical insight with practical steps: pray simply and honestly when life hits hard, cultivate rhythms that carry faith across decades, and speak life into the next generation with intentional, encouraging words. We close with the doxology that frames it all: “Blessed be God’s glorious name forever.” If you’re seeking guidance for urgent prayer, long obedience, or parenting and mentorship that leave a mark, you’ll find a path here. Listen, share with a friend who needs courage today, and if this encouraged you, subscribe and leave a review to help others find the show.

The first of Stephen's two volumes set through the Book of Revelation is now available. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ3XCJMY

Chapters

• 0:33 Closing Book Two Of Psalms
• 0:54 Psalm 70: Urgency In Prayer
• 3:11 Trusting God’s Timing
• 3:57 Psalm 71: Faith Across A Lifetime
• 6:58 Testimonies Of Saving And Keeping Grace
• 8:51 Investing In The Next Generation
• 9:51 Psalm 72: A Father’s Prayer For A King
• 11:42 The Gift Of Encouraging Words

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:34

I've mentioned in the past that the book of Psalms was originally organized into five books, more than likely during the days of Ezra or sometime before then. Well, today we come to the end of what's called Book 2. Psalms 70, 71, and 72 complete the second book. Psalm 70 is a rather brief Psalm. It's only five verses long, and it's actually identical, or nearly identical, to a portion of Psalm 40. And you might wonder, well, why would King David, the composer, repeat lyrics that have already been written down? Well, to me, it seems like David's intention is to stress the urgency of the matter here and to highlight the need for God to hurry to his defense. And that's something we probably repeat often in our own lives. There are times when prayer is an urgent matter, isn't it? It's kind of like when Peter started to slip under the waves out there on the Sea of Galilee as he walked on the water toward Jesus. He started going under, and his prayer was pretty short. Lord, save me. And well, that was good enough. He didn't have to repeat the Lord's Prayer, he didn't have to repeat the apostles' creed to get God's attention. See, God isn't impressed with the length of our prayers. He's concerned with the depth of our prayers, the sincerity of our heart before the Lord. Now, the superscription here at this psalm, the heading reads this psalm is for the memorial offering. So, in other words, the heart of this psalm is the importance of remembering God's faithfulness. So David begins by urging the Lord to rescue him. Once again, he says here in verse 1, make haste, O God, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me. You've probably prayed a prayer like that. I certainly have. We're asking the Lord to hurry. Well, David's doing that here as well. He says in verse 5, O Lord, do not delay. He's saying, Lord, hurry up. I've got an emergency situation here, and I need you to step in right away. Maybe you're there. In fact, maybe you're there right now. You're singing this psalm today. Lord, I need an answer and I can't wait a day or two. Please hurry up. I am in deep need. Well, David is urgent, but don't miss the fact here that he's also confident. He knows the Lord is going to deliver him at just the right moment. Maybe you can identify with David's urgency. Well, maybe you'll be challenged and encouraged as well with David's motive for praying. He's going to wrap up this song by singing here in verse 4. May those who love your salvation say evermore, God is great. So you know what David's saying here? It seems like God's running behind schedule. It seems like something has delayed his his hand. But I know in my heart that God is great. He's all powerful. He can't be stopped. He's going to arrive on time every time. Well, with that now, Psalm 71 addresses a relationship with the Lord that that isn't put to test, you know, just during some emergency situation. But this is a relationship that's going to demonstrate itself over the course of a lifetime. The anonymous composer of this Psalm writes it this way here in verse 9. Do not cast me off in the time of old age. Forsake me not when my strength is spent. He writes in verse 17, O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me until I proclaim your might to another generation and your power to all those to come. Now if you put together the truths from Psalm 70 and Psalm 71, put them together, you're going to have the solid trust, this declaration of faith in the Lord. He's going to be sufficient for you when you're in the emergency room. He's going to walk with you from a young age when you came to trust him all the way to the funeral home, so to speak. Two men gave their testimony at a church meeting some time ago. I read about it. The first man stood and said that he'd lived a long, wicked life and he'd hated God, but but then he said, you know, just a few years ago the Lord saved me. He forgave my guilt, he cleansed my life, and today my life is transformed. And I want to bear witness to the power of God to save a wretch like me. That's a great testimony. The second man stood, and he he gave a wonderful testimony as well, but a very different one. He said, Well, I I was born into a Christian home. My earliest memory is of my mother rocking me to sleep, singing, Jesus loves me, this I know. I was taught the truth of God at my mother's knee and around my parents' table in the dining room. I I accepted the Lord when I was ten years of age and have never turned my back on him. And now as an old man of seventy, I can say that for sixty years I've been kept in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Our brothers told you of the grace of God that saves. I want to testify that the grace of God not only saves but keeps. Two wonderful testimonies. Well, frankly, that's the testimony of the psalmist. From his earliest years to his senior years, God has been faithful to him. So what's the psalmist going to do in response here? Well, he writes a fresh commitment here in verse 18. He declares here that he wants to proclaim God's might, his power to all those to come. See, he wants to impact the next generation for the glory of God. I want to tell you something that I found to be interesting over my years of ministry. It's hard to get older people in the church to volunteer to serve, whether it's uh in the nursery or teaching children in Sunday school or mentoring young mothers. You think it'd be natural, but it isn't. To let those younger, you know, those more energetic people carry the load. That's a temptation to avoid. And that's what this psalmist is wanting to avoid. He's saying, Lord, I'm gray-headed, but let me influence young people. Let me tell the next generation of your faithfulness. Well, now we're here in Psalm 72, and the superscription that is the heading reads of Solomon, or some Bible versions translate it for Solomon. Now of Solomon suggests that Solomon wrote it. But I believe this was written by David for Solomon. In fact, all you have to do is read down here in verse 20, and it clears up. It tells us the prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. So what this means is that this psalm was written by David as a dad, as a father for his son Solomon. David wants to influence the next generation, and let's not overlook our own children like David. Psalm 72 is really a prayer of David for his son. He knows Solomon is going to sit on the throne of Israel in the future, and he prays this blessing here on Solomon, beginning in verse 2. May he, the king, judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice. He prays down here in verse 6, may he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. In other words, Lord, I want my son to be a blessing and an encouragement to others, just like a rain shower on a thirsty field of grass. You know, as a loving father, David is giving his son Solomon a gift here of enormous value. We could call it the gift of encouraging words. Our children need them. Even our adult children need that gift. I know a few fathers who've made it a point to give their adult children the gift of words in letters that they've written down and made sure they were given to the family to read after they'd passed away. One godly father wrote a letter like that to his family. In fact, I'm holding a copy of it in my hand. Some of it goes like this Children, you and your spouses have been the joy of my life as have been my grandchildren. I urge you, remain true to your Savior. I have no doubt that you will. Love each other deeply in your marriages. Keep your family ties strong. Lay treasure in heaven because the stuff of earth is empty. Bank accounts, houses and furniture mean nothing to me now. Beware of sin and confess it as soon as you discover it in your life. Let the Holy Spirit's gift of joy color all of your life. Get sweeter as you get older. I love you all and each one. I'll see you sooner than you think, Dad. Sounds like David's encouragement here to his son to remain faithful to the glory of God. In fact, he ends his psalm here by writing these words. Blessed be God's glorious name forever. May the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen. Well, our time is up for today until our next journey begins. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.