How old is too old?
- How old must a person be to serve?
- How mature should an individual become to lead another?
- How aged can an elderly one reach and still be useful to the LORD?
Sometimes, as we grow older, God calls us to do something, to accomplish something that we NEVER dreamed when we were younger and seeking after our career. Nonetheless, God calls, and when He does, we can be sure that the LORD expects obedience to His calling.
In the gospel account of Luke, we find the way the LORD used Zacharias, Elizabeth, and their baby (John) to prepare the world to receive Jesus, the Savior of the world. However, it is important for us to notice how Zacharias and Elizabeth were perplexed about their calling because, after all, they were way too old to birth a child. Besides, everyone knew Elizabeth was barren and had been for years.
The Good News is that the LORD is not bound by time nor space as man.
“Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God
(The Gospel According to Luke 1: 8-12 & 18 NAS)
in the appointed order of his division,
according to the custom of the priestly office,
he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.
And an angel of the Lord appeared to him,
standing to the right of the altar of incense.
Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel,
and fear gripped him.
. . .
Zacharias said to the angel,
“How will I know this for certain?
For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”
While he was living his normal life—God heard & answered his prayer & the LORD used Zacharias for His Good.
- How old is too old—to be used by God?
- How old is too old—to be useful to the LORD’S purpose?
- How old is too old—to serve the Father & Creator?
Our mission on earth is to point people to Jesus. We are to love them in a way that moves them to Jesus & in a way that provides them a way to see Jesus as we see Him by faith.
However, there are times when the LORD moves mountains, when the LORD demonstrates HIS power, and when we (mankind) become totally perplexed and even unsure. The same was true about the priest Zacharias, and it was also true about the Jewish born, Egyptian adopted servant of God, Moses.
In the Old Testament, we read how the LORD had prepared Moses for eighty years, leading him to the place he needed to be so that he could be used by GOD for the next forty years.
The Good News is that the LORD is not bound by time nor space as man.
- For 40 years—Moses lived a life of Luxury within the Egyptian palace. He was known by Pharoah.
- For 40 years—Moses lived a life within the confines of the Midian desert. He was a shepherd, tending sheep for his father-in-law Jethro.
- For 40 years—Moses lived a life on mission for God, leading His people, the children of Israel, out of bondage and to the Promise Land.
God does not leave us as we are but gives us a new community in which to dwell. &
God does not turn away from those who walk in darkness but hears and knows their greatest need.
Our mission on earth is to lead people to Jesus.
“Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me;
(Exodus 3: 9-11 NAS)
furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Therefore, come now,
and I will send you to Pharoah,
so that you may bring My people,
the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God,
“Who am I,
that I should go to Pharoah,
and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
While he was living his normal life—God heard & answered the cry of His people & the LORD used Moses for His Good.
- Like Zacharias.
- Like Moses.
We too may feel too unqualified, too old, and overwhelmed by the task God has given us to do. However, we are to remember God’s promise: HE IS ALWAYS WITH US BECAUSE HE IS THE GREAT ‘I AM.’
When Zacharias, a man who thought he was too old to father a child, was perplexed, God provided His joy, His assurance, His peace, & His purpose—through an angel.
“But the angel said to him,
(The Gospel According to Luke 1: 13-16 NAS)
“Do not be afraid, Zacharias,
for your petition has been heard,
and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you will give him the name John.
You will have joy and gladness,
and many will rejoice at his birth.
For he will be great in the sight of the Lord;
and he will drink no wine or liquor,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.”
When Moses, a man who thought he was too old to lead the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, felt unqualified, God revealed His sign, His power, His presence, & His name—through a burning bush.
“And He said,
(Exodus 3: 12-15 NAS)
“Certainly I will be with you,
and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you:
when you have brought the people out of Egypt,
you shall worship God at this mountain.”
Then Moses said to God,
“Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them,
‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’
Now they may say to me,
‘What is His name?’
What shall I say to them?”
God said to Moses,
“I AM WHO I AM” ; and He said,
“Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel,
‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “
God, furthermore, said to Moses,
“Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel,
‘The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob,
has sent me to you.’
This is My name forever,
and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”
Our mission on earth is to point & lead people to Jesus. As we walk throughout our lives, the LORD uses our skills, talents, past experiences, and current situations for HIS GOOD.
How old is too old to serve the LORD?
We will never know, for until we are dead and placed in our grave, we will never be too old to serve God.
Until such time, let us serve the LORD with gladness.