Psalms 71:14

My Notes

What Does Psalms 71:14 Mean?

"But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more." The psalmist declares unending hope and escalating praise: the hope doesn't stop (continually), and the praise doesn't plateau (more and more). The spiritual trajectory is always upward. The praise at the end is always greater than the praise at the beginning.

The phrase "hope continually" (ayachel tamid — I will wait/hope always, without ceasing) makes hope a permanent state: not occasional hoping when circumstances allow, but continuous hoping as a way of being. The hope doesn't depend on circumstances. It persists through all of them. The 'continually' removes every conditional: I will hope in good times, in bad times, in ambiguous times — always.

The "more and more" (vehosafti al kol tehillateka — and I will add upon all Your praise) means the praise accumulates: each expression of praise becomes the foundation for additional praise. The praising doesn't deplete the supply. It increases it. The more you praise, the more there is to praise about. The worship generates its own fuel.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What would it mean to praise God more in this season than in your last one?
• 2.How does 'continually' — without interruption or exception — challenge your conditional hoping?
• 3.What does praise compounding (more and more, never plateauing) teach about the nature of worship?
• 4.How does this commitment coming from an old, weathered person change its weight?

Devotional

I will hope continually. I will praise more and more. Two commitments that reject every plateau: the hope never stops, and the praise never stops growing. The direction is always forward. The trajectory is always upward. The capacity for worship expands the more you use it.

The 'hope continually' is the most stubborn spiritual decision: continually means without interruption, without exceptions, without breaks for despair. The hope doesn't take days off. It doesn't pause for bad news. It doesn't adjust to circumstances. It persists — not because circumstances are always hopeful, but because the God being hoped in is always faithful.

The 'more and more' turns praise into something that compounds: each act of praise creates capacity for more praise. The worship doesn't run out — it multiplies. The person who praises God today can praise Him more tomorrow. The capacity grows with use. The 'more and more' means there's no ceiling on worship, no maximum on gratitude, no point at which you've praised enough.

This verse is written in old age (verse 9, 18 — 'cast me not off in the time of old age' and 'when I am old and greyheaded'). The continual hope and increasing praise aren't young person's enthusiasm. They're an old person's resolution. After a lifetime of suffering and faithfulness, the commitment is: MORE hope. MORE praise. Not less as the body weakens. More.

What would it mean to praise God MORE in your current season than you did in your last one?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture