“Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 71:9 Mean?
"Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth." An aging psalmist prays the prayer every older person feels but few articulate: don't abandon me now. The fear isn't of death — it's of being discarded while still alive. Old age brings diminished strength, reduced usefulness, and the terrifying possibility that God's interest in you expires when your productivity does.
The parallel between "old age" and "strength faileth" captures the dual reality: the body declines and the capacity diminishes. The psalmist has served God faithfully (v. 5-6 reference lifelong trust from youth). Now, as they age, they wonder: does God still want me when I can no longer do what I used to do?
Reflection Questions
- 1.If you're aging, where does the fear of being discarded by God show up most acutely?
- 2.How does your community treat older members — as resources or as relics?
- 3.What does God's promise to carry you 'even to hoar hairs' mean for your current season?
- 4.How do you maintain a sense of purpose when your physical capacity diminishes?
Devotional
Don't cast me off now. Not now. Not when I'm old. Not when the strength is gone and the usefulness has faded and the world has moved on to younger, stronger, more productive people. Don't you move on too.
This is the prayer of aging — the fear that relevance has an expiration date and God's attention is tied to your capacity. When you were young and strong and productive, you felt God's presence in your achievements. Now the achievements have slowed. The body has slowed. The mind has slowed. And the terrifying question is: did God's interest slow too?
The psalmist has been faithful since youth (v. 5). Decades of trust. A lifetime of service. And now, in old age, the prayer isn't: give me more years. It's: don't leave me in the ones I have left. The fear of abandonment is worse than the fear of death. Dying with God feels bearable. Living without God feels unbearable — especially when you're too old to distract yourself from the silence.
This prayer should haunt every community that values youth and productivity over age and wisdom. The church that celebrates the young leader and forgets the old saint. The culture that discards people when they stop producing. The world that measures worth by output.
God doesn't discard. Psalm 92:14 says the righteous "shall still bring forth fruit in old age." Isaiah 46:4: "Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you." The psalmist's fear is real. God's answer is: I don't cast off the old. I carry them.
If you're aging and wondering whether God is done with you — he isn't. The prayer is honest. The fear is legitimate. And the God who doesn't forsake has heard every word.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Cast me not off in the time of old age,.... The Lord never casts off nor casts away his people, whom he foreknew; they…
Cast me not off in the time of old age - When old age comes with its infirmities; its weaknesses; its trials. When my…
Two things in general David here prays for - that he might not be confounded and that his enemies and persecutors might…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture