Psalm 71:18 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.

This Psalm has no attribution, but it certainly sounds like something David would have written. The whole Psalm is focused on God and His faithfulness, which the ESV says he experienced from before his birth! (verse 6) In point of actual fact, that is true for every human being, because we literally could not exist without God and His marvelous design for the universe. In this verse he extends that to his old age, and expresses something every believing senior feels, or at least should: he wants to share his experience of God with those who will come after him. When advancing years make awareness of mortality inescapable, we need a sense of purpose, and here we have it in a nut shell. Old people aren’t to stop living, preparing for the future and enjoying life, but if they are absorbed in their own pleasure and convenience, they have missed the whole point. All their life experiences find their true meaning when they are used to build other people up, drawing those other people to know and love their Creator. We should desire to live another day so that we can tell another person about God!

At 76, this is naturally very pertinent to me. Yesterday I was able to attend the ordination service of a young pastor of another denomination. There were naturally several other pastors in attendance, and we had good fellowship. However, I felt my major purpose in being there was something the Lord directed me to say to the young pastor. His given name means “Chosen,” and I told him that God had indeed chosen him to serve Him, and that God was pleased with him. That really felt good to be able to say, knowing that it didn’t originate with me. In the service here yesterday morning I learned that the grandson of one of our members, who suddenly became very faithful in attendance from a couple of months ago, wants to be baptized, at the ripe old age of seven. That was how old I was when I went to my parents with the same decision, so I felt very good about it. He will come to talk with me in depth about it in the near future, and I am to confirm both his repentance and his faith, but God is certainly faithful, so I don’t need to worry. I will need to be a mentor to him, but that too is a joy. However long the Lord keeps me here, I will have people with whom to share the grace and goodness of God!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for Your incredible faithfulness over the years. A hundred years isn’t even a blink for You, but it feels long for us! Help me indeed use every year, every minute, doing what You desire of me, so that many will repent and believe for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!