Psalm 71: 15, 18 (NIV)

My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long – though I know not how to relate them all. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.

There are many references and allusions to other psalms within this one, and so “it is reasonable to think the author of Psalm 71 made study and meditation upon God’s Word a priority through his life, and the result is that he naturally used the phrases and vocabulary of the Scriptures to pray and praise” (Enduring Word Commentary). This is a poignant reminder that the abundance of our time studying God’s Word – or lack thereof – will be reflected in how we think and communicate. Like an older couple who has been married for many decades, the faithful student of God’s Word will sound more and more like the teacher over time…but who will they share that knowledge and experience with?

There are many different and glorious answers to the question, “Why did Jesus come to the earth,” but the best one was given by the Savior himself: “In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth” (Jn. 18:37). Jesus spent three years testifying to the Truth. Shouldn’t we be doing the same? Shouldn’t our mouths be “telling of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long”? What are we – you and I – doing to “declare God’s power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come”? The psalmist, most likely in his old age, reaches out to us across thousands of years and charges us to testify to the truth, especially to those who are following in our posterity.

Spurgeon, reflecting on verse 15, said, “We are to bear testimony as experience enables us, and not withhold from others that which we have tasted and handled.” What an amazing thought! If we remain silent about all that the Lord has done in our lives, we are depriving our family, friends, and neighbors of hope and joy and wonder. We are hiding from them the glorious love and power that is available through Christ Jesus. We have the light but choose to hide it under a basket and leave others in the dark. “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house” (Mt. 5:15).

Our kids may roll their eyes…our neighbors might awkwardly change the subject…but our Lord will always be blessed by – and occupy – the praises and power of our testimony. How many times has the Lord intervened in your life? In your marriage? Family? Our children need to hear these stories, as do any youth that the Lord may give us an audience with. G. Campbell Morgan captured this opportunity well when he wrote, ““There is nothing more calculated to keep the heart of age young, than to stand by the young, sympathizing with their ambitions, heartening their endeavors, and stiffening their courage, by recounting the stories of the strength of God, the experiences of His might.”

Let us all pray to have the heart and will to pass on what we have been given…to testify to the truth.