Even when I am old and gray, God, do not abandon me. Then I will proclaim your power to another generation, your strength to all who are to come.
Psalm 71:18 (HCSB)
These days, a streak of silvery white hair frames my face. I call it my “Moses came down the mountain” streak. My hairstylist, ever the encourager, suggested I embrace the new shade. My white hair isn’t the only change. Achy joints, stronger reading glasses, weaker hearing, and more frequent doctor visits are now a regular part of life. Then there are those worrisome moments when I can’t find my keys.
Jen Wilkin says there is a marvelous and terrible symmetry to a long human life. My mind and body whisper that I’ve entered a new phase in that chiastic symmetry. This startling realization fills me with a sense of urgency. Am I truly this old? How did the years slip by so quickly? My heart aches to pass on stories and wisdom to my children, grandchildren, and spouse. There is still so much I want to do, and I continue to feel the Lord’s calling, but time looks like my enemy. I search God’s word for guidance and land on Psalm 71. Scholars aren’t certain about the author. Some believe Jeremiah wrote it, others David. Whoever wrote it, their lament echoes in my soul, as if they wrote it for me. It reads, “Don’t discard me in my old age; as my strength fails, do not abandon me” (Psalm 71:9, HCSB).
In our youth-obsessed culture, I ask myself, Am I still relevant? Do I still have purpose? Then my eyes rest on verse 17: “God, you have taught me from my youth, and I still proclaim your wonderful works.” From my youth, the Lord has been gracious in so many ways. He led me to himself and carried me through every season—growing me and offering wisdom, support, and strength in both hardship and victory. I am deeply grateful for the unique gifts he has so graciously given me and the amazing opportunities he continues to give me to serve the kingdom.
I read an article about date palm seeds discovered by Israeli archaeologists at Masada. After lying dormant for two thousand years, those ancient seeds sprouted into new palms, now bearing fruit just as they did in the time of Jesus. Imagine that! Seeds buried in the dirt for two thousand years produced thriving date palms. What a powerful and encouraging illustration! There is still life, thriving life, in my tired old bones.
King David says this in Psalm 92: “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree. He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green,” (Psalm 92:12–14, NASB95). Just like Charlton Heston’s Moses in The Ten Commandments, I realize my streak of white hair reveals an older and wiser me, made stronger over time in the hands of our mighty God. He has shown me that I still yield fruit in my old age. My life continues to hold enduring value and purpose.
Whatever your season of life, be thankful for the current season and the seasons left behind. God’s word tells us that our value remains as experience and wisdom grow with age, and his strength, as always, will sustain us. So, stay rooted, keep proclaiming his goodness, and trust that, like the ancient palm, you will continue to flourish and bear fruit.
You will revive me again. You will bring me up again, even from the depths of the earth.
Psalm 71:20 (HCSB)
Shirley Ralston (MACE, 2008) is the Global Marketplace Missions Training Manager for The Upstream Collective. She is a writer and pastor’s research team member at Houston’s First Baptist Church (HFBC). Additionally, she is a founding member of the HFBC Missionary Care Team. Shirley and her husband, Jeff, reside in Houston after several years of serving as marketplace global workers in the Middle East and the South Pacific.