I believe David got it right. We see here in Psalm 71 David is at the end of his life. Psalm 71 is actually the prayer of an old man who has walked with God his entire life:

David was a king who had everything; money, power. He was the commander of the army, yet it’s so comforting to know that from the beginning to the end of his life his hope never wavered in the “Sovereign Lord”.

Did you catch the name David calls God in these verses? In order to strengthen our hope, I went on a search to define this Name for God. I want to share what I found in an article written be Chip Ingram on the Biblical definition of sovereign:

There is absolutely nothing that happens in the universe that is outside of God’s influence and authority. As King of kings and Lord of lords, God has no limitations. Consider just a few of the claims the Bible makes about God:

·  God is above all things and before all things. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6).

·  God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).

·  God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens (Romans 11:33).

·  God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He orchestrates and determines everything that is going to happen in your life, in my life, in America, and throughout the world. Whatever He wants to do in the universe, He does, for nothing is impossible with Him (Jeremiah 32:17).

·  God is in control of all things and rules over all things. He has power and authority over nature, earthly kings, history, angels, and demons. Even Satan himself has to ask God’s permission before he can act (Psalm 103:19).

·  That’s what being sovereign means. It means being the ultimate source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. Only God can make those claims; therefore, it’s God’s sovereignty that makes Him superior to all other gods and makes Him, and Him alone, worthy of worship.

Just as peasants always bowed before their king for fear of offending the one who had the authority to take their life, God’s sovereignty compels us to bow before Him. But unlike corrupt earthly kings who abuse their authority to terrorize their subjects, God rules in love. He loves you and wants the best for you.

And our hope can rest in Him. 

I think of Caleb and Joshua, coming back with the other 10 spies, who never waived in their hope that God would help them conquer the land He’d given them. And Hannah, who got up and ate after praying, for her hope that she would bear a children was in her Sovereign LORD, and even David as a boy up against Goliath.

I believe all of us have mountains, or giants before us, and an enemy who is constantly trying to keep us feeling defeated, but there is more than just your faith at stake here, which is why I LOVE this Psalm! Notice verses 14-18,

Blessings!

sue