What is God’s perspective on the inevitable deterioration in senior years ?
We “call on Him in every trouble”, every challenge, every test, every detail.
He “delivers us” over and over again.
We “glorify Him” just like His Word tells us.
Some experience more deliverance than others, and come to the end of life with glory and praise for God’s goodness.
But most of us experience decline in senior years—in health, in strength, in mental function, in what we can do, in what doesn’t work like it used to, in pain, in failure, in loss, in heartache, in heartbreak, in all the cryptic descriptions of Ecclesiastes 12. *
So, how much of this should we fight and claim victory over—with the multitude of Bible verses that promise miracles—yes, even experienced before, with faith.
So, how much of this “going down” are we supposed to accept and ‘adjust to?’ because that’s just what happens in this fallen world.
Is is possible to know what God thinks ?
I know it is dangerous to say what God thinks.
We can confidently say what God says in His Word.
In His Word He tells us His Will.
In His Word He tells us His Promises.
In His Word He tells us how He kept His Promises.
But now, personal, in my life, where do I claim overcoming with His Promises, and where do I resign with His Promises.
I’ve been walking with Jesus too long with too much reality, to spin His Promises with my words to suit my comfort level.
All the people who walked with Jesus before me, like Daddy, enduring to the end, “faithful unto death”, certainly had God’s smile of approval and reward, “the crown of life”.
If we endure, even when we start to ‘lose it’ in later years, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. Remind the believers of these things.”
* May I suggest reading this chapter from your Bible, before reading the following.
Ecclesiastes 12, with translations of the cryptic (help from Bible Lessons International).
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the days of adversity come
[times of sickness, sorrow, senility]
and the years approach of which you will say,
‘I find no pleasure in them,’
[deterioration of the physical body robs life of joy]
before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened,
[even the beauty of seeing God’s creation grows dim as one ages]
and the clouds return after the rain,
[never a clear day, never a sunlit morning, always gray and gloomy]
on the day the keepers of the house tremble
[the body’s arms shaking (from age or fear)]
and the strong men stoop,
[the legs]
when those grinding cease because they are few
[the teeth]
and those watching through windows see dimly,
[the eyes]
when the doors to the street are shut
[lack of hearing]
and the sound of the mill fades away,
[ears]
when one rises at the sound of a bird
[sleeplessness]
and all the daughters of song grow faint,
[bad hearing, fading sexual desire]
when men fear the heights and dangers of the road,
[standing, fear of falling, difficulty walking]
when the almond tree blossoms,
[white, gray hair]
the grasshopper drags himself,
[elderly walking bent over]
and the caper berry is ineffective—
[normal sexual desire is gone]
for then man goes to his eternal home
and mourners walk the streets.
[waiting for you to die]
Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped
and the golden bowl is crushed,
[the value, yet frailty of human life]
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring
and the wheel is broken at the well,
[household items, daily chores]
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came
[humans made from dust]
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
[breath from God]
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.”