One of the phases of life when we may become the most anxious about how we will obtain the things that we need to sustain ourselves is when we are getting older, and we realize that we no longer have the strength and stamina we once did. God’s promises apply no less at times when we need them more, and in fact the all-sufficient grace of Christ is
given to us in even greater measure when we need it more (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
As we age, our weaknesses, afflictions, and difficulties will increase in many ways. It is in times like these when God’s grace and power doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves will be clearly manifested as something that He did for us, and not something that we attained through our own strength.
The Scripture reveals that the Lord takes delight not in those who are strong and capable, but in those who put their hope in His unfailing love (Psalm 147:10-11), relying on every promise that He has given to us through His word. Every promise of God given to His people is to be trusted and relied upon; none of them will fail. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5-6).
God promised specifically to sustain His people in their old age when He spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying:
“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth And have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same,
And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you;
And I will bear you and I will deliver you. (Isaiah 46:3-4)
Though we may think that we sustained ourselves in our own strength when we were younger and more physically capable, we have in fact been upheld by the power of God since the time we were conceived and carried by Him since we were born, and He has promised to sustain us and carry us to the end of our journey. When we feel ourselves sinking in fear of the troubles that surround us, let us not doubt, but let us know that our Lord will reach out His hand to sustain us and rescue us, just as He did for Peter. As God’s people we have been given many promises through His word, and among these are His promises of His help and His provision for our lives