OO3 Divided
As our seasons change, God promises,
Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.
Isaiah 46:4 ESV
Standing against the sunset sky, this tree wears the living greens of summer’s fullness of life and the russet reds of autumn’s decline— signs of weakening vitality and dryness, of dormancy and falling leaves.
As I approach my eightieth birthday, conflicts between an aging body and a vital spirit strive within my soul. Flesh would surrender and subsist only to eat, sleep, read, watch TV, paint, listen to music and perhaps knit a bit. Flesh would give up on housework and forget every interest that might challenge physical strength and awaken pain. Flesh wants a permanent sabbatical. I often remind God of Moses’ promise to Asher, and ask it for myself.
. . . and as your days, so shall your strength be.
Deuteronomy 33:25 ESV
But spirit— ah charged and recharged by God’s love, spirit rises to challenge flesh, to meet the day; it is still vital, full of unfinished tasks, bored with lazing around, craving to grow and function, still hungry for God and His will.
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Psalm 71:18 ESV
