If this is your first viewing, please see my Introduction before reading this, and the introduction to the Psalms for this book of the Bible in particular.
9 July. Psalms 70-72
Psalm 71 contains several references to older people – a demographic group rarely seen as an importance for Christian ministry, despite many congregations consisting mainly of those over 50, or even over 70. Many churches employ a “youth worker” or “childrens ministry leader”, and may well have someone with a particular focus on young families. But how may have a “seniors worker” or “grandparent ministry leader”? The psalm reminds us of how people can feel unwanted: “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent” (9); and also of the valuable gifts that older people have to offer: “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come” (17-18).
Psalm 72, the last of those attributed to King David, is a prayer for a head of state – originally Solomon, but these verses can be a model for prayers for your own national leader (except perhaps the one about their enemies licking the dust!). So we are invited to pray that our nation will be prosperous and peaceful; but also that its leaders will show justice and fairness for the poor, deal with oppression and violence in the land, and that “people may blossom in the cities” (NRSV, v.16 – other translations differ).