The Adventure of Aging…

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 116:1–9)

Every day brings a new test. At the same time, the Lord is merciful. Yesterday at a sewing retreat, each story brought out the goodness of the Lord. One woman had tests that put away her fears that she had experienced a medical episode. She was so joyful that I hardly recognized her! While she did not quote this psalm, she express gratitude to be alive and healthy. 

Most of the people in our little community are over 70, yet many of them are healthy and alert, busy doing things and enjoying their latter years. It is an encouraging place to be, even with the tests to my faith. Most of them involve: Will I trust Jesus with this or will I bail out in annoyance, anger, self-pity, or complaining?

The Holy Spirit often reminds me that doctors told my parents I would not live beyond sixteen years. God said otherwise. I’m eighty-five, can still see to thread a needle first try, cook a decent meal, make quilts, stand on one leg more than 10 seconds, and keep my house clean. 

Because of You, Jesus, I can return my soul to that precious rest. You are utterly generous, and have put me where You want me. Then You enable me to see what’s next and how much I need You to confess and repent of old bad habits. Some say old age is scary or lonely, but for me, it is never boring!

 

Casting and Resting in Christ

Stress is an odd enemy. My head says that I trust God and that all will be well, but my body is not listening. We go to the hospital and see our granddaughter in casts and bandages, and despite her good humor, and my faith in God as I watch Him bless her with an amazing attitude, my body protests as if the world is falling apart.

I did a search on AI and found that this is common. Even though the mind is relaxed, it takes the body time to catch up. This search gave these solutions: Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help prevent muscle spasms and inflammation. Be mindful of my posture when sitting, standing, and even sleeping to reduce strain on my muscles. Do some gentle exercise and stretching. Eat well and make sure I get enough calcium and vitamin D. And finally, incorporate stress-management techniques into my daily routine. 

Here is where biblical truths come in. These verses come to mind:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7)
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18)

In the NT church, Christians were scattered and suffered. Their worries targeted their faith and most certainly their bodies felt the tensions. Casting all care on the Lord was not about pretending life was fine, but to trust that Christ’s care is deeper than fears and stresses. 

Just before Peter calls me to cast my cares on Jesus, he says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1 Peter 5:6) Monday during Bible study I stressed that I cannot obey God apart from the Holy Spirit. Being helpless is the key to obedience because helplessness means I must depend on the Lord and not on any DIY method. This is the only way I can do it. Otherwise, I will try in my own strength.

One writer says, “Faith casts its cares because it has surrendered its self-reliance. Pride clings to control; faith releases it into the hands that were pierced for us. The gospel alone makes such surrender possible, because in the cross we see that God’s mighty hand is not against us but for us. The One who bore our sins also bears our sorrows.”

While the solutions AI gave are not a magical cure for stress management (AI does not know Jesus), the principle is there. Trusting God does not take away the stress of life or make me not care and become passive. His care is there and when I trust Him, my mind is given joy and eventually that proper time for exaltation comes, usually quicker than expected. 

Monday, I handled stress with truth. Tuesday, my body suffered incredible pain. I gave it all to Jesus, accepting it as His will. Wednesday the pain was gone. This is a spiritual war about being obedient to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30), a battle that totally mystifies my doctor.

PRAY: So as I cast my stresses and the struggles of our granddaughter on You, the enemy wants me to worry and be anxious. Yet You are having Your way in her life — and I must not let concerns for her control my faith in You. I cannot base my confidence on nonchalance or what I hope will happen, but on Your grace, trusting that Your will is the important thing. Also, it helps to know that bodily reactions to stress and not the indicator of Your love and mercy. You will do what You will do, regardless of my aches or lack of aches. I will drink enough water and eat right and so on, but I will also pray without ceasing, casting my cares on You with thanksgiving, and experience whatever You send, trusting You to have Your way in her life, and in mine. You care and have all the strength I need. That is enough to give me rest. 

 

More than just putting my feet up . . .

 

Yesterday I reorganized my studio, moved furniture and tossed extras. I slept well, am sore in several places today, and plan not to work as hard. I need a day of rest.

When God created on six days, this is exactly what He did on the seventh day; He quit working — not for the same reasons (God does not get tired or ache) but gave us a pattern for a regular cessation of activity. Not only do we need it, but this also foreshadows that final heavenly rest.

REST comes from several Hebrew words and one Greek word. Nûaḥ is often used to describe stopping activity and in this sense is a synonym for šābat related to “Sabbath.” Both are used to describe God resting on the seventh day. While hundreds of other verses describe human resting or ceasing activity in the “rest” of death, some verses describe God giving people a “promised land” rest from enemies, with safety and security. Again, this foreshadows our final resting place as described in Hebrews 3:7-4:13.

Related to the noun Sabbath, the OT word šābat is used to describe what God did on that seventh day when He “rested” from the work of creation. Also, when He gave His people manna in the wilderness, He supplied enough for two days on the sixth day so they could rest on the seventh day. They were to observe the Sabbath as a sign of the perpetual covenant with the Lord.

Exodus 34:21. “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.”

By the time Jesus came, this idea of ceasing labor had become a list of rules. Some continue to this day and my gas stove even has a Sabbath mode on it! Back then, Jesus was criticized for healing on the Sabbath. The religious leaders told Him that His disciples should not take care of their needs on that day.

Mark 2:23–27. One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

The NT word anapauō means “to gain relief by resting” such as ceasing from toil or to rest in the sense of bringing something to completion. It is also used of spiritual refreshment. Jesus said . . .

Matthew 11:28–29. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Jesus contrasts rest with anxiety about life and fear of being without earthly possessions. He told a parable about a farmer who thought he could rest when his barns were full but Jesus pointed out that true rest comes from knowing our loving Father in heaven provides all we need. This rest comes from the Spirit of God as 1 Peter 4:14 indicates: “If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.”

Heavenly rest is not an eternity without activity. In Revelation, rest refers to four things: we will never cease worshiping the Lord, those in hell will never rest in their torment, those who die before Christ’s return are told to rest as they wait for their vindication, and those who die in the Lord will rest from their labors:

Revelation 14:13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. All this said, I also understand that resting in the Lord is ceasing my efforts to run my own life. Sabbath rest is not just one day a week but every day — trusting Him and His way over my efforts and ideas. It is living by listening and obedience, by being calm and without stress over the little and big things that life hands me. I might be working hard or lying on the sofa— yet as I listen to His still small voice, He tells me when to get busy and when to have a nap — either way, because of Jesus I can experience His rest.