I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! [Psalm 104:33 (NLT)]
English philosopher Francis Bacon defined “old age” as “always 15 years older than I am.” He would have liked it here in southwest Florida because there always seems to be someone fifteen years older. Nevertheless, having recently celebrated my 77th birthday, it’s getting increasingly hard to find them! While I enjoy being told I look good, I don’t like hearing the “for your age!” ending that sentence! Hearing that qualified compliment, being called “Hon” or “Sweetie” by a waitperson or nurse less than half my age, or people assuming my grey hair means I’m computer inept and/or hard of hearing remind me of the subtle ageism in today’s society.
When I first learned about Daniel in the lion’s den in Sunday school, my teacher used a flannel board to tell the story and flannel Daniel had a full head of brown hair. The coloring page that accompanied Daniel’s story when my children attended Sunday school was of a strapping muscular youth. Even the illustrated Bible I gave my grand showed a powerfully built young man sitting amidst the lions. All of those portrayals were wrong! Nebuchadnezzar took only the strongest, healthiest, and best-looking young men for palace training. That however, was 605 BC. It wasn’t until 539 BC (during the reign of Darius the Mede) that Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den. By that time, he’d served as a government official for sixty-six years and probably was into his eighties! He’d lived among Gentiles in a pagan land for over six decades; nevertheless, even though he faced a gruesome death, he defied the king’s edict. Daniel went home, opened the windows, knelt down, and prayed to Jehovah as he’d done every day of his sixty-six-year captivity!
Daniel was an old man; then again, so was Abraham. He was 75 when God called him to leave his home, 86 when Ishmael was born, 99 when circumcised, and 100 when Isaac was born. Moses was 80 and Aaron 83 when they led the Israelites out of Egypt on what became a 40-year trek. Joshua was between 68 and 80 when he led Israel into the Promised Land and Caleb was 85 when he drove the Anakites from Hebron. Jeremiah ministered under Judah’s last five kings and was still prophesying until he was killed in his 70s. When he wrote his gospel and epistles, the Apostle John probably was in his mid to late 70s and, when he wrote Revelation, the man was well into his 80s. Sarah was 90 when pregnant with Isaac and the prophet Anna was over 100 when she recognized Jesus as the Messiah. While we may find ageism in today’s society but there is no such thing as ageism or retirement in God’s Kingdom! The younger ones in Christ’s church never must make the mistake of misjudging or undervaluing the seniors in their midst. I suspect the men who conspired against Daniel underestimated the power of an old man who trusted in God (a fatal mistake since they were the ones eaten by lions that day)!
On the other hand, those of us in our golden (but somewhat rusty) years must stop discounting our value, as well. That we’re facing some limitations or challenges due to age simply means it’s time to reevaluate, not to stop! As seniors, we provide strength, stability, encouragement, and wisdom to our younger brothers and sisters. No matter how old we are, we can always share God’s love and our prayers. God wasn’t finished with Daniel, Abraham, or Moses and He’s not finished with us!
Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you’re alive, it isn’t. [Richard Bach]
Devotions of the Heart 