Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Wisdom Wednesdays - Flourishing in Old Age


I've read this Psalm many times and this week I noticed a promise for old age in verses 13 - 16:

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 
 Planted in the house of Adonai,
they will flourish in the courtyards of our God.
Even in old age they will be vigorous,
still full of sap, still bearing fruit,  
proclaiming that Adonai is upright,
my Rock, in whom there is no wrong.

Notice that this promise is for the righteous, which means those who obey ADONAI.

Notice the phrase "planted in the house of ADONAI", which again means obedience.  

Look at the benefits of obeying ADONAI, my friends:

A flourishing life
Vigor (strength)
Full of sap (health)
Bearing fruit

And what are the righteous doing?  (see verses 1 - 12)

they are planted in the house of Adonai
thanking Him 
praising Him
declaring His grace in the morning
declaring His faithfulness at night 
finding happiness and joy in all that He has created
declaring how great His deeds are
meditating on how deep His thoughts are
not allowing resentments or anger against evil people to stay in their minds
leaving revenge to G-d
remembering the people who have been destroyed because of their 
disobedience to G-d

They are also proclaiming that ADONAI is upright.  
They are proclaiming that He is their Rock.  
They are proclaiming that in Him there is no wrong.  

That's a great focus for any life, but especially during the senior years.  Compare spending time with a self-centered, whining, constantly complaining old person to enjoying a visit with one who is Adonai focused,  grateful, and filled with joy.  I've been around both types, and my desire is to be a flourishing senior citizen.
 
Psalm 92:16 says it perfectly -- in Him, there is no wrong.   That's why I wrote this post.  The verse tells me what I'm to do in order to flourish in my old age.  I'm proclaiming --   

ADONAI IS UPRIGHT 
 HE IS MY ROCK 
 IN HIM THERE IS NO WRONG 

In upcoming Wisdom Wednesdays, I will further explore what the Scriptures say about flourishing in the golden years.

You may enjoy Flourishing in Old Age Part 2 and Flourishing in Old Age Part 3
  ~~~~~


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6 comments:

  1. What a wonderful, encouraging blessing blessing this is to me! Thank you sweet sister. I too want to grow old, graciously and full of wisdom, bearing much fruit, with a SWEET spirit!

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  2. Thank you for stopping by today, Brenda, and for your encouraging words. Come back again real soon.
    Blessings,
    GG

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  3. I LOVED this post!! I especially liked how you broke down the verse in practical terms; terms that the Lord has been teaching me recently as I study the Book of Colossians. Especially,

    "declaring His grace in the morning
    declaring His faithfulness at night".

    Thank you so much for this very edifying post. I found much encouragement here. :-)

    Blessings,

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your encouraging words, Karen. His Word is a fountain. Always flowing. Always refreshing. Always changing us from glory to glory if we'll obey Him.

      Please stop by again soon.

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  4. Wonderfully encouraging post to read this morning!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Joanne. I'm glad you are encouraged. Come back soon.
      Blessings,
      GG

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Thank you so much for stopping by today and taking the time to leave a comment! I read each one of them and love to respond back to those who visit! Blessings to you.