SEVEN STEPS FOR TRUSTING GOD AS WE GROW OLDER!

My wife asked me to do a short devotion tonight at our group practice...She started a small praise music group about a year ago...We go into other churches and sing...We have been to a few, assisted living facilities...really we would probably go anywhere if asked, if it involved singing praises to the Lord...anyway...about the devotion...really this is a message to each of us because God's Word is full of encouraging things to learn and to live by...

She asked me to do it earlier this afternoon and practice starts at 5:45...I opened up my Bible and it opened to Psalm 62...There in God's Word are these seven things we can trust God for as we grow older..

Now don't get me wrong...this is not just for old people because no matter how old you are, you are getting older...right, right...so here we go...

Scripture: Psalm 62, especially verses 1–3
Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved... How long will you attack a man? You shall be slain, all of you, like a leaning wall and a tottering fence.

Aging is an issue we all face, for every day takes us closer to the last day of our lives...

Will God be faithful to us in the end of life as He was in the early part of life? More importantly, will we be faithful to Him?

Psalm 62 gives us David’s seven-step program for trusting God as we age...

1. Wait Silently Before God Each Day (v. 1). Spend time every day in silence before God... I’m interested in that phrase “wait silently...” It’s the same Hebrew term as in Leviticus 10:3 about Aaron after the death of his two sons... The older we get, the more difficult it is to get into the habit of spending time with God each day... So, if you’re moving toward old age (and we all are), the first step is to wait silently before God every day... That means you’re not going to complain to God when things don’t go the way you think they should... You’re going to hang on and let God do His work... All this depends on how much you trust the character of God (v. 5b)... God is our expectation...

2. Cling to Something that Doesn’t Change (vv. 2–6). When things are rapidly changing around you, you need to cling to something that doesn’t change... It’s like holding on to a bar or a tree or something when you’re in the middle of a windstorm... You have to hang on to something that isn’t going to change... God is our rock... As things change around you, think of His faithfulness... Cling to Him because He is the One you can trust in the middle of the storm... The storm comes in older age with regard to pain... It comes with regard to the loss of friends or family members... The issues of age can be a great deterrent to faith, but faith can be a great deterrent to the issues of age...

3. Don’t Be Shaken in Your Faith (vv. 3–7). Maybe you’ve lost the dearest on earth to you... You’re living alone now and asking yourself, “Has God abandoned me? I’m worried about the kids because they don’t seem worried about me...” Suddenly, you find yourself shaken in your faith like an old shed tottering in the wind... Take time every day to be silent before the Lord and let Him minister to you... While you’re doing that, hold on to God... Cling to Him as you would cling to a rock wall in a storm... While you’re doing that, don’t be shaken in your faith... That’s difficult advice, but good advice... Confidence is always the antidote to the jitters... Where you’re shaken in your faith, confidence in God is the answer... Verse 7 says God is our salvation, glory, rock, and refuge.

4. Trust Him at All Times (v. 8). Learn to trust God in every issue you face... Some of the issues we face in aging are different and more difficult than the issues we faced when we were younger... But trust God at all times... We trust God when we have confidence in His character to do what He has promised to do... Learn to trust God regardless of what comes to your life...

5. Pour Out Your Heart to Him (v. 8). What does this mean? We have good examples in the stories of Hannah who poured out her burden in the tabernacle, and Hezekiah who spread out a threatening letter in the temple... It means being purposeful and passionate in prayer...

6. Don’t Let Money Ruin Your Old Age (v. 10). At verse 10, David changed the subject dramatically and began talking about money... Isn’t this an aging issue? Most people think it’s the lack of money that ruins their golden years, but David said, “If riches increase, do not set your heart on them” (see 1 Tim. 6:17ff).

7. Keep Working for Heavenly Rewards (v. 12). The last thing David has to say in Psalm 62 is, “Don’t let up on earning heavenly rewards just because you’re getting older.” Work doesn’t stop at retirement... There are still things I can do, and there is still work for me to do... As long as I’m alive and have breath, there is something I can contribute to the kingdom of God...There is no retirement in the real Christians life...

Conclusion: I have to make sure everything I do has eternal benefit or there’s no reason for me to do it... That’s why I think we start every day at the Judgment Seat and work backwards from there... God can be trusted when we’re eighty or ninety just as much as when we’re eight or nine or eighteen or nineteen... Those of us who walk with Him age gracefully as we prepare for our eternal reward...

To age gracefully doesn't mean that we want have pains in places that we never knew were there, but it means, we learn to trust God more each day as we get older as the pain of this world increases...

May God bless all who read these words with His Salvation...May He be your hiding place in time of storms, May He always be your defense in times of battles, and may His glory surround you and lead you to His Heavenly refuge...

rngffc