“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25)
I just came home from a birthday celebration for my brother and friend. We are the same age now. It was an intimate gathering – just a cookout in the backyard. I liked it. We sat talking about our youth and younger years, reminiscing about the crazy things we did earlier in life, how we strayed for awhile but returned to the Lord, and how amazed that we have survived all the craziness.
I’m glad I went – it reminded me of the “old days” when people would visit each other, play games, let the kids play together, reminisce, eat, sing around the piano or guitar, and just spend time together. Some of my best memories growing up were times when mom, dad, and I would go “visiting” – either formally (invited or called ahead) and informally (we were just in the neighborhood and decided to stop by). The kids were shuffled outside or off into a different room so the adults could talk. That seems like a hundred years ago now.
I regret that the times we get together (most of the time) anymore is usually at someone’s funeral. We gather around and share our memories of the deceased and talk about how we knew them, what a nice person they were, and form stronger bonds with each other. It’s too bad it takes something like that to bring us together.
This verse, written by David, I could see with him sitting in his living room chair telling his grandchildren about when he was young. It is a testimony that lends itself to sharing between the older and the younger generations. Aside from all the “I walked uphill both ways to school, in the snow, carrying my brother on my back” stories, those tales passed down from the older generation have pretty much vanished in our society. They went the way of home movies, scrapbook upon scrapbook of pictures, and sitting on the front porch talking to the neighbor across the yard. I have a lot of memories of getting old enough to sit in the same room as the adults (although I was still too young to be allowed to speak) and listening to their tales of daring-do, their heart-wrenching losses, and the pranks they used to pull on each other when they were younger. I can see David now, sitting back in a rocking chair, with a group of children gathered around him. Now HE had some stories to tell!
But so do you. You have been through much in your life. You have suffered heart-break, you have lost loved ones and things, you have also had some pretty cool victories in your life. “Everybody has a story” as the saying goes. It’s too bad we don’t feel comfortable or have the opportunity to share our stories with our children and grandchildren anymore. If there was anything positive that came out of the COVID pandemic, it gave us a reason to slow down, spend some time with our loved ones (even if it was just over Zoom or Facetime), and re-evaluate our lives. I know it changed the trajectory of many peoples’ careers as they decided this was a perfect chance to shift.
These devotionals I share come from my own heart and experiences. Each one is written fresh and guided (I hope) by the Holy Spirit. I can only tell you that I echo the words of King David in this verse. Not that I am THAT old, but I can tell you from the life of a hellion now come home as the Prodigal Son that God has been awesome through the years. I can also echo the words of Paul when he wrote that he knew what it was to have plenty as well as suffer want, to be lifted up as well as to be abased, etc, etc. Yet he learned to be content no matter what state he found himself in. So have I. I have known depravation (morally, physically, spiritually) and I have known what it’s like to have more than enough. I, too, have received many honors in my life – but I have also known what it is like to be totally stripped and left vulnerable before God and man. In every situation I have learned (in the words of Andre Crouch) to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon His Word. That’s why I share the way I do and that’s my prayer for you as well, my friend. To be able to see – both in the moment as well as in hindsight – the goodness of God.
Be blessed.
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