After much debate, in January I began using the Bible Recap Bible reading plan. One of the biggest reasons for my hesitation in using this plan was I feared the daily reading would be too lengthy, not allowing ample time to dig in and really learn from scripture. It would dishonest of me to say I never rush through just to mark it off my list for the day. However, I will also willingly admit that it has been good for me to slow down and read stories/Biblical history that I haven’t taken the time to dig into in quite some time. For those of you not familiar with the Bible Recap, it is a chronological Bible reading plan. Which means that most of our time has been spent in Genesis and Exodus so far. There was a slight detour through the book of Job, but otherwise we’ve been in the first two books of the Bible. 

Do you ever feel like you are too old, or even perhaps too young to make a difference for God? It’s an honest question and one that I’ve debated and struggled with as of late (the too old part, just to be clear). You’ve got to love how God works! It’s no accident that my readings have been about older people in Biblical history, who God used in miraculous ways, just as I’m struggling with the question of am I too old to be used by God. In Genesis we read about Abraham and Sarah who didn’t even start a family until they were in their twilight years. You’ve got Jacob who didn’t get married until his forties and was older than that when he wrestled with God and received the name Israel. Then we move to Exodus and meet Moses and Aaron who were both in their eighties when God used them to lead his people, the nation of Israel (direct decedents of Abraham-God fulling his promise) out of slavery. 

James 1:4 says “Let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking nothing.”  Let’s break down a few of these words so that we fully understand what this verse means. 

Endurance means the ability to withstand hardship or suffering, or the ability to sustain a prolonged or stressful activity. In other words, the ability to stick with something or perseverance. 

Full effect meaning not part way or half, but all the way full.

Mature means completed natural growth and development, attaining a final or desired state or stage.

Lacking nothing meaning just what it says, there is nothing more you need.

Keeping those words in mind, let’s jump back to Exodus 8-12 where we read about the plagues that God used to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Have you ever wondered why there needed to be so many? I’ll be honest and say I’d never really thought about it much until recently. Perhaps God is simply growing Moses and Aaron through endurance, teaching them to depend on Him and fully obey His instructions? We read several times in these chapters “so that everyone will know that I am the LORD”. God isn’t being slow here – He is growing His leaders, and His people. Think about what may have happened if Moses would have been a much younger man and God would have only used one plague? Would Moses have learned to fully depend on God, or would he have quickly forgotten that it was God, not Him doing the leading.

We live in an impatient society, we hate to wait for anything. We tend to rush pretty much everything, including growing up. Our kids can’t wait to drive, live on their own and start their own families. As adults we can’t wait to get that new house, new job, take that dream vacation or see our kids succeed. Those are all natural feelings, the problem comes when we feel like God is taking too long so we try to help him out. Which is just foolish – in doing so we are basically doing the same thing Abraham and Sarah did. By trying to rush God, we set ourselves up to miss God and the work He is doing in us and possibly around us. We are not allowing “endurance to have its full effect”. Guilty! It’s hard to wait! There have been so many times when I’ve done exactly this, only to make things worse and extend the waiting time. God doesn’t need our help!

The point – don’t give up! God’s got this and you! If you are feeling weary, tell God. Allow Him to sustain you. Find a friend to confide in, one that is willing to walk with you through the waiting. Lean into God more fully and completely, throw caution to the wind and give him every single bit of your trust. 

Secondly, you are not too old! If God has called you to something, then He wants you there regardless of your age. You know in Matthew 28:19-20 when Jesus tells his followers to go make disciples. He doesn’t put an age restriction on it, He just says go and do. Not a single one of us too old or too young. Age is just a number and God is bigger than any number!