Old Age

If I live to see my next birthday, I will have reached fourscore years on this earth. A tad more than the age recorded by Moses: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10, KJV). I was thinking about how Sarah got her wish for a baby, though she was 90. God called Moses at the age of 80 to confront Pharaoh. And Abram was led at 75 to leave his homeland and become the father of a new nation.

The oldest living man was Methuselah at 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Older or infirm people are not always judged fairly, being seen as slow, out of step, or out of date. But, while the length of their days may not be a goal, everybody wants to feel that their life’s purpose is fulfilled. A friend of ours was struggling with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), which has rendered her hands and feet useless. She confided that a colleague encouraged her with the suggestion, “Even in a wheelchair, you can still counsel people. Make videos and a vlog!” Hope came flooding back. Like David, I do not want to be cast aside in my old age (see Psalm 71:9). God has given me a mind and His Holy Spirit. God can still use us.

I recently read two promises that have rebooted me.

In the first, Isaiah shares God’s pledge with us: “I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you” (Isaiah 46:4, NLT). The second promise is found in Psalm 92:12–14.

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Psalm 92:14 reads, “The last days of the saints are sometimes their best days, and their last work is their best work. . . . Perseverance is the surest evidence of sincerity.”* My prayer each day is, “Use me, Lord.”

Elinor Harvin Burks

* Matthew Henry, “Psalm 92, Verses 7–15,” in Matthew Henry’s Commentary, accessed December 5, 2023, https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/matthew-henry/Ps.92.7-Ps.92.15.