Psalm 71:1-14

“Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.” vss. 6, 9

Any lifelong follower of Jesus can readily identify with the psalmist’s words. Often the life of faith begins in infancy. Before we know anything about the bible or creeds we hear prayers at the table and at our bedsides. We grow up believing and we have no recollection of how it happened. Of course there will be wandering as the years pass. Who does not stray from a mother’s knee when the world beckons?

And even though belief can escape us, faith stays close through good times and bad. Often when we’re ready to settle down, career or diploma in hand, and children are born, we return to the fold. The Shepherd welcomes us and soon the Spirit’s familiar songs and stories begin to reshape us in our created image. We relish the communion of saints and delight in our community through thick and thin.

And then come the golden years! Signs of our mortality stalk us and drive us to doctors and hospitals. And as we feel our strength failing we turn again to our God. “Oh Good Shepherd” we pray, “walk with us through the shadows and when our mind grows dim. And when our bodies falter, pick us up and carry us home.”

Thought for the Day: How has my faith has varied with the years?