Hope in Every Season (Day 7)

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 71:20

Our hope:
I have hope because Jesus gives me new life, no matter what my age. Even if my physical strength declines, He has promised to revive me again.

A friend and I like to joke about the “fall-apart forties.” It seemed that when we turned forty, our bodies didn’t work the same anymore. We pull muscles more easily, we’ve had to adjust our exercise routines for the sake of our knees, and our metabolisms have slowed down.

But while I can’t do everything I used to, my hope doesn’t lie in the strength of youth. That wasn’t true when I became a Christian at nineteen, and it won’t be my hope if I reach eighty. My True Hope has always been in Jesus, who not only has forgiven my sins, He has also given me new life.

Every season of life will bring new challenges, both physical and spiritual. But as Psalm 71 reminds me, I can look to Jesus for hope to not just get through the day but live it with joy. Just as He was with me when I was young, with more energy and no gray hair, He is with me now. He “will revive me again” (Ps. 71:20), no matter if I’m nineteen, forty, or even eighty.

Reflect and Respond:

Read Psalm 71.

• How does Jesus give you True Hope in the challenges you’re facing in your current season of life?
• How can you resist the temptation to lose hope as you get older and experience health issues?
• What do you need to do today so Jesus can “revive you again”?

Go deeper:

Read Psalm 71 and make a list of all the ways that Jesus has been your Refuge throughout your life. What are the things He has taught you that you can proclaim to the next generation? How has He sustained you and revived your soul? As you think about your answers, listen to this Revive Our Hearts series, “God’s Faithfulness for Your Final Seasons,” based on Psalm 71.