Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life… Psalm 23:6a

On his 75th birthday, Malcolm Muggeridge‑‑a man who late in years traversed the path from cynicism to faith in God‑‑sat down and wrote down the 25 greatest truths that he had learned. Among his sage words were these comments about aging, “I am an old man, already past the allotted three score and ten years, and, as the old do, I quite often wake up in the night, half out of my body, so that I see between the sheets the old battered carcass I shall soon be leaving for good, and in the distance a glow in the sky, the lights of Augustine’s City of God.

“Let me, in conclusion, pass on two extraordinarily short impressions which accompany this condition. The first is of the incredible beauty of our earth, its colors and shapes and smells and creatures; of the enchantment of human love and companionship, of the fulfillment of human work and human procreation. The second, a certainty surpassing all words and thoughts, that as an infinitesimal particle of God’s creation I am a participant in His purposes, which are loving not maligning, creative not destructive, orderly not chaotic‑‑and in that certainty a great peace and a great joy.”

Dr. Vernon Grounds, one of my former mentors, and a man I greatly respect, spoke of his retirement and aging as “bringing a sense of detachment and thus a new perspective on one’s self, one’s work, one’s world, and one’s life, an awareness that one’s major contribution to his generation has been made.” But, of course, many approach the sunset years without the feeling of achievement of Vernon Grounds, who spent most of the previous four decades training young men for the ministry. They are unsatisfied, unfulfilled, lonely, and angry with life for having short‑changed them. They are the ones who battle every inch of the way and seem to be suffocated by the very time which should give them their greatest joy and satisfaction.

Could I chat heart to heart with you who are struggling with the infirmities of age? If ever there was a time in your life when God could prove Himself strong on your behalf, it is right now. Like Enoch, who walked with God until the Father said, “Come on home, son,” you can sense His presence and walk with Him. As the time for your face to face meeting draws nigh, you should sense His presence and walk with Him more closely than ever before. I believe that in our times of greatest need we can sense a measure of His presence in a far greater way than ever before.

What I’m saying is that He can be your companion and Father, your husband and friend, your Lord who said He would never leave you or forsake you, and the One who awaits you with arms outstretched.

Your senior years offer you an opportunity to insure that your estate or life savings will be used for good by your children or in the Lord’s work, rather than simply being lost in taxes. As someone put it, “Do your giving while you are living so you are knowing where it’s going.” Instead of frustration, loneliness, and bitterness; it affords a time for fulfillment, companionship, and the warmth of the Lord’s presence. Your attitude and decision as to which it shall be, let God demonstrate His strength and presence in your life. They make all the difference in the world.

You may be thinking, “All of this is well and good for folks who are younger, but I’m too old to be thinking about changing.” Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Instead of worrying about changing, think about coming to Him, for He will accept you as you are and be your Guide and Pilot. It is never too late to come as you are. Of that, you can be sure.

Resource reading: Joshua 1:1-9.