TELL YOUR STORY

Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. 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.

PSALM 71:17–18 NIV

Everyone on earth has a story to tell. Whether you realize it or not, your story is an instrument by which you speak to the next generation. If you want to have a positive impact on a future generation, all you have to do is tell your story.

Psalm 71 is not attributed to a specific biblical author, but since it is connected to Psalm 70 (which is clearly designated as one of the Davidic psalms), it is believed that Psalm 71 was also written by David. In this psalm, King David prayed a plea to God for an opportunity to speak to the next generation so that he may declare God's power to them, thereby giving them a testimony of the Creator of the universe. David had been walking with the Lord for a long time when he penned this psalm, and as he walked, his story developed.

In beseeching God for the opportunity to speak and to declare His might to the next generation in Psalm 71, David is essentially saying, "Man, have I got an amazing story to tell!" That would actually be one of the understatements of history, because David's riveting testimony is a crucial part of the story of modern Israel.

In David's prayer for a transgenerational ministry through the story about the marvelous deeds he witnessed God perform throughout his life so far, three elements are highlighted: timing, teaching, and testimony.

THE TIMING OF THE TEXT

David speaks during the season of his life when he is older. We can't be sure about his exact age, but he's in the twilight season of his life. He's an old man. More mature. He's not a shepherd boy anymore. He's not the little kid going after the bear. No longer the boy who took on the lion. Not the teenager with the five smooth stones and the slingshot who took out Goliath. He's now a seasoned, elderly saint. Yet he sees and prays for more years and for more time. Lord, give me another shot!

One of the most magnificent stage dramas I have ever seen is Lin-Manuel Miranda's production of Hamilton. This award-winning show about the times and tensions of the birth of America is uniquely presented in the rap genre. Many thought it would flop. However, it has proven to be one of the most successful Broadway productions ever. One of the signature songs in the musical features Alexander Hamilton and the cast declaring their refusal to miss the historical opportunity at freedom and the formation of a new country. Hamilton declares he has a shot at changing the world, a shot at changing life in the new land. With amazing musical virtuosity, he and the cast refuse to lose the chance to make history. He will take his shot.

We're gonna rise up! Time to take a shot! We're gonna rise up! Time to take a shot!

David was a psalmist, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't a rapper. Yet, here in his prayer, he says, Lord, I still have time to take a shot! A shot at the next generation. A shot at up-and-coming kingdom leaders. Lord, give me another shot!

I am writing this book after recently celebrating my seventieth birthday. I don't know if David was older or younger than me when he penned Psalm 71, but both he and I would qualify for the "senior saints" category. When my wife and I were at dinner, celebrating my birthday, I said to her, "Wow! Seventy! That's a lot of years." And she said, "Seventy is just a number." Yeah ... a BIG number! I'm sure I'm in the ballpark of David.

David speaks this prayer from the interesting perspective of three points of view:

1. He looks back at where he was — that is, turf upon which he has already trodden.

2. He looks around to where he is, in the here and now.

3. He looks forward to where he is going, wherever God may take him in the future.

By these three perspectives, David is taking us on a journey, a brief synopsis, of his life. He begins with his own birth. "From birth, I have relied on you," he says. "You brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you" (v. 6 NIV). God, from birth You have had Your hand on me. One version says, "You are he who took me from my mother's womb" (ESV), which is akin to the process of a midwife delivering a child. David paints a picture of his birth as though God Himself were the one actually delivering him from his mother's womb. The implication is that David is alive and has survived all he has because God has had His hand on David all the days of his life.

In the culture of that time, premature births and deaths at birth were not at all unusual. Sometimes the mother died at the birth of her baby. And sometimes both mother and child perished in the process. Because deaths at birth were not unusual, David doesn't take his own birth lightly or for granted. He says to God, "You were there. You had Your hand on me since I came from my mother's womb." In other words, I'm not here by accident. This is a key concept. God had His hand on David from the very beginning of his life, from when God brought him forth from his mother's womb.

My generation (which, in colloquial terms, is called the "baby boomers") is like no generation before in the history of the world. It has set a high mark for abortions. Countless lives didn't make it through the womb and on to viable, sentient vibrancy during this generation. We will never know how many of those lives might have made it to maturation had their parents only been told about, grasped, and accepted testimony about a Savior who could bring them through any challenge had they only been told His story. Alas, the boomer generation, which has more abilities and modes and mediums and platforms to tell and to hear stories than any generation in history — the best stories, the most powerful and impactful lessons, stories with the power to change entire lives — isn't being told as they could be and should be told about the power of God to impact individual lives as well as entire generations.

A preacher friend of mine, whom God has used in a unique way to bless countless people, has an incredible story. When his mother was carrying him in her womb, she tried to abort him. But the abortion failed. So, she tried a second time. And that attempt was also unsuccessful. Her son is now a preacher of the gospel, and souls are being saved through him. His testimony, like David's, shows how God had His hand on his life. This man didn't have to be here on earth. He could have gone from the womb straight to heaven. But God had a plan and a purpose for his life. A killing was planned. A killing was thwarted, once. Thwarted again. Then, a life — a bountiful, vibrant, powerful life — came forth...