11/30/2024
When we read Psalm 37 as a young person we might see images of life through our parent’s eyes, but it is quite different once we get older and experience age, and aging, ourselves. This is a Psalm written by David when he was an old man, and maybe because of that I listen to it all the more attentively these days... having become older myself, and wiser through the years. For the elderly I say have faith, and for the young I say honor your elders.
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.”
Psalms 37:25-26 KJV
At this point in his life, David speaks as one who has a long personal history in serving God. He has not been perfect in his ways, but he has never forsaken the Lord and always repented; asking God for forgiveness. He is a seasoned follower of God and a veteran when it comes to both sin, and asking for forgiveness. However, he never lost sight of his faith, and the Lord called him a man after His own heart.
Having the advantage of a long life and much experience David gives us five points, we can apply towards serving God during our own walk of faith. We should take note of them. These offerings of wisdom and faith can be summed up in just five words; Trust, Delight, Commit, Rest, and Wait. The last three of these words are especially poignant to the elderly in faith because they involve the passage of time. Let's read the verses from Psalm 37…
"Verse 3 - Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Verse 4 - Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Verse 5 - Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Verse 7 - Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Verse 34 - Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it."
Commitment, resting, and waiting are not traits that can be accomplish quickly; they take time, and sometimes a lifetime of it to bring them to maturity. These are the tough acts of faith that require much prayer and discipline; they narrow the road for those who would seek after God. Each of these directives involves defeating our own personal impulses, and our human nature, while clinging to our spirituality as we do so.
As for the first two words? We can trust in God for something that comes quickly and delight in Him today, but these actions can also take some time to realize. Moses filled the days of his journey through the desert with trusting God and yet despite the 40 years of waiting, the final taste of delight was withheld from him. So the elderly and long suffering in God and Christ find that they do understand this Psalm in a special way... From the advantage gained from perspective, or better said, by having lived long and seen much. This is history to them as they look back on the years of having walked numerous valley’s with God and Jesus Christ.
As young people we are able to understand the concepts that David is speaking of, but it takes years of living out our faith to comprehend their depth, the true struggle they represent, and the number of prayers they have been required of someone who has had to live out those years. So from my station in life I love this Psalm, and if my children and the other young people around me will be still, and listen to the wisdom of my age, they just might find that their road will have been straightened a bit.
“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.”
Psalm 71:18
Prayer:
Thank you Father for our lives, your provision, and the many blessings you have bestowed upon us as we have sought you, and continue to seek you now. We thank you, and Jesus Christ, more so now in these golden years of our quest for your forgiveness and salvation. Lord, many of us say thank you after having lived a full life of faith, and having made our way through deep valleys with you, and faced many challenges and unpleasant experiences that have brought a deep hue and patina of time to our faith. Father, help us to share the story and wisdom of our relationship with you, and our walk with Jesus, with our children and the young of the world. Help us as we attempt to demonstrate to them what a lifetime of loving you looks like. Father teach them through our example how the years we have spent together with you, and the many ups and downs you have seen us through have transformed us, and made us righteous. We thank you now as we look back on our years Lord, and realize how they have strengthened our bond and our trust in you. Let all who reach old age in you grasp this vision of commitment and the delight it fosters in you. Let them understand that the passing of time has been far more than just waiting… it has been an active and vibrant relationship filled with not only with amazing seasons of joy. but with some of suffering, and heartache too. Father, help us as we convey to our children that there is no dishonor in asking for forgiveness, and no fear in dying. Help them see through our courage and trust in you that there is no sting to death because in it we will experience peace in your arms; arms which will then carry us into eternity and an amazing love and rest with you. Lord God, our job is not yet be done, and there may be many more treasures of wisdom left for us to discover… numerous gems of faith needing more polish. So we pray to you today that you continue to lead us on, and give us additional rest as is appropriate for those of age whose stamina has aged with them through time. We pray as we travel this way with you, and move through our remaining years of refinement in your will and Word, that you give us strength, even and angel of strength, as you look over us. You are our God now, and always... for this we thank you for each and every day, not only the days we have spent, but those we are yet to spend together. We thank you for this life, and for each blessing we will find here. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who was, and is, and is to come. Holy are you who is ever faithful, true, and good to us. Holy are you whose mercy and grace know no bounds, and whose lessons, even the bitter ones, bring us closer to you. Have mercy on us today Father, and teach us how to demonstrate to our children, and all young people everywhere, what a life in you looks like… then, in our instant of rapture, heal these bodies and glorify them for our eternal rest, and walk with you.
Praised be to God who knows the beginning from the end, and leads us from one to the other! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah… and all God’s people say…Amen!
“What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 1:9 ESV
“remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”
Isaiah 46:9-10 ESV
“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:32 ESV
“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”
Proverbs 16:31 ESV
Rich Forbes