God Can Still Use You No Matter Your Age
So often, we hear of people talk about how God used them in the past. They talk about the “glory days” of their youth where they worked tirelessly to spread the Gospel. They put in countless hours helping the poor, feeding the hungry or sitting with a friend. The conversation is always in the past. However, the “glory days” don’t necessarily have to be in the past. God can still use you, no matter your age.
Look at Moses. He was forty when he tried to help his fellow Israelites and killed the Egyptian.
“When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.
Acts 7:23 (ESV)
Moses then ran away and was gone for forty more years before he was approached by God. Moses was 80 years old!
30 “Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
Acts 7:30 (ESV)
Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Exodus 7:7(ESV)
I know that the average lifespan seemed longer back then. Moses was the leader of his people until he was 120 years old.
Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.
Deuteronomy 34:7 (ESV)
What Can You Do?
But the point is, in a lot of cases, God can still use you, no matter your age. If you still have the ability to read and speak, you can read the Bible to someone who can’t. You can broadcast your message online using free sites like Blogger or YouTube. You can greet people who walk through the doors of your church and show newcomers the love of Jesus. You can simply sit with someone who is ill or bedridden and offer comfort. At my last church, there was an elderly lady who sat in her pew and shook her tambourine during worship.
For years I wanted to go to other countries and do missions work. I was able to do it once, and I loved it. I thought that was to be my calling. But my plans and God’s plans were different. I was really disappointed and felt that I had become too old to do the things I wanted to do. However, I heard something from God that told me His plan for me.
About a year ago we moved to a place that I thought I’d never live in again. We found a church that is filled with the Holy Spirit. But, I didn’t know my place in that church. I told God that I was willing to do whatever He asked.
In less than a year, I assisted with the church satellite plant, a new ministry for the middle school kids, and started a life group in my home for women. I wasn’t expecting a response to my promise to come so quickly, but it did. Today, while helping with middle school ministry, I heard from God.
God Made It Clear
I was watching the kids and seeing how some of them were really getting the message. I felt the Spirit tell me that those kids needed to hear the message just as much as kids in other countries. Just because we have free access to Bibles and can attend church without fear doesn’t mean that we’re hearing the truth about God. And, hearing the truth and understanding are two different things. The small part that I play helps the bigger picture.
Praise Jesus, I finally got it! Instead of bemoaning how I never got to go and help overseas and that I’m now too old to do what I wanted, I should be praising the fact that I’m helping church leaders here get the Word to our kids. No matter where you live, you need to hear the message.
My glory days are right now! So are yours. We don’t all have the strength and stamina of Moses. But, God can still you use you. Think about something you can do. Ask God for guidance and wisdom. Let Him speak to you, just be ready to do what He asks.