The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor of old men is their gray head.
Proverbs 20:29
We live in a nation and at a time when our culture values youth. On those few occasions when I watch a football game, I am amazed at the commercials. Just about every product contains the overt or covert promise that use of that product will keep us young. An example of an overt promise would be a commercial for a product that promises men to regrow their hair. A covert promise is a commercial for a beverage that suggests, based on the scenes and individuals it portrays, that if you drink that beverage you will be a vibrant and energetic individual.
As a counselor, I cannot tell you how many men I’ve walked with who are suffering with a mid-life crisis because they realize that there aren’t enough beverages, pills, food, exercise machines, or young associates to keep them from aging. The Bible has all sorts of reminders that our time on earth has an expiration date and that our bodies are “wasting away” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 102 in reminding us that, unlike Jesus, we will “wear out like a garment” (Hebrews 1:11-12, ESV). When all is said and done, one of the strongest indicators of Christian maturity is a person’s ability to be at peace with the specific season of life he or she is in.
In addition to the proverb above, which reminds us that there is a difference between what we are to experience as younger and older people, one of my favorites is Proverbs 16:31, which states, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life” (ESV). You see, while we may have had strength as young people, wisdom has to be earned. Wisdom is not earned instantly or overnight. It is earned by experiencing both joy and suffering. By winning and losing. By observing the coming and going of seasons, finances, and people. In the end, wisdom is earned by living many decades and seasons.
So, if you are tempted to feel bad about getting older, may I suggest you reflect on the following:
- Are you grateful that God has allowed you to live as long as He has? Can you make a list of all you are grateful to have seen because of your age?
- If you could travel back in time, what are all of the life lessons you are grateful that you have learned, even if those lessons were painful to experience?
- After reading Proverbs 16:31, can you look at old age differently?
Published on Jan 24 @ 3:04 AM EDT
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Author: L.B. Cowman
“Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10
When we have doubts or are facing difficulties, when others suggest courses of action that are conflicting, when caution dictates one approach but faith another, we should be still. We should quiet each intruding person, calm ourselves in the sacred stillness of God’s presence, study His Word for guidance, and with true devotion focus our attention on Him.
We should lift our nature into the pure light radiating from His face, having an eagerness to know only what God our Lord will determine for us. Soon God will reveal, by His secret counsel, a distinct and unmistakable sense of His direction. It is unwise for a new believer to depend on this approach alone. He should wait for circumstances to also confirm what God is revealing. Yet Christians who have had many experiences in their walk with Him know the great value of the secret counsel of the Lord as a means of discerning His will.
Are you uncertain about which direction you should go? Take your question to God and receive guidance from either the light of His smile or the cloud of His refusal. You must get alone with Him, where the lights and the darkness of this world cannot interfere and where the opinions of others cannot reach you. You must also have the courage to wait in silent expectation, even when everyone around you is insisting on an immediate decision or action. If you will do these things, the will of God will become clear to you. And you will have a deeper concept of who He is, having more insight into His nature and His heart of love. All this will be your unsurpassed gift. It will be a heavenly experience, a precious eternal privilege, and the rich reward for the long hours of waiting. DAVID
Keep still! When trouble is brewing, keep still! When slander is getting on its legs, keep still! When your feelings are hurt, keep still till you recover from your excitement at any rate! Things look different through an unagitated eye. In a commotion once I wrote a letter and sent it and wished I had not. In my later years I had another commotion and wrote another long letter; my life had rubbed a little sense into me, and I kept that letter in my pocket until I could look it over without agitation, and without tears, and I was glad I did—less and less it seemed necessary to send it. I was not sure it would do any harm, but in my doubtfulness, I learned reticence, and eventually it was destroyed. Time works wonders!
Wait till you can speak calmly and then perhaps you will not need to speak. Silence is the most powerful thing conceivable, sometimes. It is strength in its grandeur; it is like a regiment ordered to stand still in the mad fury of battle. To plunge in were twice as easy. Nothing is lost by learning to keep still. HANNAH WHITALL SMITH
I do not believe we have even begun to understand the wonderful power there is in being still. We are in such a hurry, always doing, that we are in danger of not allowing God the opportunity to work. You may be sure that God will never say to us, “Stand still,” “Sit still,” or “Be still,” unless He is going to do something. This is our problem regarding the Christian life: we want to do something to be Christians, instead of allowing Him to work in us. Think of how still you stand when your picture is being taken, as the photographer captures your likeness on film. God has one eternal purpose for us: that we should be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29 KJV). But in order for that to happen, we must stand still. We hear so much today about being active, but maybe we need to learn what it means to be quiet. Perhaps we simply need to learn to be still and watch God work out the details that challenged us so greatly and caused us so much distress. You will find that He works wonders if we can just still our hearts and sit before Him until He speaks.
PRAYER
Oh Lord, You know my heart better than I know it myself. You know my struggles and You hold each hope and fear in Your caring hands. Teach me, LORD, to be still and to know that You are God. I trust in You alone. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
An excerpt from the book: "Streams in the Desert: Morning and Evening"
Published on Jan 31 @ 12:46 AM EDT
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Reginald Stephens
Amen! I rejoice in God's blessing.
Posted on Sun, Jan 24, 2021 @ 8:23 AM CST