Older In Years... Stronger In Faith...
Scripture Reference: – Psalm 71:8-9 – Isaiah 46:4
“Do not cast me away at the time of my old age;
Do not abandon me when my strength fails”
“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."
(Editor note: I clearly remember that day, me in prison, hearing these words - "Look what you've done - YOU'RE THROUGH! Your life is over. You got no future. You're beyond hope." Somehow, I had enough sense to open God's Word. Ezekiel chapter 18. In that still moment, me and God, He began speaking directly to me, offering me the OPPORTUNITY to turn from the "old" and begin chasing after the "new." (After all, that's His forte - making all things new! Rev 21:5). Under His training (Matt 11:28-29), He has raised me up, and now I DELIGHT in telling my story of His awesome saving power! (Zeph 3:17). And Jesus has granted me significance, as I serve on HIS team, carrying out His rescue mission to hurting souls (Luke 4:18). Awesome God! I'm fully ALIVE... I'M SERVING. My life had a dysmal start with (seemingly) no hope. Now, I'm BRIMMING with hope. I can tell the world that Resurrection is what Jesus does! He raises dead men to life! THAT is MY life story! (Jesus... I owe You my life!... I'm Yours!) (Thanks Gregg for serving with Jesus, ministering God's healing Word to my soul when I was in prison). (Psalm 107:20) (Reader: my Ezekiel 18 encounter with God is detailed here amongst the devotionals under the title - HEART TRANSPLANT! Link: Heart Transplant! (Meet this AWESOME Transplant Surgeon)). Jeff Wheldon
Today is July 24th, 2024. Cynthia and I arrived last night at Bass Lake, CA, – after dropping off our son Marshall, just 10 minutes away at an amazing camp for mentally handicapped people, – just outside of Yosemite National Park. It’s a nine day camp, which is the length of our stay here in Bass Lake with our other children who flew out from Texas. This is the longest we will have ever been apart from Marshall. An hour ago, we got a call from his nurse that his first day was a home run and he’s doing great. This means so much to me and Cynthia, that he has a great time.
This afternoon I was thinking about the number of friends I have, both in and out of prison who are facing the challenges of old age; some struggling with early stages of dementia, and others that need continued grace to remain in a state of contentment in Christ, even in the midst of sorrowful circumstances. I felt led to put up today’s devotional, one that I posted on Facebook sometime last year. Blessings to you all!
Every Believer Should Strive To End Well
Jesus gave every one of His children something to look forward to. He told us what He would like to say to each of us when we arrive safely home to dwell with Him forever: – “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Christ’s words are what any of us would call, “ending well.” I start each new day by thanking God for one more day where I can stay in the race; one that I earnestly desire to end well. While I’m well aware of my age and physical condition, I strive to look past the adversity in my life and focus on what I can do today for the kingdom of God. The days, weeks, months and years ahead have enough trouble of their own, so I choose not to look past the day at hand; focusing on today, – one more day that the Lord has made.
As we open to the 71st Psalm, we are opening to the words of someone who ended well. God prompts us to pause and look back over our lives. We've aged; many of us have lived through so much pain and suffering, and are now facing the weaknesses of old age, its challenges, blessings and curses.
But the key to “finishing life”, or “ending well,” is the long term cultivation of godly habits. Life is a constant stream of choices. Each choice we make has a consequence. The consequences of godly habits are good, the consequences of ungodly habits are bad. I think it’s safe to say that often, we develop good and bad habits from our friends, those we have brought into our inner circle.
That can be very good, or in the case of so many of my friends who daily face the reality of prison life, the wrong friends can be devastating. Solomon knew this truth and tried to pass it along to his son, Rehoboam. “He who walks with wise men shall become wise, but a companion of fools will be destroyed.” That’s street talk for –“you become like those you hang around” (Proverbs 13:20). Personally, I believe Solomon’s son should have paid closer attention to his father.
David knew this, and most commentators believe he was the author of Psalm 71. This Psalm is probably listening to the voice of God pointing out David’s convictions for life.
There is something which everybody wants and yet almost everyone fears: growing old. Old age has many frightening aspects: an aging body which is more susceptible to illness; declining strength; feelings of uselessness (especially after retirement); the loss of friends and loved ones through death; the reality of one’s own death drawing nearer; loneliness; feelings of alienation from one’s children and grandchildren, who are busy with other interests and pursuits; and, very often, financial concerns due to dwindling income.
Sadly, our American culture does not place the elderly in high esteem. We are a self-centered, utilitarian society. The younger generation often views the elderly as a financial burden and, if they require our care, as an interference in the pursuit of pleasure and success. This was most outrageously stated a few years ago by the then Colorado governor, Richard Lamm.
In a discussion of spiraling health care costs, he said that terminally ill elderly people have “a duty to die and get out of the way.” Can you believe such a statement? Most would be more polite, but the underlying attitudes are there. Dr. Kevorkian is helping Governor Lamm’s wish come true, by assisting the terminally ill in suicide.
It is interesting, by the way, that in China old age is still viewed as the most respected stage of life. In Shanghai, one of the five largest cities in the world, in the late 1970’s there was only one home for the aged. Most of the elderly there are cared for by their families.
But as you and I face the prospects of growing old in America, we need to ask ourselves, “What should I be doing now, however old I am, to prepare for old age?” The fact is, you will be then what you are becoming now. If you are not becoming a person of faith now, you will not be a person of faith then. If you are a negative, grumpy person now, you will not be a positive, cheerful person then. If you aren’t developing a walk with God now, you won’t have one then.
Psalm 71 is the psalm of an old man. He is an old man with many trials and problems, but he is obviously a joyful man who is able to put his focus on the Lord in the midst of these trials. The psalm shows us, to put it simply, that...
God’s way to grow old is to develop a walk with Him now.
The reason that the psalmist could handle his problems so well as an old man was that he had developed a walk with God in the years leading up to this time. He had a proven resource in the Lord which enabled him to be strong inside, even though his body was growing weaker and his enemies were powerful.
We don’t know for sure who wrote Psalm 71. As I said earlier, many scholars think it was the prophet Jeremiah. And I agree with those who think that David wrote this psalm at the time of Absalom’s rebellion, perhaps as he was quartered across the Jordan, awaiting the outcome of the battle. The psalm pieces together a number of elements from other Davidic psalms (22, 31, 35, 40, 109). The reference to praising God on the harp and lyre (71:22) sounds like David, and the reference to having his greatness increased (71:21) could refer to David’s being restored to the throne.
The circumstances in which the psalmist finds himself fit David at the time of Absalom’s rebellion: “shame” (71:1); oppressed by evil men (71:4); enemies speaking against him and seeking to kill him (71:10, 11, 13, 24); a life of many troubles (71:7a, 20); he had trusted God from his youth (71:5, 17); now he was old and gray (71:9, 18). (David was in his early 60’s; he died at 70.)
At any rate, there were several aspects of his walk with God which the author had DEVELOPED over the years which stood him in good stead at this time of trial in his old age. We need to develop these in our own lives, starting from youth:
1. We Need To Develop A Deep Knowledge Of God
The psalm is permeated with a deep personal understanding and practical knowledge of the Lord God. He had been taught of God even from his youth (71:17). The man knew God as his refuge (71:1; “strong refuge,” 71:7) and his righteous Savior (71:2). John Calvin argues that “God’s righteousness, frequently mentioned here (71:2, 15, 16, 19, 24), refers to His faithfulness to His own people in keeping His promises.” He calls God his rock of habitation, his rock and fortress (71:3); his hope and confidence (71:5). He talks of God’s mighty deeds (71:16), His strength and power (71:18), and the great things He has done (71:19). He realized that it was God who brought him into trouble and God who delivered and restored him (71:20). God was his source of comfort in this trial (71:21). God had redeemed his soul (71:23). As he exclaims, “O God, who is like You?” (71:19). He could testify that his mouth was filled with God’s praise and glory and righteousness all day long (71:8, 22, 23, 24).
This man KNEW his God! It is obvious that he had known Him for years and had proved God’s faithfulness in a number of previous difficult situations. So in this instance when he needs to trust in God, it is not a matter of, “God, if You exist, whoever You are, if You’re out there I need your help!” He didn’t need to take a blind leap of faith because he knew his God in a personal, practical, proven way.
May I ask: Do you know God like that? Are you growing in the process of developing such knowledge through His Word and through applying His Word to your experience? One of the most important things that each one of us can do to prepare for whatever crises we may have to face in the future is to be spending time now in God’s Word, getting to know God. As you read His Word ask yourself, “What does this passage teach me about my God?” And then seek to apply it to your daily problems. If we are living the kind of life God desires for us, when steep trials show up, our afflictions will turn us even more to God’s word for sure hope, faith and endurance. (Psalm 119:65; 71; 92).
2. We Need To Develop the GODLY HABITS Of Trust, Praise, And Hope.
A habit is developed by frequent repetition over a period of time. Once it’s in place, a habit becomes almost involuntary. Our attitudes, how we respond mentally and emotionally to life’s problems, tend to become habitual responses. Some people become habitual worriers; some become habitual complainers; some become habitually negative, pessimistic, and angry. Others become habitually cheerful and positive. The habits we develop in our younger years tend to take us further in that direction as we grow older.
Developing godly habits are a rich blessing for every believer. This is especially true for so many of my incarcerated friends who face the daily routine of prison life. When I start working with a new believer in prison or someone who is early on in his/her sentence, I stress the importance of developing daily habits that are pleasing to the Lord. A solid prayer life, time spent daily studying God’s Word along with time spent spreading the seed of the gospel are several areas of critical importance.
A little Hebrew word repeated in verses 3, 6, and 14, translated “continually” (NASB; “always,” “ever,” NIV) tips us off to the habits the psalmist had developed. They are not habits we pick up naturally. They must be deliberately cultivated (“But as for me,” 71:14, – points to firm resolve). In fact, they stem from his knowledge of God. They are the habits of trust (71:3); praise (71:6); and hope (71:14).
A. The Habit Of TRUST (Psalm 71:3)
The whole psalm is an affirmation of the psalmist’s trust in the Lord. Spurgeon calls it “the utterance of struggling, but unstaggering, faith” (Treasury of David, [Baker], 3:294). He was struggling because he was in difficult circumstances, with many seeking his life; but he was unstaggering in his faith because he knew whom he believed.
Such faith stems from a knowledge of God. True knowledge dispels doubt and fear. We fear and mistrust that which we do not know, whereas we are more inclined to trust that which we know well, assuming it is trustworthy.
I had a friend who was in the Coast Guard many years ago. He talked about one night where they had to go out on a search and rescue mission in a fierce gale. The waves were twenty to thirty feet high. They were taking green water over the bridge of their 81-foot boat. He said he was afraid that the boat would capsize and they would all drown. But the skipper, while not relaxed, at least wasn’t afraid. He had taken this boat through other such storms and he knew what it could handle. His knowledge dispelled his fear.
Because the psalmist knew God, he had learned to trust God through some other tough times (71:20), and he knew therefore that God would see him through this time.
Are you developing a habit of trusting God in the difficult times of your life? As you age, do you find your faith growing as well? Or are you frequently filled with worry and doubt and fear? If you have trouble trusting, concentrate on getting to know God. Also, review what God has already done for you.
There is a tremendous emphasis in the psalm on what God has done (71:5, 6, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24). That strengthens faith! Has God ever preserved your life? Has He saved you from your sins? Has He sustained you this far? Then you can trust Him for your present problems and for any which arise in the future.
B. The Habit Of PRAISE (Psalm 71:6)
Praise is not a natural habit, at least not for me. I have to work at it. I am a grumbler and complainer by nature. But God wants us to be people of praise. Even when difficult times come,
God wants us to learn to praise Him. The psalmist had deliberately developed that habit. (See also, 71:8, 14, 22-24).
How can we learn to praise God when trials come? The answer is, “Learn to trust Him.” Because just as trust stems from knowing God, so praise stems from trusting God.
This is true on the human plane as well as on the divine. You can’t praise a person you don’t trust. If you feel that there is something about a person that you can’t trust, you won’t sing his praises to others. It’s the same way with God. If deep-down inside you doubt God’s goodness or faithfulness for allowing some trial to come your way, then you don’t trust Him. And not trusting Him, you cannot honestly praise Him.
If you are a complainer and have trouble developing a habit of praise, I would suggest the same two steps I mentioned under trust: First, concentrate on getting to know God and His ways. This psalm emphasizes God’s righteousness (71:2, 15, 16, 19, 24) because the psalmist was fearing unjust treatment at the hands of unrighteous men, and he wanted to affirm the righteousness of the God he trusted. He is good and faithful, even when He brings troubles and distresses (71:20) into our lives.
Second, review what God has already done for you. “Count your many blessings, name them one by one.” We tend to forget His many benefits on our behalf (all undeserved), and thus we fail in praise.
C. The Habit Of HOPE (Psalm 71:14)
The psalmist had not only developed habits of trust and praise, but also of hope. We need to understand that there is a big difference between secular hope and biblical hope. Both forms of hope contain the idea of future expectations. But secular hope is uncertain because its object is uncertain, whereas biblical hope is sure because God is its object (71:5).
When I say, “I hope that my investment will earn 10 percent,” there is uncertainty because the object of my hope (the stock market) is unstable. But when I say, “I hope that Jesus Christ will return bodily,” I’m expressing something certain, but not yet realized. Thus biblical hope is built upon trust in God and His faithfulness.
Believers should be people who have a habit of hope built on the promises of God. The great missionary pioneer, Adoniram Judson, was suffering from fever in a wretched prison in Burma. A friend sent him a letter, asking, “Judson, how’s the outlook?” Judson replied, “The outlook is as bright as the promises of God.” Unfortunately, many Christians have picked up the negative, hopeless spirit of the world because they focus on the problems instead of God and His promises. If you’re developing that habit, it will make you bitter, not better, as you grow older. God’s people should be people who hope in God.
Thus the psalmist was in good stead in his old age because he had developed a deep knowledge of God and he had developed the godly habits of trust, praise, and hope. Are you following in the footsteps of the Psalmist?
3. We Need to Develop a Lifestyle of Ministry for God.
Although the psalmist was old (71:9, 18) and could have kicked back and said, “I deserve some rest,” he did not. He still had a concern for ministry, for testifying to others of God’s faithfulness and power (71:8, 15-18, 24). As long as he had breath, he wanted to keep telling people about God’s greatness and glory.
A worldly attitude has infiltrated the church. It goes like this: “I work all week, so my weekends are MY free time to spend as I please.” If we give God a couple of hours by going to church on Sunday, we feel like we’ve paid our dues. We don’t want to be tied down with any kind of Christian service that would hinder us from taking off for the weekend when we feel like it.
I’m going to make a radical statement that might step on some toes. But check it out in the Bible to see if I’m right: If you’re not involved in some kind of Christian service, you’re too self-centered. I know that there are times in life when we’re busier with family and job than at other times. But if all you’re doing is coming to church to take in, if your focus is, “What can I get out of the church?” rather than “How can I serve the Lord through His church?” you’re out of balance. There should be no such thing as a non-serving member of the body.
I won’t take the time here to list them all, but I have a good group of friends, many who served in the ministry with Cynthia and me back starting in the early 70’s. I’m overjoyed how many of them, (all in their 70’s) are faithfully serving the Lord in different amazing ministries. Each of them could easily be sitting back, enjoying their retirement years. Instead, God has given them a desire to use their talents and gifts to serve the Lord in amazing ways.
This is just another example of believers “finishing strong.” In Perfect Peace Ministries” only has three full time staff. Myself, Jeffrey, our West Coast Director, and Joe, Sr., our east coast director. Jeff and I will soon be 70 and Joe is already several years into his 70’s, and praise God that they are both being used mightily by the Lord.
With regard to old age, I think we need to challenge the American idea of retirement. We tend to go with the cultural view that retirement is a time in life when we can do what we want to do. But as Christians, we never earn the right to do what we want to do with our time! We never have the right to live selfishly. All of life must be lived under the lordship of Christ. And where in the Bible do we find the magic number 65?
If you’re freed up from your job at 65 and you’re healthy, why not view it as an opportunity to serve the Lord full time? I promise you there is something you could do for the glory of God. I’d like to see more retired people going back to Bible college for some training and then heading out to serve on the mission field. If you live to be 80, you could have more than a decade of self-supported ministry!
God has a place for all of us, regardless of our age. There are countless ways to serve the body of Christ and be used by the Lord. My mother is a good example; she will be 91 this summer and earlier in the year she made the decision it was time to move to an assisted living facility, which she greatly enjoys. She can no longer get out and about and do different kinds of ministry activities, but what she can and does do, is remain a faithful prayer warrior. She has had that commitment all of her life. I’ve learned to never underestimate the power of prayer in the life of a believer. That last line is actually the title of one of the best books on prayer ever written, by Charles Spurgeon.
I have many days where my condition (editor note: Central Pain Syndrome) has me in a state where I don’t seem to be able to accomplish much. I’m reminded that I can always use those times to spend more time before the throne of grace, praying for family, friends, and the countless number of prisoners that I’ve promised to remember in prayer. Remember, God only wants your availability; give Him that, and He will use you.
The point is, the psalmist didn’t want to be delivered from his problems so that he could play golf and go fishing every day. He wanted to be delivered so that he could proclaim God’s power to the next generation (71:18). He had a vision to hand off the baton to the younger generation, just as we saw the Apostle Paul do with his younger brother Timothy.
We need to see longer life as an opportunity for extended ministry. The Psalmist’s ministry was built on his knowledge of God and his habits of trust, praise, and hope, so he had something worth handing off! How about you? Are you developing a lifestyle of ministry now, built on your personal walk with God? One that makes old age meaningful.
Bishop John Reed of Sydney, Australia, was preaching in Christ Church Cathedral one Sunday when a 75-year-old woman named Ethel Hatfield got saved. Mrs. Hatfield had attended that Anglican church for decades, but the message had never gotten through to her until that day. The following day she came to see Bishop Reed and said, “I could hardly sleep last night. I was so excited about what happened. I want to do something to serve God with the few years I have left. I was wondering if I could teach Sunday School.” Bishop Reed looked at this 75-year-old, white-haired lady and just couldn’t picture her controlling the rambunctious third or fourth grade kids. So he said, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have an opening in our Sunday School.” Her face fell. Bishop Reed said, “You mean business, don’t you? I don’t know what kind of service God may have for you, but let’s pray.” So they prayed for God to reveal His will for her.
The next day Mrs. Hatfield was out in her yard tending her roses when a Chinese student from Taiwan walked by. He stopped and complimented her on her roses and they began to talk. She thought, “He seems like a decent chap; I’ll invite him in for a spot of tea.” So she did and she told him her testimony. He found it an interesting story, so when he had to leave he asked if he could come back and talk further. She said, “Yes, and please bring a friend.”
He came back and brought a friend and she again shared how she had come to put her faith in Jesus Christ after all these years and how Christ had forgiven her sin and given her eternal life. These students came back and brought more friends, who brought even more. Within two weeks, Mrs. Hatfield was leading a weekly Bible study with 70 Chinese students in attendance! She led many of them to personal faith in Jesus Christ. That which seemed a hindrance to Mrs. Hatfield’s serving the Lord--her age--God turned into the key to reaching a group of people who respect old age!
The September, 1993, “Global Prayer Digest” tells the story of Jonah, a 73-year-old Chinese evangelist, who, since 1976, has traveled around the People’s Republic spreading the good news about Jesus Christ. “His days are full, and his energy unflagging. In one weekend Jonah may bicycle nine hours, spend 40 hours on a hard railway seat and eight hours on a bumpy bus just to bring the message of Jesus Christ to people in remote villages, or to urban churches with 5,000 members, or to young soldiers .... The schedule is grueling, but 73-year-old Jonah says, ‘Rest is for the next world.’” What would America look like if every aging believer had that attitude?
I recently met with an aging brother in Christ at one of our prison hospitals. He’ll soon be 70 and has been in prison for 45 years. During our last visit, Martin expressed a strong desire to work with our ministry in ministering to prisoners after his release. It’s always a joy to see men/women who want to give back by remembering their brethren who are still behind bars.
God’s way for us to grow old is for us to develop a walk with Him now - a walk that involves a deep personal, experiential knowledge of God, a walk that includes the habits of trust, praise, and hope, and a walk that involves a lifestyle of ministry for God. Then, as long as we have life and breath, we can show and tell and sing of the greatness of our God to the next generation.
Final Thought: Finish WELL, Child Of God!
The promise: Isaiah 46:3-4, “[You] have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”
Don’t be afraid, Christian. Persevere! You will make it home. Sooner than you think.
Live dangerously for the one who loved you and died for you at age 33!
Don’t throw your life away on the American dream of retirement. You are as secure as Christ is righteous and God is just. Don’t settle for anything less than the joyful sorrows of magnifying Christ in the sacrifices of love. And then in the Last Day, you will stand and hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”
Questions To Ponder:
The psalmist had served God all his life and now, in old age, was beset with problems. Didn’t he deserve better treatment? Why wasn’t he bitter?
In what ways have we Americans developed a worldly view of retirement?
Agree or disagree: "A non-ministering Christian is too self-centered."
How can we develop genuine praise when facing overwhelming problems?
Is praise a feeling or an act of obedience?
From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith / Life Journal: by Gregg Harris
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