I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
Psalm 71.7,8 ESV
Before we can derive any benefit from this part of the psalm we need to be sure to understand one particular word in this translation: 'portent'. What does that mean? One dictionary has 'an indication or omen of something about to happen, especially something momentous'. Okay, but is that good or bad? How shall we take it in our Psalm? The Hebrew word can go either way. The translations render it differently.
So, the old King James renders it neutrally, not saying if it is good or bad,
I am as a wonder unto many...
as does this other, more recent translation,
I have become a marvel to many...
But then another has it like this:
I have become an ominous sign to many...
And a fourth goes a little further in being clear that the psalmist is a sign of bad things.
Many are appalled when they see me …
That's how I'm going to take it. The psalmist's life has been so hard (remember that he has been in trouble, crying out for refuge and rescue) that people look at him and 'are appalled'. Life has not been pleasant for our friend - not by a long shot - and everyone can see that. But - and this is key - what is his response to all of the troubles that he has faced?
… but you are my strong refuge.
Instead of complaining and bemoaning his fate, instead of being completely down and out, and giving up, the psalmist looks to his God and puts his hope in Him. Even after all the troubles, he still trusts his God. How can he do that? Is this some super-saint? Not at all. The psalmist knows that nothing else makes sense. Is there a God in heaven who powerfully rules over all of this? Yes. Is that God bound by covenant to our friend? Yes. Has He proven faithful to His promises in the past? Yes. In fact, He has always proven faithful to His promises. That's what verse 8 is about where our friend is praising his God for His past faithfulness. The psalmist concludes that his God has not only been a strong refuge but will continue to be that for him. He trusts Him.
When confronted with the troubles of this world the only thing that makes sense is to wait for Jesus to come through, to trust Him to be a strong refuge who will protect us from the evils that attack. Trusting Jesus is the only reasonable thing to do in what would otherwise be a very unreasonable world.