To Old to Cut the Mustard?

Have you ever felt that life was passing you by? Too old, you think, to be of any real good. Too old to be used. Two stories come to mind, one from the new testament and one from the old.

"In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zachariah, of the course of Abijah, and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in their days" (Luke 1:5-7).

It was to Zachariah and Elizabeth, advanced in years, that a child would be born. "It is he who will go before him (the Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the prudence of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people made ready" (Luke 1:17). Of course, it was the angel Gabriel speaking words of hope to a hopeless old man and his barren wife, the parents of John the Baptist.


"Then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart, Will a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a son?" (Gen. 17:17)

"Now Abraham and Sarah were old and advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah according to the manner of women. And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, after I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? " (Gen. 18:11-12)

Both Abraham and Sarah laughed. It was a silly thought. We are too old to bear children; and of course, Isaac, the promised son, is born. Don't you get it? You are never too old. It is never too late. God is not done with you yet.

God is in the house, and great things will yet come of his promise. Laugh if you will, God is not finished the work that he has started, "The Lord cared for Sarah as he had said and did for her what he had promised. Sarah become pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God said it would. Abraham named his son Isaac, the son Sarah gave birth to. He circumcised Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded. Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. And Sarah said, God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears this will laugh with me; no one thought that I would be able to have Abraham's child, but even though Abraham is old I have given him a son" (Gen. 21:1-7).

"And when it was time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a boy. Her neighbours and relatives heard how good the lord was to her, and they rejoiced with her. When the baby was eight days old they came to circumcise him. They wanted to name him Zachariah because this was his father's name, but his mother said, NO! He will be named John" (Luke 1:57-60).

Can you hear the laughter ringing through the annuls of the ages? Rejoice, laugh with the barren, nothing is impossible with God. Age nor infirmity stand in God's way. When God is in the house, GOD IS IN THE HOUSE! What will come from you is a story yet to be told.

Shortly after I turned fifty-four I had an audible experience with God. I had just returned from the 75th anniversary of the little church in Rocanville, Saskatchewan, where I first came to faith some 45 years previously. I was sitting at the computer, writing; and I said to God that it would be really cool if he would give me enough years to attend the 100th anniversary of the little church. It was then that I heard an audible voice. "I will give you till you are 81."

Quickly doing the figures I realized that if God would give me till I was eight-one, if he would give me till I was eighty-four, not only would I celebrate 100 years with the little church, but I would, as well, cellebrate fifty years of married life with Gina. And again, I heard an audible voice, "I will give you till your eighty-one. DO THE MATH!"

Now, what kind of thing is that for God to say, "DO THE MATH."

Then, it suddenly struck me, Although I had first come to faith as a nine year old child, my journey had not always been on the way with Christ. It was not until my 27th year that I came to a radical decision to follow Jesus whole-heartedly; and here I was 27 years later discussing time with God. I began to do the math. 27 plus 27 equal 54. Now guess how many years between 54 and 81. You don't have to guess, I'll tell you-27. I was entering my third trimester of life. If I was to do as much new stuff in my third trimester as I did in my second, life was about to become, for you racing fans, super charged.

That conversation occurred just four years ago. So much has happened it would sound like a fairy tale to tell it all, and it has only just begun. I don't know what is in store over the next 23 years, but I know that it is not too late. I am not too old. How will it end? It will end in glory. You see, at the end of the third trimester, a new birth happens. Zachariah and Elizabeth gave birth to John. Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. I will be born into the kingdom. 81 years will not end the story, it is really just beginning, and oh, what a journey is it sizing up to be. God is in the house.