Gospel Reflections #1177: Incline my ear

Psalm 71:1–2 ‘O Lord, I take refuge in you; save me and deliver me by your acts of grace, so that I may never be put to shame. Incline your ear to me and save me.’

This is a heartfelt confession of faith in which David, facing the twilight of his life and tribulations, prays to be rescued from despair, relying not on his own strength but solely on ‘God’s righteousness’ and ‘trust in God’.

Psalm 71 is commonly referred to as the ‘Psalm of Old Age’ and contains the prayers of David, whose physical strength was waning and who was under threat from his enemies, as he clung to God.

David does not seek to escape his tribulations by his own strength, but flees to God.

This is based on the firm trust in God that he had cultivated since his youth.

In the Bible, ‘shame’ does not simply mean feeling embarrassed; it signifies the despair of having trusted in God only to be forsaken, resulting in the ruin of one’s life.

David pleads desperately, ‘Please do not let my trust in You be betrayed.’

Furthermore, David does not say, ‘Save me because I am a righteous man.’

He seeks salvation in God’s own ‘righteousness’—that is, in the faithfulness of God’s covenant, by which He never forsakes those who believe.

The expression ‘incline your ear’ in verse 2 reveals God’s compassionate nature, as He does not overlook the faint voice or prayers of the suffering, but bends down to listen.

Psalm 71:1–2 teaches us where we should place our trust when we face crises in life, loneliness, or anxieties about declining health and old age.

It is precisely when we feel that our own strength and past achievements are of no use that we take the true step of faith: ‘taking refuge in God’.

Even if our surroundings or personal circumstances change, God’s ‘righteousness’ (truth and faithfulness) never changes.

We are encouraged to trust in this nature of God and to entrust our anxieties, just as they are, to Him in prayer.

It may be only when we are able to ‘acknowledge our weakness’ and ‘acknowledge our old age’—things we could not do in our youth—that we can truly experience God’s mercy and kindness.

When I think of it that way, old age does not seem so bad after all.

It is in old age that we can encounter a side of God that can only be known then.

The path to God is one where we are always in the prime of youth, and our hearts are renewed day by day.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.