October 17
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O GOD, WHO IS LIKE YOU?
O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
19 For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
20 You who have shown me many troubles and distresses
Will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.- Psalm 71:17-21
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In this psalm, David exhibits so much praise and hope in God. In verse 17, he humbly declares that it was God who taught him everything even as a youth. In verse 18, he still plead God to never abandon him. He is full of hope that God will give him strength until he passes on to the next generation his faith and love for his Master, the Lord God. In verse 19, he exults God with His unfathomable righteousness that reaches up to the heavens. David knows his God very deeply to speak of this greatness that only God possesses. He praises God for no one else or other gods can compare to Him. He is one of a kind, full of unconditional love and mercy. In verse 20, David recognizes God’s discipline as he was allowed to go through so much troubles and trials. He also knows that his sins in the past contributed to such suffering and attacks from his enemies. This verse is full of hope that knowing how good his God is, he is sure that he will be delivered from all of these troubles. When he said God will bring me up again form the depths of the earth in verse 20, he is an epitome of hope in desperate situations. In verse 21, he pleads God to add to his greatness and give him comfort. What a great heart David has. He intimately knows his Lord. Do we have this confidence in God? Do we instantly run to God for comfort and deliverance from what we are going through? We can learn to be more like David in our relationship with the Lord.
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REFLECTION
• Why do you think David has such great hope and dependence on God?