Purpose in Old Age; A Purpose for Old Age
Today’s reading: Psalm 69:1-72:20
My selection: Psalm 71:17-18
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
My reflections: Elderly folks are sometimes heard to express a sense of uselessness in this world. Their physical abilities are often increasingly limited. Their interests in various activities may be lessened. Life can seem to be a mere matter of survival. What is there to live for?
Here the psalmist rejoices in God’s faithfulness to him over the years of his life. He sets as his goal to proclaim the wondrous deeds of the Lord to another generation. Only the elderly can have the perspective that comes with having lived for many decades. One may read history of a bygone era but there is a special view of history that comes through the eyewitness accounts of our elderly relatives and friends.
My challenge: If you are elderly, are you taking opportunities to pass on to another generation the wondrous deeds and might of God that you have experienced? If you are a younger person, are you making an effort to glean from the wisdom and personal experience of a lifetime of faith that is stored in the minds of the senior saints in your life?
Take advantage of the opportunity to grow in the Lord by interacting with someone at least 20 years older or younger than you. If you are my age, you will find it increasingly difficult to even find people 20 years your senior.
Tomorrow’s reading: Psalm 73:1-77:20