Old age is described in the Old Testament as the season when “gray hair” comes and “strength fails.”  1 Chronicles 23:1.  Having passed the mid-century mark in years, my frame a bit weaker, I’ve embraced the reality that I am getting there!  As I pause to consider God’s perspective on aging, I’m reminded of two things.  One, He has promised to be with me throughout all my days declaring, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.” Isaiah 46:4  Two, He has a specific goal in mind for me to accomplish.  You’ve now read the promise. But have you examined the goal?

King David wisely spoke of this goal saying, “Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,  till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” Psalm 71:17-18.  While David desired that God watch over him in his frailty, he also wanted to tell everyone about God’s might before he returned to the dust.  Do we possess this yearning?  Do we long to tell others of God’s powerful workings in our lives before we die?

Gifting such a knowledge of God to the next generation probably came easily to David.  He was, after all, a great poet and story-teller.  But, how do we, in practical ways, do we do the same? I’ll offer up a few examples of how I try to accomplish this.  As you sift through them, I hope you’ll think of other, more creative creative ways to share of God’s might! Please share them in the comments section.

1) I keep a journal of God’s most power-filled movements in my family’s lives.  I simply jot down words of Scripture and provide accompanying accounts of how God has kept His promises in them.  I’ve recalled His comfort in times of fear, His direction in times of uncertainty, His provision in times of financial hardship, and His peace in times of anxiety.

2) I nurture my personal Bible with detailed notes and markings about God’s faithfulness to us. I highlight specific verses that encourage us during trials.  I make mention of answered prayers. And, I record spiritual milestones reached.  I even employ emojis when the occasion warrants!

3) I use photographs to remind my next generation of just how good God has been to us.  I recently sent my daughter, now nineteen, some pictures of her second birthday party.  I enclosed a note recalling how God provided for her even as a toddler, giving her friends for life.  I’m sure many of your family photos yield evidence of God-at-work.  Perhaps He took you on a unique vacation?  A mission trip? Maybe He brought you to a great house in a wonderful neighborhood? Or to a wonderful school? Share these photos with your children and alert them to the footprints of God you see.

Aside from these ideas, there are many, simpler ways to tell about God’s power unleashed.  Send a link to an on-line sermon that inspires you.  Text a meaningful passage of Scripture that touches your heart.  Send a devotion or article that lifts your thoughts toward the One you love.  The point is to make it a point to communicate about Whose you are and why you are His!

Our purposeful acknowledgements of God, in whatever form, can influence the next generation.  I know this.  During a recent trip to Florida, my daughter came back to our hotel room after visiting Disney World.  She arrived with a gift for me…a delicate, silver chain touting a shiny key with Mickey Mouse ears.  It was presented with a note which read, “Thanks for the keys to the Kingdom…for sharing His love with me!”  This was her acknowledgement that what I had expressed to her about God had been taken to heart.

God wants us to share the evidence of His powerful workings in our lives with others, especially with those closest to us. He longs that we declare the redemptive message found in His Son, Jesus. So, let’s make it our goal in the gray-haired season of life to do just that.  As we do, we can be certain that He will always be with us!