DO NOT FORSAKE ME WHEN I AM OLD AND GREY

Proclamation:

"Even when I am old and grey, do not forsake me, My God, until I declare Your power to the next generation, Your mighty acts to all who are to come."  Psalms 71:18 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words are believed by most Bible scholars to have been written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This request for The Lord God not to forsake him when he is old and weak is stated earlier in this psalm (Psalm 71:9) but here he repeats it and offers a reason along with the request.  The psalmist stated that he wanted to tell all who would listen about the righteous deeds and mighty acts of God. (Psalm 71:15-16)  He stated that God had taught him things since the days of his youth. (Psalm 71:17)  Now he was asking God not to forsake him and to spare him until he had declared God’s power and mighty acts to the next generation. 

Application:

Do not discard or disregard the "seasoned" senior saints, there is a lot of wisdom tied up in all those years that could be useful to the believers of the world.  For we who are old have seen, and experienced, and learned a lot during our Christian walk that could benefit the younger generations.  We can truly testify, based upon our trials and tribulations, about the strength and power of The Lord, and what He has done in our lives.  To the young I say, listen when the elderly speak, you just may learn something.  We have been through more than you can imagine.  God is not through with us old folks yet, and with His help there is still some kingdom building work for us to do, including teaching the young.  To the old I say, share what you have learned with the younger generations, with your children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and anyone’s child who will listen.  He has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others.  God has left us here among the living because our work here is not done.  That is why we can pray this old man's prayer.  We need to praise Him for all that He has done. (Psalm 71:14)  We need to pray for His help to guide our tongue as we speak to the younger generations as well as to all others.

ADDITIONAL BLESSINGS FOR US AND FOR OUR CHILDREN

Proclamation:

"Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep all My commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"  Deuteronomy 5:29 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words which The Lord God spoke to Moses and which he recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the Ten Commandments were given, reviewed, and repeated to the people, they were afraid of God's presence.  They told Moses to speak to God, and then let him tell them what God had said. (Deuteronomy 5:27)  This is The Word of The Lord God which was given to Moses for the people of God.  For He heard what the people had said to Moses. (Deuteronomy 5:28)  This conditional blessing for the people and for their children, was dependent upon their sincere respect for, and humble obedience to God, and their keeping His commandments.

Application:

We would be blessed and things would go well with us, and our children, if we would follow The Word of The Lord, live His way, and keep His commandments.  We are His people, but unfortunately we are often hard-headed.  We want to do things our way.  We are blessed, but we miss out on many more blessings because we do not humbly submit to The Lord.  If things are not going well with you, try changing your behavior.  Be obedient to God and be abundantly blessed. (John 10:10)  The Lord has said that if we are obedient to His word, and do not turn away from them or Him, then we would live a long life and prosper. (Deuteronomy 5:32-33)

GOOD HEALTH A LONG LIFE AND HAPPINESS

Proclamation:

"So be careful to do what The Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left.  Walk in all the way that The Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." Deuteronomy 5:32-33 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Prophet Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After Moses had given the Ten Commandments to the people, he told them to be careful and to do as The Lord had commanded them.  Walking in the way of The Lord was likened to following a straight path which they were not to deviate from.  Following God would bring them a long life and prosperity.

Application:

The same thing applies to us as believers today as it did to the believers in the days of Moses.  We need to understand that keeping the Ten Commandments will not save anyone who does not believe in Jesus, The Christ, The Son of God.  However, if we believe and if we endeavor to keep The Commandments and behave in a Christ-like way, we will be blessed with a long life and prosperity.  How we live our lives will determine how long we will live.

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

Proclamation:

"His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’  ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9:2-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle John to record the conversation which occurred just prior to Jesus giving sight to a man who was blind from birth.  Jesus explained the situation to His disciples by saying that some times things happen to people so that God can use the situation in order to show others what He can do and so He can be glorified.

Application:

Sometimes bad things happen to good people.  We don't understand it and we often ask why it happened.  Let us not be so quick to complain about our situation, whether our bad choices led us to it or if it was the result of something over which we had no control.  We should act in a Christ-like manner regardless of the situation.  God is still in control.  Whatever it is, it can still serve a purpose.  Our negative situations can be used by God for His glory, for our benefit, or for the benefit of others.  Remember the Bible story about Job.  He was a God-fearing good man who was wealthy and lost everything that he had when God let the devil test him. (Job 1:1-22)  In the end, Job was blessed with twice as much as he had. (Job 42:10 and 12)  As Christians "... we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)  So let us live for the glory of God, no matter what happens.

GOOD HEALTH A LONG LIFE AND HAPPINESS

Proclamation:

“Blessed are all who fear The Lord, who walk in obedience to Him.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours…your wife…your children…your children’s children…” Psalm 128:1-6 (NIV)  

Explanation:

Here the Bible promises special blessings for the Godly man himself and for his family. These blessings include provisions and prosperity in addition to a long life.  This conditional blessing will allow the believer to live long enough to see his children and his grandchildren grow up and do well. 

Application:

When we fear The Lord, we hold Him in reverential awe and have great respect for Him. The Lord has special blessings for the Godly people who fear Him and who are obedient to His Word.  We will be blessed with a job which will allow us to provide food for our family.  We are blessed in our homes, on our jobs, and after we leave our jobs as well.  We will be happy and do well, and our spouse and our children will also do well.  This is truly the way to prosperity.  We will also be blessed to live a long life, long enough to see our grand children grow up and do well.  These verses provide the Biblical basis for asking The Lord to bless someone with “good health, a long life, and happiness.”

The Length Of Our Days

"All our days pass away under Your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.  The length of our days is seventy years, or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away."  Psalms 90:10 (NIV)

The author of this psalm is Moses.  This is a prayer that he prayed and recorded as he asked God to have mercy on all humans because they live in a sin-cursed world.  He presents the frailty, weakness, and the relatively short lifespan of man, and then he pleads for God's mercy.

As we live, our birthdays quickly come and go.  The days and years of our lives pass by like sand through an hourglass.  Seventy years is not a very long time for us to live.  By our reverence for God we can lengthen our time on earth and prolong our lives. (Proverbs 10:27)  We can lengthen our days by following His Word. (1 Kings 3:14)  By keeping His law and His commandments we can add to the length of our days. (Proverbs 3:1-2)  With the understanding of the little knowledge that we have of God and by applying that wisdom to our lives, we can add length to the days of our lives. (Proverbs 3:1-2 and 3:13-18)  We can also add days to our lives by honoring our father and mother. (Exodus 20:12 and Ephesians 6:2-3)   However, we can also shorten the days of our lives with our wicked behavior. (Proverbs 10:27)  A long live is a conditional blessing from God which not all of us will receive, or enjoy.  In order to be appreciated, a long life must be accompanied by health and happiness, which are also blessings from God.  Obey The Lord and be blessed, or expect trouble and sorrow.

Honor Your Father And Mother

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land The LORD your God is giving you."  Exodus 20:12 (NIV)  

The fifth of the ten commandments which The Lord God gave to Moses for His people.  This is the first of the commandments that contains a promise for those who keep it.  Honor your parents and you will be blessed to live a long life.

We are told eight separate times in the Bible to honor our father and mother. (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, Matthew 19:19, Mark 7:10, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, and Ephesians 6:2)  To honor our father and mother means more than just saying nice things about them.  To honor them is to respect them, to obey them, to express feelings our for them and to them, to love them, to accept their correction and punishment, to follow their advice and direction, to comfort them in their illness and in their old age, and to provide them with financial and emotional support.  Honoring our parents requires us to demonstrate it with our actions.  They cared for us when we were children, they helped us as adults, and now the time has come, or soon will come, for the roles to be reversed, and we will help and care for them.  Most of them are not happy with their new dependent status.  It is a blessing for us if we are able to spend time with them and make their last few years as easy as possible for them.  Our parents will not be here with us forever, and we will regret it if we do not honor them while they were alive.  Most of us will bury our parents, and we will miss them years after their death.  We should be a blessing to them while we can.  If we are a blessing to our parents and honor them, The Lord God will bless us and grant us a long life.  

An Invitation To Take Up The Yoke Of Jesus

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

The Apostle Matthew, the former tax collector, recorded these words of Jesus, The Christ, as He spoke to the crowd of lost sinners and extended to them an invitation to follow Him.  The invitation was to all those who were weary from life's labor, and those who were weighted down with the burdens of life.  Jesus said that He would give rest to the weary, and He would lighten the load of those carrying more than they could handle.  He said that the yoke that they carry was heavy, but His yoke was easy and light weight.  If they would learn of Him, and from Him, they would find that He is gentle and humble, and the He could save and give rest to their lost souls.

The invitation which Jesus extended was to all of the lost souls then, as well as to those who are lost today.  To those of us who would follow Him, He offered to take the heavy load of our burdens from us, and to carry them for us.  Although all were invited, only a few of us will accept His invitation and follow Him.  But those of us who take up His yoke, who pick up the cross daily (Luke 9:23) and follow Him, who learn that which He teaches us, will find rest for our souls.  This invitation contains three commands, "come", "take", and "learn".  If we obey these commands and come to Jesus, take up His yoke and follow His ways, and learn from Him who is the Master Teacher, we will be rewarded with relief from our burdens; rest for our bodies now and eternal life our souls later on; and we will learn the Truth and gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  This is an invitation to trust in The Lord Jesus, and to develop and intimate and personal relationship with Him.  The yoke of Jesus is becoming one of His disciples and making a commitment to follow Him.  The benefit for doing this is the forgiveness of our sins, (1 John 1:9)  the gift of eternal life,  (Romans 6:23) and everything that happens to us in this life will end up being for our good. (Romans 8:28)

Blessed With A Long Life

"And if you walk in My ways and obey My statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."  1 Kings 3:14 (NIV)

The Lord said to King Solomon, after the death of his father King David, that if Solomon walked in His ways and kept His statutes and commandments as David did, then He would bless him with a long life. 

King David was said to be a man after God's own heart.  David was not perfect, he sinned just like every other man, but he prayed frequently and asked God for forgiveness.  David followed and obeyed The Lord.  Since God is not a respecter of persons and does not show favoritism, (Acts 10:34), if we were more like David and walked in His ways, and obeyed Him, maybe we would also be blessed with a long life as He promised Solomon.

Fear The Lord And Be Blessed

"Humility and the fear of The LORD bring wealth and honor and life."  Proverbs 22:4 (NIV)

According to King Solomon, the wisest man ever, the way to wealth, honor and long life is by being humble and fearing God. 

Fear in this case is complete reverence to God.  Fearing God is showing Him reverential awe, admiration, and submissiveness.  According to John MacArthur, "The fear of The Lord is a state of mind in which one's own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds, and goals are exchanged for God's."  Being humble and reverent to God leads to being blessed.  The length of our days is determined by The Lord  (Psalms 21:4), and every good and perfect gift comes from The Lord.  (James 1:17)  These blessings are brought about by walking with God.  His favor, blessings, and rewards are poured out on those who reverence Him.  (Luke 2:14 & Revelation 11:18)  Fear the Lord and be blessed.

Health Wealth A Long Life And Happiness

"Blessed are all who fear The Lord, who walk in His ways.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours ... Thus is the man blessed who fears The Lord.  May The Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life ... and may you live to see your children's children ..."  Psalms 128:1-6 (NIV)

The unknown author of this psalm is clearly addressing issues of the home and personal blessings.  He addresses four areas of blessings: provisions, prosperity, partner, and progeny.  These blessings are for those who walk in His ways.

May you enjoy the fruit of your labor.  May all of your needs be supplied.  May you be blessed with prosperity.  May your spouse and your children also be blessed.  May you be happy all of the days of your life.  May you live a long life, long enough to see and enjoy your grand children.  In other words, may The Good Lord bless you with health, wealth, a long life, and happiness.