“Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.” (Job 12:12 NLT)

“Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age.” (Job 32:7 NLT)

“The gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.” (Proverbs 20:29b NLT)

There are a few things that I cherish in this life, and hopefully, you’d be surprised by the list. Very few possessions are on that list, and the few that make it have little or no monetary value. Take those old battered cassettes, for example. For the younger folk, I should explain that cassettes were an early recording method that has gone the way of the reel-to-reel tape and the eight-track. I was so concerned that I would lose the ability to play them that I had them transcribed into digital form and put on my computer.

So, what is so important that I went to all this trouble? The cassettes held eight hours of conversation with my grandfather, who died in 1984 at the age of 89. The conversations ranged from life experiences to words of wisdom. They share his life, from a young man trying to make his way in this world, to an older — and wiser — elder, who spoke and had many listen to the wisdom and knowledge that he shared.

Grampy seems to be getting wiser the older I get, especially as I replay parts of his life that correspond to mine. Sometimes, it seems that he is talking with me, instead of just being a voice from decades past.

The Bible has that same effect on me. Words that I have known all my life suddenly speak as if directly and only to me. I often hear them as if for the very first time, and yes, they guide and direct me in ways that I could not have imagined a decade or two ago.

I hope that you have such voices that call you to faithful living. I pray that mentors and members of your family long gone are still sharing words of wisdom with you. Take a moment today to listen anew to those who have gone before us.

“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.” (Hebrews 12:1 CEV)

Prayer: “All Gracious God, You have given me all I am and have, and now I give it back to You to stand under Your will alone. In a special way I give You these later years of my life. I am one of those called by You into old age, a call not given to all, not given to Jesus, not given to most in our world today. I humbly ask You, grace me deeply in each aspect of that struggle.” Amen. (Moya Hanlen)

Copyright © 2022, by Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>, first published on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional presbycan.ca .
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada

Reprinted from PresbyCan with author’s permission