{"id":2306,"date":"2015-07-28T13:47:16","date_gmt":"2015-07-28T17:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/?p=2306"},"modified":"2015-07-28T13:47:16","modified_gmt":"2015-07-28T17:47:16","slug":"a-prayer-to-grow-old-gracefully-fruitfully-and-strong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2015\/07\/a-prayer-to-grow-old-gracefully-fruitfully-and-strong.html","title":{"rendered":"A Prayer to Grow Old Gracefully, Fruitfully, and Strong"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even in old age they will still produce fruit;<\/span><\/strong><\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>they will remain vital and green. (Psalm 92:14)<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I will be your God throughout your lifetime\u2014<\/strong><\/em>
\n until your hair is white with age.<\/strong><\/em>
\nI made you, and I will care for you.<\/strong><\/em>
\n I will carry you along and save you. (Isaiah 46:4)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

He fills my life with good things.<\/strong><\/em>
\n My youth is renewed like the eagle\u2019s! (Psalm 103:5)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Even youths will become weak and tired,<\/strong><\/em>
\n and young men will fall in exhaustion.<\/strong><\/em>
\nBut those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.<\/strong><\/em>
\n They will soar high on wings like eagles.<\/strong><\/em>
\nThey will run and not grow weary.<\/strong><\/em>
\n They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30,31)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I looked at Mark’s goatee\u00a0the other day and was amazed! It is getting whiter and whiter. \u00a0I accidentally took a selfie early this morning when I meant to send our son a picture of our puppy, and I was even more amazed \u2013 make that slightly mortified! We are growing old! Oh my, the world has dictated a lie to us all, and the lie is this: only youth is valuable; the elderly must be put out to pasture. By no means will we buy into that lie! Old age has immense\u00a0merit \u2013 we have unearthly wisdom that the whole world can benefit from. Come on, all you middle-aged friends and seniors! Let’s rejoice in God’s promise to us who are climbing the ladder of time, to us whose youth is renewed, to us who are growing more and more fruitful with age, to us who live vibrant lives that are full of meaning and joy!<\/p>\n

Father,<\/em><\/p>\n

I give you thanks and praise for your promises to me as I age. With your presence in my life, I will still be productive, every day of my life until you take me home! And everyday I’m here you will care for me with your watchful eye. You will carry me through every triumph and every trial. Thank you that you are giving me a satisfying life that is filled with good things every day. You are opening my eyes to the good things around me, and gratitude is becoming my habitual response to your blessing! Thank you that I can outrun the youngsters around me, setting a standard for what a strong life looks like, a life dedicated to you in obedience. Thank you that with your everlasting help, I can soar over every circumstance of life!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In Jesus, the Lord of my life, Amen!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even in old age they will still produce fruit; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0they will remain vital and green. (Psalm 92:14) I will be your God throughout your lifetime\u2014 until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. (Isaiah 46:4) He fills my life…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,15,7,4,25,3,1],"tags":[1260,1257,1254,1255,1256,1259,1261,1258],"class_list":["post-2306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-bible-prayer","category-daily-prayer","category-god","category-jesus","category-prayer","category-uncategorized","tag-culture","tag-elderly","tag-growing-old","tag-senior-citizens","tag-seniors","tag-younsters","tag-youth-only-culture","tag-youth-renewed"],"yoast_head":"\nA Prayer to Grow Old Gracefully, Fruitfully, and Strong<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2015\/07\/a-prayer-to-grow-old-gracefully-fruitfully-and-strong.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Prayer to Grow Old Gracefully, Fruitfully, and Strong\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even in old age they will still produce fruit; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0they will remain vital and green. 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