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Good evening everyone! We’re going to be looking more closely at Psalm 71 which was read just now so please keep that open in front of you. I’ll begin with a prayer:

Heavenly Father, as we come to your word, help us hear your voice. Teach us to trust you more and speak of your goodness to others. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Life is full of ups and downs, and at different points, we all ask some big questions: Why am I here? What’s the purpose of all this? Can I make it through the tough times? Psalm 71 speaks directly to these kinds of questions. And whether you’re a Christian, a seeker, or just here because a friend invited you, there’s something in this psalm for you.

Here is an interesting exercise you might like to try; the aim is to represent your life using a graph. Across the bottom is the number of years you’ve been alive. Up the side is a scale from -5 to +5. Then draw a line of your life listing significant events that impacted you positively (the ‘ups’) and negatively (the ‘downs’). It’s perhaps true that life is too complex for such a simple tool. So often life is full of both ups and downs all at the same time. But nonetheless it can help to look back on the key points of your life. Psalm 71 is a prayer from someone who has been through a lot in life. The writer, who many believe was King David, is now older and looking back at his life. He’s been through good times and bad, and he’s seen how God has been with him through it all.

This psalm reminds me of the well-known Footprints in the Sand story. In it, a person dreams they’re walking along a beach with Jesus. Scenes from their life flash across the sky, with two sets of footprints: one theirs and one belonging to Jesus. However, during the toughest times, there is only one set of footprints. When they ask Jesus why He left them, He gently explains that it was during those moments He carried them. The message is simple but true: God is with us and gives us strength, especially in life's hardest moments—a truth that Psalm 71 beautifully captures. But this psalm isn’t just for old people looking back over their life—it’s for everyone. It’s about the journey of life, the challenges we face, and how God can carry us through.

You all know those people (in whatever online chat you’re in) who go massive on emojis. There someone like that in my home group WhatsApp group and I thought it would be fun to challenge our graphics team to use a different emoji for each part of this psalm as we go through it – one for each heading. So let’s dive straight in. Looking at Psalm 71.1-3, we see:

1. The Need for Refuge (Psalm 71.1-4)

And the emoji that goes with this section is a shield or a house. The psalm starts with some incredible words where the writer asks God for protection (Psalm 71.1-3):

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;let me never be put to shame!In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;incline your ear to me, and save me!Be to me a rock of refuge,to which I may continually come;you have given the command to save me,for you are my rock and my fortress.

A refuge is a safe place, a place you run to when things get tough. Imagine being caught in a storm—you want to find shelter, right? As we know, life can be like that storm sometimes. Maybe you’ve faced bullying, pressure to fit in, or anxiety about the future. Or perhaps you’ve been dealing with family struggles or even just the stress of school or jobs and relationships. We all need a place where we feel safe when life is tough. Something solid to hold onto when life gets shaky. We get a glimpse of the kind of trouble the writer is in from Psalm 71.4:

Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

We don’t have precise details of what was going on here, but I think that’s what makes the psalms so powerful. They give us words we can make our own in different seasons of life. In this case, when we too feel the need for a refuge, and there many situations like that, even if they may not be precisely what the writer was going through. We don’t always need to know the details to understand the emotions. For Christians, God…The Lord Jesus… is our refuge. He doesn’t change when everything else does. The writer of this psalm is saying, "God, you’re my safe place, the one I can always count on, the home I can always go to."

What about you? Where do you turn when life gets hard; friends, family, or something else? These can be great supports, but Psalm 71 points us to someone even stronger and more reliable: God. He is our rock, unshaken by the storms of life, and we can trust Him to be our safe refuge when everything else shifts. And more specifically, Jesus is our ‘safe place’, our refuge. When life gets hard, or when we face problems and feel unsure, we can turn to Him. Jesus has already fought the biggest battle for us. At the cross, He took on all the weight of sin, Satan, and death—our greatest enemies. In His resurrection, he won the victory over them all. He is not just a shelter we run to, but the one who went ahead of us and made our salvation secure forever. As we take communion, we remember his sacrifice. The bread and wine remind us that Jesus is not just an idea—he is a real person who gave his life for us. Because of him, we can find life and in him we are safe forever. As we come to communion today, we trust in Jesus the rock, our refuge, who holds us safe now and always. Next we see:

2. The Past Faithfulness of God (Psalm 71.5-9)

And an emoji that could go with this section is…A seedling and a tree. Don’t get distracted by whether you can come up with a better one! But basically, the writer looks back on the whole of his life and says (Psalm 71.5-6):

For you, O Lord, are my hope,my trust, O Lord, from my youth.Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;you are he who took me from my mother's womb.My praise is continually of you.

The writer reflects on a lifetime of God’s grace: how God has been with him and for him from the very beginning. From his youth, through all the ups and downs, God has been faithful. He has been unfailingly true to his word. Think about your own life. Maybe you’re young and just starting out, or maybe you’ve already faced some tough times. God has been with you at every stage, even when you don’t realise it, or have forgotten. This is why it can be so helpful to look back at your life and see where God has been at work. Even in the tough times, God has been there, guiding and helping you. Often when we become Christians we look back and see how that was true even before we trusted in him. If you’re unsure you believe in God, know that you are not alone and that God has given you life, sustains that life and cares for you even if you don’t yet recognise that. Looking back and seeing his faithfulness and help throughout your life is what can give you confidence that he will do it again. Psalm 71.9:

Do not cast me off in the time of old age;forsake me not when my strength is spent.

And so next, and this is the third section, we see the writer:

3. Confidently Calling on God for Help Today (Psalm 71.10-13)

And an emoji that could go with this section is…Phone. As the psalm continues, the writer talks more about the situation he is facing. It seems he has enemies. They appear to be looking at him and his circumstances for have concluded that God has abandoned him. And because they are his enemies they think now, when he is already down, is a good time to attack. He says (Psalm 71.10-12):

For my enemies speak concerning me;those who watch for my life consult togetherand say, “God has forsaken him;pursue and seize him,for there is none to deliver him.”O God, be not far from me;O my God, make haste to help me!

The writer is honest about the fact that he’s facing real dangers and that people are against him. But even in this, he doesn’t give up hope. He calls out to God for help. What might this be for us? Maybe you’re not facing literal enemies, though as we saw last week many Christians across the globe face daily dangers simply because they follow King Jesus. The Bible talks of the enemies we all face: the world, the flesh and the devil. Or as sin, Satan and death. These can feel like enemies that are constantly attacking you. The writer’s response is to cry out for help, to turn to God when things seem overwhelming, confident that he can and wants to help. We can do the same. We can call out to Him anytime. We can be honest about our struggles and reach out for help. There is hope. Which brings us to:

4. The Power of Hope and Praise (Psalm 71.14-16):

And an emoji that could go with this section is…Musical Note. Despite all the challenges, the writer of the psalm doesn’t lose hope. He says (Psalm 71.14-16):

But I will hope continuallyand will praise you yet more and more.My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,of your deeds of salvation all the day,for their number is past my knowledge.With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

Hope is powerful. It sustains us through tough times. In Psalm 71, hope isn’t wishful thinking; it’s a confident belief that God is in control and always good. When life feels overwhelming, we can lose hope easily. But the psalmist focuses on God’s past faithfulness and trusts that God will continue to be faithful in the future. And what helps him do that is to remember how God has been at work. That’s why it helps to trace back God’s faithfulness in your own life. It’s also why it’s so helpful to walk through life with others, and that’s something our small groups help with. So often it’s easier to see Gods work in others than in our own. And that gives us hope.

By the way, we run Celebrate Recovery for those who, like this psalmist, cry out to God for help. Perhaps you’d find it helpful - you’d be most welcome each Monday when it meets. Speak to Catherine Robinson who read earlier. One thing to look out for this term is our annual Celebrate Recovery Celebration Evening. The evening is crammed full of stories of God’s work bringing healing and help and light in some dark places. Life is not easy, and struggles may continue but hearing the ‘mighty deeds of the Lord God’ give me hope for my own life. It’s on Monday 11th November, so keep an eye out for it.

These verses are also a reminder that we can keep praising God, even when life is hard. It’s a reminder that hope isn’t based on our circumstances (that can change or fail) but on God’s character. Next, we come to:

5. Proclaiming God’s Goodness in Old Age (Psalm 71.17-21):

And an emoji that could go with this section is…Older Man and Older Woman. The psalmist continues (Psalm 71.17-18):

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 another generation,your power to all those to come.

If like me you are blessed with grey hairs, this seems particularly relevant! But it’s actually relevant to us all. The writer is saying that even as he gets older, he still wants to share what God has done in his life. He wants to pass on the lessons he’s learned to the next generation. He’s saying, "I’ve lived through some stuff, and I want to share what I’ve learned about God so that others can benefit." But he learned to proclaim God’s wondrous deeds when he was young. Presumably from older men and women who sang in their day, what he now sings in his (Psalm 71.19-21):

Your righteousness, O God,reaches the high heavens.You who have done great things,O God, who is like you?You who have made me see many troubles and calamitieswill revive me again;from the depths of the earthyou will bring me up again.You will increase my greatnessand comfort me again.

If you’re younger, this is a reminder to value the wisdom of those who are older. They’ve experienced things you haven’t yet and have much to teach. Learn to proclaim God’s goodness now, so when you're older, you can pass that on to the next generation. This is why being part of a small group can be so valuable—learning from and sharing with others at different stages of life. If you’re older, this is an encouragement to keep sharing your story. Your experiences can be a source of hope and guidance for others. It is easy to feel you’re past your prime. But remember what you learned from those before you, and take opportunities to invest in those younger than you.

So we do need young, energetic people in our under 18s work. But we also dearly love and need those with grey hairs too, or no hair. Perhaps you’d consider helping out? And there is a real value in building friendships with those from a different generation and reading the Bible together and being intentional about this. Perhaps we can help link you up to do that? Often, I speak to young people who would love someone older to care for and disciple them but don’t ask because it feels like they’re too busy and think it’s not their place to initiate that. But older people don’t initiate either, maybe because we buy into the culture’s mantra that grey means past it. Perhaps we all need a bit more courage! Is there someone you could ask to pray or study the bible with you? Is there someone younger that you could do that with to? Well, finally we come to:

6. Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness to everyone (Psalm 71.22-24).

The psalmist ends by looking ahead to the day he is confident will come when God will have rescued him. It will be a day of joyful rejoicing and praise. And so an emoji that could go with this section is…Loudpeaker or microphone. Psalm 71.22-24:

I will also praise you with the harpfor your faithfulness, O my God;I will sing praises to you with the lyre,O Holy One of Israel.My lips will shout for joy,when I sing praises to you;my soul also, which you have redeemed.And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,for they have been put to shame and disappointedwho sought to do me hurt.

Notice the future tense here. He looks forward to the day when he will be redeemed. God has been a refuge in his day of need. And so he will praise God for his faithfulness. And his enemies will see that God had not abandoned him. His name will be cleared. And that he has protected him from their attacks. We too can look ahead with eyes of faith to the day when all will be put right. And our enemies: sin, Satan and death will be defeated and removed for ever. That will be the first day of an eternity praising the God who is our rock and our fortress. Until that day, we are to praise God and to share his story with others. This is the natural outcome of experiencing God’s goodness—wanting to tell others about it. We all love to share things that matter to us, whether it’s through social media, with friends, or in conversations. When something impacts us deeply, we want others to know about it. That’s what the psalmist is doing—he’s sharing the good news of what God has done in his life. That’s why we host events to help you share your faith with friends—keep an eye out for our autumn events and the visit from Glen Scrivener. Or, if you're looking for a tool to read the gospel with friends, talk to Pete Alston about The Word One to One, a great resource for doing just that. But let’s pray for opportunities to talk about what God has done in our life through Jesus. What we have to say may not feel big or dramatic; but even the small ways God has been faithful are worth sharing.

Psalm 71 reminds us that life is full of ups and downs, just like our own life graphs. But it also gives us the answer to those big questions we began with. Why are we here? To know God's faithfulness and make Him known. What’s the purpose of all this? To praise Him and share the story of His goodness, especially with others. Can we make it through the tough times? Yes—we can, because God is our refuge, our rock, and our fortress. And as you think back over your life, Jesus has been with you, and he will continue to carry you. And as you look ahead he will help you keep trusting, hoping, and sharing the story of what God has done for us through Jesus. One day all will be made right, and we will spend eternity praising the God who has been our rock through it all. Let’s pray:

O God, our help in ages pastOur hope for years to come,Be Thou our guide while life shall last,And our Eternal Home.Lord God, thank you for being our refuge and strength. Thank you for your faithfulness throughout our lives. Help us to trust in you, to find hope in you, and to share our stories with others. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.