June 14, 2022

Psalm 71: 18 (NIV)

Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your might to all who are to come.

God never gives us back our youth.*

I have a friend who was always the one that people called when they needed something – a meal, a ride, a hospital visit – but she is a widow, in her 90s, and others are taking care of her now. She has confided that she misses the sense of purpose she once had. 

Does the psalmist fear that God will forsake him just because he has grown too old to be useful? I suspect his concern involves his awareness that there is so much to do and so little time. Some senior Christians may need to be reminded that their works don’t save them, but most have spent their lives in service because they are saved, not as their hope of obtaining salvation. It is their spiritual act of worship - and now they are faced with learning a new way to worship. 

What words of comfort can we offer to aging saints whose days of productive service are dwindling away? We might remind them that they, as older people, have had “a peculiar privilege: the chance to see God’s faithfulness over a lifetime.”* Their lifetime of faithfulness can be a testimony to God’s faithfulness, a legacy to pass on to the next generation. A senior saint should also recall how blessed she was by being a blessing to others. Now she becomes the vehicle of blessing by allowing others to serve her. This is truly the circle of life! 

A final reminder for every stage of life: God loves us because we are his, not for what we do and not for how we feel. Busyness – even in Kingdom work – distracts us from developing our relationship with the Lord. Feelings - of guilt, inadequacy, purposelessness, self-pity, unworthiness - hinder our spiritual growth. As we age and weaken physically, we should rejoice that, spiritually, we are now in the growing season.

Bringing enjoyment to God . . . is the first purpose of your life. When you fully understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant. . . . If you are that important to God, and he considers you valuable enough to keep you with him for eternity, what greater significance could you have?*