“And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as He said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in” (Joshua 14:10-11).
Caleb is now an elderly man of eighty-five years of age, but he is as strong as the day he had come out of Egypt. Now this does not mean that if we follow the Lord and are faithful to Him that we will not experience physical weakness, frailty, or aging. I think we all immediately see the foolishness of such a thought. But isn’t it a real treat to meet an aged Christian who is still “strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). I have known many, and they have been a real encouragement and inspiration to me. They may be weak in body, lying on a bed of sickness, or sitting in a wheelchair, but they continue to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). They are those who continue to “bring forth fruit in old age” (Psalm 92:14).
While working on this book, I had the privilege of being with a brother in Christ, and his wife, on the West Indian island of Bequia. I have known this couple for many years, and as we had lunch together we talked of God’s goodness, the Lord’s work, and some of the joys and sorrows, and ups and downs, we had each experienced in the path of faith and service. During the conversation it came out that the brother I was visiting still preached twice on Lord’s Day, conducted Bible studies during the week, visited the sick and the needy, and a host of other tasks. It then further came to light that he had just past his eighty-fifth birthday. I thought, how appropriate, here is a Caleb! Pressing on, as I well knew, sometimes amid extremely difficult circumstances. Someone else has said, “It is better to rust out than to wear out.” There is no retirement plan when it comes to the Lord’s work and doing His service; and there is no discharge from the Lord’s army this side of heaven. This goes for all of us! We are all servants of the Lord, and soldiers in his infantry. We receive our honorable discharge only when we reach that land, where there will be no more battles to be fought and no more victories to be won. Here is how the poet and hymn-writer Thomas Kelly expressed it:
Sometimes I have people say to me, “Take it easy; slow down; have a break, get a rest; no need to kill yourself doing the Lord’s work.” Now it is true we don’t want to be foolish. Ecclesiastes 7:17, raises the question, “Why shouldest thou die before thy time?” Ephesians 5:29, states, “No man yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.” Still, I recall saying to one individual who had challenged me in this regard, “Would that be so bad? Suppose I drop dead in the jungle or the desert, or running for the next plane, or packing a shipment of Bibles and gospel literature? The Lord won’t take us out of the path of faith and service, and home to Himself, one moment before our work is finished, and there is plenty to do in the great harvest of souls, and victories still to be won, and obstacles that need to be overcome.” Someone might have said to Caleb, “Let someone else do the fighting, you are an old man now; you’ve had your day; it’s been a long wilderness journey, and you deserve a break.” What a portion he would have missed if he had heeded such counsel!
Getting older may bring with it some physical limitations, and we may find ourselves tiring quicker, jumping up slower, and maybe not accomplishing as much in a day as we once did. Perhaps we can’t always be where we want to be, or involved in things we once were, but it does not mean we have to become weaker spiritually or retire and fade into obscurity or uselessness. In fact, it should be just the opposite, and will be if we continue to live for God, and “wholly [follow] the Lord.” Many people lament getting older, and fret as each inevitable birthday comes and goes. Let’s seek to be like Caleb, faithful in youth, consistent in manhood, and strong in his old age, and with a proper attitude that made him useful and fruitful through every period of his life.
Though years may come and years may go,
We still can serve the Lord,
And usefulness at any age,
Will have its sure reward.
It starts with little things in youth,
And later, greater deeds,
And as we age, we carry on,
For God meets all our needs.
Statistics indicate that Americans spend more than twenty-billion dollars annually on various anti-aging products that claim to cure baldness, remove wrinkles, build muscle, revitalize the human body, and renew the power of youth. Can those products deliver all the marvelous things they promise in the advertisements? Dr. Thomas Perls of the Boston University School of Medicine says that there is “absolutely no proof that any commercially available product will stop or reverse aging.” Not very encouraging is it?
Are we taking advantage of God’s anti-aging power? It is promised to all who put their confidence in Him for strength of heart, vigor of spirit, and energy of soul. Through the exercise of spiritual energy and purpose of heart we can, with youthful vitality, “run with patience [endurance] the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). To be renewed with spiritual energy there needs to be spiritual exercise. Notice what the Apostle Paul tells a young man named Timothy: “Exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).
We spend a great deal of energy and discipline trying to keep in good shape physically, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that, but do we spend as much time exercising in the things of God? This is why we often become spiritually weak and sickly Christians as we get older. Just as we become weak naturally and hasten the aging process by lack of physical exercise and diligence, so it is with the spiritual.
In High School history we learned about the Fountain of Youth. The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of any person who drinks from it. The Spanish explorer, Ponce de León, first governor of Puerto Rico, was searching for this spring, when he first discovered what is now the state of Florida, which he assumed at that time to be an island, in 1513. Of course, to his great disappointment, he never found such a fountain, although he is reputed to be the first European to set foot on the American mainland. Needless to say, no one, although many have searched, has ever been able to find such a spring; it is purely legendary.
However, there is a promise of spiritual vitality that defies the ravages of age and time. It is found in these words of the Holy Bible: “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: [Natural strength, even of youth isn’t enough when it comes to following the Lord and Christian warfare.] But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:30, 31). Isaiah very aptly used the eagle as a symbol of freedom and endurance, held aloft by a source of power completely outside of itself. As we put our hope and trust in the Lord, we are carried along by His strength and not our own. May the Lord give us the desire and motivation that is needed to “renew our strength” day by day.
David stated: “Thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:5). He also prayed, “O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works. Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is come” (Psalm 71:17-18).
Another individual that was as strong at the end of the wilderness journey as at the beginning, was Moses. “And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7).
Can we honestly say that we are as strong in faith and in the Lord as when we first began to follow Him? We can only make such a statement if, like Caleb, we avail ourselves of the resources of The Almighty and “wholly [follow] the Lord.” If we are thus exercised, the promise is, “Thy shoes shall be iron,” that’s power; “and brass,” that’s endurance; “and as thy days, so shall thy strength be,” that’s the result. (Deuteronomy 33:25).
Strong in the Lord,
Strong in His grace,
Strong in The Word,
Still running the race!
Strong in the Saviour,
Preserver and Friend;
Strong in His love,
Which provides to the end.
Strong while abiding
Close to His side,
Strengthened in faith,
While He is our guide.
Strong–nothing wavers,
While Jesus is near,
Strong amidst trials,
With nothing to fear!
Strengthened with might,
Though the enemy rage,
Strong, just as strong,
No matter our age.