AND HOW TO MEET IT By Nan Swigert
CC T HAVE been young, and now am old.” So declared David in that wonderful thirty-seventh Psalm which contains such priceless admonitions as “ Fret not thy self . . . Trust in the Lord . . . Delight thyself . . . in the Lord . . . Commit thy way unto the Lord . . . Wait on the Lord . . . Rest in the Lord . . . ” No wonder David could speak of the future with calm assurance. Looking back, he traced the guiding and keeping power of his God who had never forsaken him. Looking forward, he could exclaim triumphantly, “ The righetous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.” The majority of people groan and sigh when they con template old age. Women will go to almost 'any length to camouflage the fact though they deceive no one, least of all themselves. Some boast that no one outside their immediate family knows their ages. How foolish! Old age should be beautiful, serene, full of inner peace and a wisdom begotten of the years. Behind lies experience, the priceless thing that only age can boast of, and memory, yes, “memories that bless and burn.” Memories of youth, with its hopes and aspirations, failures and mistakes; memories of young love, of marriage, motherhood; memories of sorrow, joy, disappointment, thwarted ambition, sickness, the finality of death. All these are stored up in our minds to be pon dered over and tenderly laid away. But* tell me, child of God, what does this all add up to? Fear? Death? The grave? And beyond, the blackness of darkness forever? No—ten thousand times no! For an old person to die “without Christ, without hope,” is the most pitiable sight on earth. While still resisting the pleading of God’s Holy Spirit, they pass on into a Christless eternity— old in sin —the very thought makes one shudder. But we who love the Lord have nothing to lose and every thing to gain when we are “ absent from the body . . . present with the Lord.” “ They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.” This does not refer so much to the physical but the spiritual. The Lord can keep us healthy, joyous, and young in spirit regardless of our age. Though the outward man perish the inward man is renewed day by day. I know young people who are old at thirty and old people who are young at eighty! The . . . [grey] head is a crown of glory, if [mark that if] it be found in the way of righteousness” (Prov. 16:31). A crown of glory! And some hide it, dye it, cover it at any cost! The Lord has a precious promise for the old. True the lambs, His little ones, He carries in His bosom, but He will also carry you and me, when we are too feeble and too tired to walk alone. “ Even to your old age I am he; and to . . . [silver] hairs will I carry you.” “ He knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” “When I am weak, then am I strong.” Feeble in body, strong in the Lord. His strength “made perfect in [our] weakness,” so that we can say with Paul, “ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” As we grow old, the promises in the Word become more precious. Young Christians are prone to feel self-reliant, but as the shadows lengthen, they grasp anew the meaning of the word, “ I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee . . . He will be our guide even unto death.” Page Eighteen
Surely in view of all this we can say, “ Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” When finally we close our eyes here to open them in glory, we shall say “ Goodness and mercy . . . [have followed] me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” Psalm 23. Ah, yes, He did indeed come to “ deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Glorious prospect! The thought of seeing Him, to awake in His likeness, to be with Him forever should thrill our souls. However, some of us shall not see death. The Christian is not told to look forward to death, but to the return of his Lord from Heaven. “ Oh joy, oh delight, should we go without dying. No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying. Caught up through the clouds, with our Lord into glory, When Jesus receives His own.” In First Corinthians 15:51 the Apostle Paul writes, “ We shall not all . . . [die], but we ^hall all be changed.” Read First Thessalonians 4:13-18; study it, dwell upon it, and the fear of death will never trouble you again. In place of dying you will be “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious ap-' pearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ . . . Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” "Old age—how to meet it? There is no scene more beauti ful than that of the setting sun. The sunrise? Yes, it is beautiful too, but few, comparatively speaking, ever see the sunrise, whereas all may enjoy the sunset. I have viewed it in many lands, under varied circumstances—from the deck of an ocean liner, over the still waters of a wooded lake, behind the majestic mountain peaks of the high Sierras, over the distant rim of a western prairie and the fertile fields of waving grain. Wherever and however one views it, it is glory indescribable, painted with the very finger of God. It fills the heart with wonder, awe and adoration. “ What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” Truly, “ He giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” As the sun sinks in splendor to rise in the glory and beauty of a new day, quietly without noise or confusion, so may we close our eyes to open them in Heaven, in the presence o f Him who “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory, and dominion for ever and ever.” Amen and Amen! Afraid of growing old? Afraid to die? When each day brings us nearer to our Home on high? Nearer to our loved ones, who have gone before, Waiting to receive us on the Heavenly Shore. Here pain must be our portion, our eyes tears often dim, Sorrowing over dear ones, still far off from Him. Soon we’ll leave forever sighing and regret, Prayers our lips have uttered will be answered yet. Remember He has promised, abundantly to do Far above our asking, and His Word is true. When He calls thee, answer “Father, here am I, Bear me safely, quickly to my Home on high.” Trusting, waiting, watching, fear will all depart, Peace and joy and blessing fill your longing heart, Welcome then each moment of the passing year; Hark His voice proclaiming “Love casteth out all fear.” ■ T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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