A prayer for God's protection from treacherous enemies in old age "when strength has fled.”
Scripture References:
st. 1 = vv. 1-4
st. 2 = vv. 5-8
st. 3 = vv. 9-11
st. 4 = vv. 12-14
st. 5 = vv. 15-16
st. 6 = vv. 17-18
st. 7 = vv. 19-21
st. 8 = vv. 22-24
The content of this prayer suggests that it was composed by a king, the LORD's anointed, in his old age. Seeing the king's vigor wane, his enemies suppose that "God has forsaken him" (v. 11), and they openly conspire against him. The king appeals for God's defense, recalling his lifelong trust in God (st. 1) and confessing that God has never failed to protect him (st. 2). Do not forsake me now, he prays, when my strength is gone and I am old and gray (st. 3). At the psalm's center the old king confesses with unfaltering faith, "But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more" (v. 14; st. 4). Thereafter the psalm is a song of praise and thanks–for God's gracious display of power (st. 5); support of the king in his old age (st. 6); deliverance from troubles (st. 7); rescue from harm, and provision of lasting hope (st. 8). Clarence P. Walhout (PHH 6) versified this psalm in 1985 for the Psalter Hymnal.
Liturgical Use:
When Christians reflect on the frailty of life and sense the need for God's lifelong help.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988