Today I am linking up with TimeWarpWife.com for a Titus 2sday post.
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How old are you? Yes, I’m being nosy.
For all you young things under 45, this post may cause you to yawn. It would have me when I was in my 20s or 30s and even my early 40s.
For those of us over 45, I hope this will offer you encouragement. I know I talked in this post yesterday about this exact verse, but the response was so positive that I felt it worth a second look. Flitter, if your memory is as bad as mine, you might not even remember that this was a verse from yesterday’s post!!!
When Words Won’t Come, the Word of God always has a Word for us. Today I want us to think about the fact that God may very well be partial to older folks. Not that He doesn’t like young people, mind you. He does. But think about how often in the Bible, God used someone of advanced age to accomplish something BIG.
- Noah was over 500 years old when he built the ark
- Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born
- Joseph was middle aged when he saved his family from the famine
- Moses was 80ish when he led the Israelites out of Egypt
- Joshua was almost 90 when he became the leader of the Israelites and led them to the Promised Land
- David was in his final years when he amassed the materials for Solomon to use in building the magnificent temple of God
- Paul had graduated from seminary and moved up in the ranks of the Pharisees before He came to know Jesus. He was no spring chicken.
It seems pretty clear to me that God has a special affinity for those who have some gray in their hair. Someone once said it is a shame youth is wasted on the young. It seems that most of us don’t acquire any measure of wisdom until we have walked more than a few miles on this dusty earth and made a whole passel of mistakes from which we hopefully learn.
In our American society, the aged are often the throw-aways. They are placed in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and forgotten far too often. (Now, before you write and tell me about how necessary these facilities are, let me assure you I know their worth and value. Three of my four grandparents lived in nursing homes in their latter years and were treated wonderfully. They were happy because they were around people their own age that they had known for years. I am not suggesting these facilities are bad.)
What I want us to consider is the value of the aged to God. They have lived some years and gained some wisdom which they can impart to you and me if we will shut up long enough to listen. God esteems older folks and wants them to know that He values them.
Don’t believe me? Check this out:
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you,” (Isaiah 46: 4) (NIV)
My own grandparents were proof positive of this, as have been my parents, my in-laws and a precious older couple who I adore, the Blairs. God has walked with each of them and taken care of them all through life. And let me tell you, life has not always been easy for any of them, but God has sustained, provided, protected and cared for them. He will do the same for you and me as we age. This is a truth I am trying like crazy to hold onto as I am on the downhill slide toward the big five-o. I encourage you to do the same.
MEDITATION MOMENT: Ok, let’s brag on God. If you are over 50, I want to hear from you about a time or times when God sustained you or carried you. This is a time when you can be such an encouragement to those of us who are coming along behind you. You can do it anonymously if you like. Either leave a comment below or email me ( [email protected] ) and I’ll post your email. It will be such a blessing to so many.
