“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night…O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep…The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” (Psalm 92:1-2, 5, 12-15. NKJV) [Read Psalm 92]The note and singing directions for this psalm state that it is a “Song for the Sabbath.” That indicates that the Jews when they entered synagogue or Temple worship would use this psalm of praise in worship. And well they should. Its poetry is lofty, its message uplifting. I like to call this a psalm of encouragement for the elderly. Notice the promise made in verses 12-15. For those who have lived righteously, and followed God until the aged years, here is a marvelous promise: “They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing.”
Sometimes, we see elderly people who are infirm and cannot follow the pathways of service into their last years of life. We are not to consider them less-blessed, or that they are suffering punishment for some sin they committed which would bring on illness and trials. We often have difficulty understanding such trials, and why some must endure them while others remain active and healthy. However, if the aging can maintain good health, a hearty spirit and can be “fresh and flourishing” as they proceed into their eighties and beyond, they are indeed blessed of God and a blessing to others. The psalmist, in describing this state, compared the righteous to a productive palm tree or to the stalwart cedars of Lebanon. The palm yielded fruit for nourishment; the cedars gave timbers for sturdy buildings. Likewise, those who follow righteousness feed and stabilize others.
This psalm is one of joyous gratitude to God for His loving kindness and His faithfulness. As we approach Thanksgiving, let us remember to count our blessings, “naming them one by one” as one of our beloved hymns directs. And in our catalog of gratitude, let us thank God for His continuing love and faithfulness—even into “old age.” It is not a bad stage of life to reach if we maintain a loving attitude and an anticipation of what God is doing every day as we join Him in His work! He wants us to shine where we are for Him and be thankful!
c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, November 22, 2010
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