Day 5 of 7, a study on aging without shrinking.
We started this study with the same psalmist asking God not to cast him away in old age. A few verses later in that same psalm, he tells us exactly what he wants to keep doing with whatever old age turns out to hold. It's not a small ask, and it's not retirement in the sense the world means it.
"Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come."
Psalm 71:18
He's not asking to be spared old age so he can rest. He's asking to be kept around specifically so he can keep declaring, telling the next generation what God has actually done. That's a job description, and it doesn't have a mandatory retirement age attached to it. If anything, it sounds like the kind of job that gets more credible with more gray hair behind it, not less.
I have grandkids who've never heard half of what God's carried me through. That's Psalm 71:18, sitting right there waiting on a Tuesday afternoon.
Today's Question
Who's your "next generation," and what mighty act of God have you not told them yet?
A Short Prayer
Lord, keep me around long enough to declare your power to whoever comes after me. Give me the courage to actually say it out loud. Amen.
God bless,
Paul