What’s the difference between being 20 and being 70? Really, it’s pretty simple. The 20-year-old mind and body are pretty much on the same page. Not so with the 70-year-old mind and body. If you’re anything like me, you think at 70 you can still do the things you could do at 20. Your mind is playing tricks on you … trust me!
Job started out pretty good, great even. Then he ran into some difficulties – not unlike the difficulties many of us have encountered. It is safe to say that eventually, through God’s prompting, Job’s mind and body agreed. Re-read the first six verses again. Mind, mouth and body have come into agreement. This is who I am, this is what I really think, this is my physical response. God responds in God-like fashion. Prompting Job to pray for his friends, he accepts Job’s prayer and showers him with an incredible new life.
It seems to me that if we compare the first half of our walk with God with the last half, (however old you might be), we might agree with the songwriter who sings; “I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then.” We’d like a do-over. But isn’t it just like our gracious God to redeem, restore, rebuild or whatever “re” you are inclined to use — to bless Job abundantly more in his later years than in his former years? So, here’s the deal, with what you’ve learned, what blessings you have, what God-graced opportunities are there for you — let the latter part of your life be so much more blessed than the former because you have been called by God and are obedient to that call. Don’t forget to read verse 17.
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way; to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
David Van Huisen
