Even to Old Age and Gray Hairs
What David has to teach us about how to live when we are old or weak.
“So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.”
(Psalm 71:18, 20)
Do you feel overwhelmed by the weight of life’s burdens and cares? Do you feel as if you don’t have the strength to get through the day?
Good.
You are exactly where God wants you to be.
In Psalm 71, we have what some scholars believe to be the last psalm that David ever wrote. He was an old man, worn down by years of hardship, betrayal, and regret. His body was frail, his strength failing — yet his hope in God remained unshaken.
David had seen hardship in his youth: he stood before Goliath; he was hunted by Saul. He endured gossip and slander from those around him. The end of his life was filled with just as much calamity as the beginning and the middle. His strength was fading.
Yet his hope was in the Lord.
What Is Our Purpose in Weakness?
In verse 18, David reveals that his final effort was not to enjoy a comfortable retirement or easy life. His entire purpose was “to proclaim [God's] might to another generation.” He spent every ounce of his remaining energy passing on his knowledge and love for the Lord. He recognized the desperate need of the next generation to know the God who had been faithful to him.
David's own family reflected both the glory and brokenness of his household:
Some, like Solomon, carried forward God's promises.
Others, like Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah, were reminders of the chaos that results from sin, rivalry, and unchecked ambition.
The line of Nathan and Solomon both played roles in fulfilling God's covenant to David through the coming of Jesus Christ.
David was not a perfect father and not a perfect king — but he was “a man after [God's] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).
What Is Our Only Hope in Weakness?
David's only full and lasting hope was found in the promise of resurrection — a hope ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Though David could not have explained the full details, he had the promises of God to cling to.
In 2 Samuel 7, God made a covenant with David, promising that one of his descendants would sit on the throne forever. David understood that these promises were not merely about politics or earthly power but pointed to something eternal.
Throughout the Psalms, David sang of these promises:
That God's steadfast love would never fail (Psalm 89:28–29).
That his offspring would endure forever, and his throne would be established for all generations (Psalm 89:36–37).
That God's Holy One would not see corruption, pointing forward to the resurrection (Psalm 16:10, echoed in Acts 2:31).
That God would redeem his life from the grave (Psalm 49:15).
In this final psalm, we see that David believed God would “revive” him, that “from the depths of the earth” he would rise. This was not merely a hope for earthly healing but a full belief in bodily resurrection — the hope of a renewed body and a place as a co-heir with Christ. David trusted the promise that his descendant would sit on the throne forever, and that he himself would be alive to see it.
So What Are We to Do?
You may be nearing the grave as you read this. Or you may be in the middle of the trials of a difficult life.
You may have buried a child, like David.
You may have been betrayed by loved ones, like David.
You may have seen friends come and go, felt the sting of loneliness, and wrestled with the pain of abandonment.
I am by no means nearing old age, but every day I see the grave more clearly. I see the pain of this world. I watch my children grow. I watch their struggles. I feel the weakness of being a parent to children with disabilities and illness — wanting to give anything to make them better.
But as David says earlier in this psalm:
"In you, O Lord, do I take refuge." (Psalm 71:1)
Like David, I can find my purpose in this life in two things:
Passing on the promises to the next generation.
Hoping in the resurrection.
That is enough. That is everything.