Dear Seniors,

Psalm 71 is eminently suited for senior citizens. Looking back on seventy years of a checkered life, David autobiographically reflects on his standing with God.

David's reminiscings lead to a remarkable, instructive conclusion: his exclusive foundation for the past, exclusive trust for the present, and exclusive hope for the future rests foursquare on the righteousness of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Read Psalm 71 and observe how all David's reminiscings focus on the grace of God in Christ. It is God who upheld him from the womb (v. 6), God who was his trust from youth (v. 5), God who had never cast him off all his years – not even when his strength failed in old age (v. 9), and God who was his ongoing hope for life's remaining hours and eternity's timelessness (v. 14).

In short, Psalm 71 is packed with God's doings, not David's. In twilight hours of reminiscing, David does not so much as mention his victorious wars, memorable 40-year kingship, personal piety, and reformation efforts.

Do you wonder why? The answer is simple. David had learned two things in life: The Holy Spirit had uncovered for him his own unrighteousness and had discovered to him the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Hence all his reminiscings and ongoing prayers focus on Christ's righteousness:

"Deliver me in Thy righteousness" (v. 2).

"My mouth shall shew forth Thy righteousness and Thy salvation all the day" (v. 15).

"I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only" (v. 16).

"Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto Thee!" (v. 19).

"My tongue also shall talk of Thy righteousness all the day long" (v. 24).

No doubt you too enjoy reminiscing. Reminiscing is legitimate and wholesome in itself. But I wonder, dear friend, what is the foundation of your reminiscing? Is it Jesus Christ and His righteousness formed within your soul by the stripping work of the Spirit who has taught you to despise your righteousness and to make mention only of Christ's?

True reminiscing looks backward to the grace of God in Christ Jesus and thereby simultaneously looks forward with hope. True reminiscing does not just cause us to live in the past, but it moves us to live in the present and to face the future with courage. True reminiscing encourages continuance in the faith: "Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort" (v. 3). "My praise shall be continually of Thee" (v. 6). "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise Thee more and more" (v. 14).

For Christ's sake, David's life didn't end when he became a senior. By grace, God remained his continual resort, continual praise, continual hope. My friend, have you received like grace?

The true believer has a bright future. The God of his past shall desert him neither in the present nor in the future. Indeed, through all eternity, God shall confirm for the true believer: "I will yet praise Thee more and more." True reminiscing leads to true praise.

But perhaps you will say, as one of our elderly recently said to me: "I'm afraid it's too late. If I were young, maybe the Lord would think on me, but all these years I have not lived unto Him. I can see why He would remember others who have lived so much better than I have, but why should He ever remember me – especially now when I am old?"

Let me answer you by telling you a true story. Last century in the Scottish highlands, there was a God-fearing minister, Hugh McPhail – well-respected and much used by God for the saving of souls and the edification of His people – who came into great darkness on his deathbed. Elders and ministers – some from far, attempted in vain to console him. He feared he would be a "castaway" (1 Cor. 9:27).

One night he had a dream. He was sitting alone. To his right, he saw, as it were, large, beautiful gates – the gates of new Jerusalem. But he was outside of those gates. From his left side, he heard praises and singing. Turning, he saw a great multitude coming with palm branches in hand and arrayed in white. Praising God, they walked all the way to the gates, which swung wide for them. He was glad to see the gates go open, but when he realized these were the Old Testament saints and prophets, he was saddened. He certainly was not fit to be of their company. He could not enter the gates with them.

Again he heard singing. From his left came a second group – the New Testament apostles and saints. Again, the gates swung as they approached. Again, Hugh McPhail sighed:

"It can't be for me. I am too great a sinner. How can I go in with such as they?"

A third group appeared – the early martyrs … And a fourth – the Reformers … A fifth – the Scottish Covenanters … McPhail could not enter with any of them.

Then a sixth group appeared – McPhail's contemporaries. He recognized his peers – the fellow ministers and elders with whom he had worked all his life, and whose faults he had come to know well. He saw the children of God from his own congregation, whom he had pastored – some whom were neither admirable in character nor advanced in grace. His heart skipped a beat. Could he not go in with them? … Would the gates swing open also for these?

The gates did open, but McPhail felt he could not join them. None had such a bad heart as he.

Finally, when about to surrender hope, a lone figure appeared on the horizon. It was an old man – frail, halting, stooped. Slowly he made his way to the gates. Surely they would not open for him?…

Yes! Yes – they did open. "Who is he?" cried McPhail.

The answer came immediately: "This is Manasseh, converted in old age as a hardened sinner, long ripened for condem­nation. Hugh McPhail, he too has been saved by the blood of Christ. In Christ's blood, there is room for even such as he. Hugh McPhail, are you too good to enter with old, poor, sinful Manasseh?"

"Manasseh! Manasseh!" cried Hugh McPhail, awaking from his dream. "Oh, dear Lord, if there is room for a Manasseh who filled Jerusalem's streets with the blood of the saints, and caused his children to walk through fires dedicated to strange gods, then there is also room for old Hugh McPhail in that same blood that has washed Manasseh clean.''

The bonds of darkness were broken. McPhail called his wife: "Call the elders and ministers, and tell everyone you see, 'All is well with old Hugh McPhail, for if there is room in the blood of Christ for Manasseh, Hugh McPhail shall enter through that same blood passport.'"

Dear senior, we don't believe in "dream revelations," but in this remarkable story, the truth which was impressed upon McPhail's soul when he was awake, namely, that there is room in the blood of Christ for the greatest and oldest of sinners, broke all his darkness. Oh, my aged friend, you are still in the land of living, still in the day of grace: There is still room for the greatest and oldest of sinners, such as you may feel yourself to be, to be saved in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't look to your righteousness or your worthiness. No one is righteous or worthy in himself. We are all wretched Manassehs in ourselves who need to be saved by sovereign grace alone. Oh, I beseech you: Make haste for your life's sake. Flee from the wrath to come. Your life is like a burning candle. The stick grows shorter daily. Oh, seek the Lord today before the evening light of the candle of your life flickers out forever! The thin thread of your life grows thinner by the moment. As an ambassador of Christ, "as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20).

Dear seniors, have you learned the gracious art of reminiscing? Have you been taught by God your own unworthiness and unrighteousness as well as the worthiness and righteousness of Christ? Are you acquainted with God through a Christ-merited righteousness that brings you into need for a daily, vital relationship with your Creator? Have you learned the confession of an early martyr, whose last words were: "In Christ, in peace; out of Christ, out of peace"? Like David, can you sum your entire life in these simple words: Thy righteousness only?

Who is your righteousness?

Please, take your Bible, read Psalm 71, and pray with the thief on the cross (who was converted on the last day of his life so that people such as you would not despair), "Lord, remember me."

Dear friend, may the Lord indeed remember you for time and eternity. "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD" (Ps. 27:14).

With pastoral warmth,