AN ENCOURAGING WORD FOR THE NEW YEAR

Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.  Isaiah 46:3-3.

As I grow older, I feel weaker physically and mentally. But I am encouraged in knowing that it has pleased my heavenly Father to use many in old age. I think of Abraham and Caleb and Joshua and even the Apostle Paul was retirement age when he began his great ministry.      Please think with me about the truth in the text from Isaiah:

1.God has carried me all of my life. My spiritual experience began at birth. Paul speaks about being separated from his mother’s womb. Of course, I later entered God’s family  when I was “born again”.

2.In our Western culture we tend to think that our most important years are before “gray hairs.”  But our text assures us that God is with us as much when we are old as when we were young.

3.Finally, God promised through Isaiah that He would carry me and deliver me through all of my days. Underneath are the everlasting arms! Amen…….A related text:  They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing.. Psalm 92:14.