We’ve talked about aging well and some of the things we learn (if we’re wise) just by being alive so long. But there is another dimension to all of this, and that is the life of faith.
First, as we age we see first hand the law of sowing and reaping in action. In both good and bad, we see the effects of our actions on ourselves and others. We learn that every action and every word has consequences with which we must live, and that will echo in eternity.
Next, of course, is that older believers have had more opportunities to see God at work in our lives. We can attest, in the spirit of Isaiah (46:4): “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.”
We know His faithfulness in our waywardness and have experienced His mercy in our forgiveness. We’ve had more answers to prayer, and more opportunities to see Him transform the lives of others.
We have a better understanding of our gifts and limitations. We may not have met our youthful, idealistic expectations of changing the world, but we’ve managed to impact our little corner, which is enough.
Jesus and Heaven are more real to us because each passing day makes us long for them all the more amid the pain and chaos of the world. And speaking of the world, even though we know its beauty and joys better than ever, it is clearer than ever that it’s not our home.
Finally, older believers have had greater opportunities to experience the truthfulness of God’s Word, and that brings a passion to pass it on. Over time, you realize that nothing else works.
This conviction causes us to pray, “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
We have experienced those 10,000 Reasons to be amazed by God’s grace, and so we ask, “Let me be singing when the evening comes.”
“I was young and now am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken,
or their children begging bread.”
Psalm 37:25