In a recent sermon, I heard myself say, “Some of you think you’re too old to do this or that for the Lord. Why not let the One who determines your days determine your age?” And right then, I realized—I was really preaching to myself. Because I always strive to be honest with my church, I paused the sermon and shared how God had been working on me that very week. Here’s the story.
I had set aside a couple of days to seek the Lord’s direction for our church. One of the core convictions we hold comes from Exodus 33:15: “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” In other words, I don’t want to go anywhere God’s not leading me to go. So, I needed to take time to hear from Him.
Anytime you need clarity from God, you’ve got to deal with yourself first. It has to get personal. You start with Psalm 139: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me” (vv. 23-24). You’ve got to let Him search you, and then you have to deal with whatever He reveals. You’ll never get clear vision if you have a cluttered mind and heart.
And here’s what I had to bring before the Lord—I told Him, “I’m just too old.” I started praying and asking God to raise up the next leader. But He stopped me. He said, “You’ll be old when I tell you you’re old.” That hit me right between the eyes. Then He had to deal with some other things in my heart. He reassured me that He would give me all the energy I needed to do what He put me here to do. He said, “You let Me handle your age, you just focus on following Me.”
That was it. I had no desire to quit, but I had to get my heart right first. I was feeling the pressure of the ticking clock, and when you feel the pressure of time more than the presence of God, you’re in trouble. But let’s not forget—He can make the sun stand still (Joshua 10:12-13). God can do whatever He wants, with whomever He wants, whenever He wants. He’s God. Oh man, I was preaching to myself. So, I’m choosing to trust Him. I’m letting the One who determines my days determine my age. And I encourage you to do the same.
Click here to watch the sermon that inspired this article.
