The Golden Years

"Now that I am old and gray,

do not abandon me, O God.

Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,

your mighty miracles to all who come after me."

Psalm 71:18 NLT

It was always the goal, the target for which he aimed.  He worked hard, socking money away through the years with this objective in mind.  He could see the finish line in his mind's eye and he fantasized about his final day of work, after which he would be free; liberated from the daily grind and able to do whatever he wanted.  He'd finally get to work on his bucket list instead of accomplishing the goals of his job.  Instead of rising early to try to get ahead, he'd start sleeping in and enjoying the fruits of his labor.  He could not wait for retirement.

While this is the scenario played out and held up as the ideal by this world, is it what God intends for His people?  Is this God's intention or man's?  To find out, let's take a look at the cry of a heart inclined toward God.

With Me.  David knew he was nothing without God.  If the Lord abandoned him, there would be no hope for carrying on.  After living a life in His presence, David knew he could no longer bear his life alone; he was fully dependent upon his Father and counted on the fact that He would always be there.

Do I know this as well?  Or do I get caught up in self-reliance, depending upon the feedback of others to make me feel good about myself, and looking to the world to find my identity?  Once I realize and acknowledge that God is my source of strength, obedience to Him is what brings peace as I fall in line with His purpose for my life, and that my worth is in who I am to Him, I will feel the same way as David did.  Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing (John 15:5).

It is God's desire that I depend upon Him wholly.

Legacy.  I don't like to think about death.  It's uncomfortable to consider it.  I enjoy thinking about joining my Jesus in heaven, but it's hard to wonder what it will be like after I leave.  Will anyone remember me?  When they think of me, what will come to mind?  What kind of memories will my family carry with them?  My legacy is important.

It seems that David wanted to be remembered for proclaiming the mighty acts of his beloved God.  He wanted nothing more for the end of his life than to tell another generation about His greatness, to brag on the Lord and to introduce this group coming up to the intimacy he enjoyed with his Father.  Instead of wanting to be given more years to live for himself, he couldn't wait for the next batch of children to come up so that he could tell them of God and His ways.

Each day is a gift and could be seen as another opportunity to spread the Good News about our King.

More.  No matter how many people David told about his God, there were always some that had never heard the stories.  When relating any truth to people over and over again, I sometimes get the idea that everyone must know.  It's like I've heard it so much myself, and repeated the same truths so many times until it's quite familiar to me, so I think it must be the same for everyone.  But there is always someone who has never heard about Jesus.

I can take a cue from David and keep the stories of Jesus fresh, remembering that there are always more who have never heard.  If the Gospel is a whole new concept to entire groups of people, then I must keep in mind the treasure I have the privilege of revealing to them.  Instead of seeing the act of sharing Jesus as an obligation, I can take it as an honor to be the first one to introduce Jesus to another whose never heard of Him.  And the longer I live, the more opportunities I'll have.

There is always more to tell, uncharted territory to cover when it comes to sharing Jesus.

The golden years can be a time to kick back and relax, enjoying the fruit of my labor, or I can take a different tack.  I could realize my desperate need for Jesus, desiring to leave a legacy that points people to Him for generations to come, and realizing there is no time to stop sharing the familiar stories of Christ because there is always someone who hasn't heard.  In these ways, retirement can be more than just rest from work, it can be a time of even more fruitful labor.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God to transform the way I think so that I can desire nothing more than You, seeing You as my greatest treasure.

How do I run after things that will not last?

Am I investing in God's kingdom in any way?  

Faith is Forward Focus

"Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.

You have done such wonderful things.

Who can compare with you, O God?

You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,

but you will restore me to life again

and lift me up from the depths of the earth."

Psalm 71:19-20 NLT

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."  Corrie Ten Boom should know about fear.  She and her family hid fugitives from the Gestapo in the Nazi's effort to exterminate the Jews along with any sympathizers during World War Two.  This Dutch resistance that the ten Boom family joined is believed to have saved the lives of 800 Jews.

But this success came at a price.  Her entire family was arrested and her father and sister lost their lives in the brutal conditions found in captivity.  Corrie then spent the rest of her life spreading the hope-filled message of the Gospel to countless many around the world, especially demonstrating God's love by forgiving the very guard who had been responsible for her dear sister's death.

In the midst of such a difficult life, it would be easy to give up, giving in to the cruelty and becoming hard and callous as a way to survive.  But Corrie knew her God intimately, and she relied on this relationship that had been honed over years of growing up under the loving instruction of her father who loved the Lord.  With such a strong foundation, Corrie was able to weather the storm.  

Faith got her through because it focuses on what is known about the future, directing her attention to what can be expected:  Wherever she was headed, she knew her faithful God was already there.  I can take on this same mindset of forward-focused faith.

Incomparable.  There is no one like my God.  He is beyond compare.  I look for something with which I can liken Him to, but nothing in all of creation is as great as its Creator.  Since He is so great and awesome, higher in so many ways than what He has made, I can expect the unexpected from Him.  I can't guess the way He will answer a prayer, solve a problem, or provide for a need.  He has resources of which I know nothing.

There is none like Him, and this unique God with unsurpassed powers will operate in a way that is peculiar to me.  All I must do is watch for what He will do, keeping an eye out for His work in my situation as I wait for Him to do what He does best.  In short, I must let God be His unparalleled self.

Faith watches with bated breath for what is expected from such a God as this.

Troubles.  In the midst of the struggle, it seems there is no end, like the suffering will last forever.  When pain hits, time seems to stand still and everything else fades to the background, overpowered by such agony.  In the face of loss, the misery hangs on like a unwanted leech, seeming to color every part of my life.  Will this ever end?

Faith knows that the hard stuff is temporary and directs my attention to the hope that is in Christ.  In the same way that He rose from the grave, I will be revived from the darkness that is as profound as the tomb where Jesus lay for three days.  God will revive me, restoring life and giving a sense of newness to my heart.

Faith believes the troubles are temporary, that restoration is coming.

Depths.  It seems to be my lot in life, this cycle of despair and depression.  When the pit yawns open beneath me, it's easy to feel like this is my destiny, this darkness that tends to envelope my heart.  Faith, however, paints me a different picture that draws my attention away from what threatens.  

No matter how low I sink, God is there (Psalm 139:8).  There are no boundaries to His love for me (Romans 8:38-39). It doesn't matter how bad I feel, His presence is always there to comfort and minister to my hurting heart.  Even when I can't sense Him, He is there.  Despite my best efforts to lose Him, He is there.  Although it seems I can't help but to fall deep into a slump, He is there.  And because of His powerful presence in my life, I can expect that He will bring me up out of whatever depths I have sunk.

Faith knows that God will rescue me from the pit; it is not my destiny.

God does allow me to go through hard stuff, sometimes even leading me into difficulty.  Even so, the faith I have in Him reminds me that He operates in peculiar ways that is for my good and His glory, that troubles are necessary but also temporary, and that any depth to which I sink is not deeper than His love for me (Ephesians 3:18).  This is what gives me hope.  This is why my faith gives me a forward focus; because God is already there before me.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep in mind all that God is capable of doing.

When do I despair, thinking I'm stuck in my current situation with no way out?

How could remembering the hope I have in Christ give me the strength to believe God has something good for me in the midst of this mess?