A Call from Elder Mark
With my gaze on the sky, while seated outside my veranda on a brilliant Saturday evening, I remembered Elder Mark, a man full of wisdom and intelligence. His prayers for me are never-ending, and today, I remember him because my phone rang by 6:35 am this morning, and it was him. He had called to make his usual declarations for me, except this time, he was coughing.
“Uncle, are you fine?” I asked as he prayed for me.
He coughed again and continued to pray for me.
“You would not be tired, my son. You would continue in your good works for the Kingdom of Christ.”
I said Amen repeatedly until I heard him begin to sob. Was Elder Mark crying? “Uncle, is everything alright?” I asked with more concern this time.
“I wish I never stopped, my son. I yielded to the lies of my friends. I gave into the flesh. I used to love the Lord so much that I would preach and teach the gospel everywhere I went. How did I allow friends and the desire to make wealth truncate my passion for Christ? Didn’t we sing the song: we would not trade Him for silver or gold? My son, never give in to the lies of the enemy. Keep up the good work for the kingdom. I pray that the Lord will strengthen you.
“Amen,” I said heartily. It was the first time I would hear Elder Mark cry with so much pain. As I imagined the whole scene, a part of my heart wept with compassion. I knew I should help the elderly people in my world, the most neglected; especially in Africa hence the book ‘Senior Citizens At Home.’
No age limit to achieving great things
Come to think of it… some people have been sold a lie. They believe that purpose can only be achieved at a young age. Did Abraham not start in his 70’s? Who says you cannot fulfill your destiny in Christ because you are old (Acts 13:36)? It is never too late. It is better to start right where you are now than never. You only have to rise and see! See beyond you. See beyond your age and strength. See through your maker and take quantum leaps at 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and beyond.
Make Christ your strength?
Your age is not your strength; your strength is Christ. You’ve got to tell yourself that you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you. It’s time to rise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen within you. Come up hither! You’re still alive today for a purpose, and that purpose in Christ must be fulfilled. It is time to stretch!!!
You may have retired from your earthly work, but trust me, God is still recruiting the young and old alike. Would you allow him to recruit you into a work that would keep you ignited but never retire?
Think through that for a moment while we delve into the story of Daniel.
Who are the senior citizens?
In Daniel 5:1-9, something unusual happened. The king of Babylon, Belshazzar, made a great feast for a thousand of his lords. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar commanded the gold and silver vessels to be brought, which his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem. The king, his princes, wives, and concubines drank from them and praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote, and his countenance was changed, his thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke to the wise men of Babylon; whosoever shall read this writing, and shows me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
From this story, we can interpret the quintessence of senior citizenship. We can state unequivocally that senior citizens are people kings or rulers go to for counsel or guidance, especially in times of distress or trouble. They are often regarded as the wise men of the community and prominent stakeholders. Experienced senior citizens are sought and possibly reassigned to duty in times of great difficulty.
We need senior citizens
Prevalent troubles in our nation have continued to change the countenance of our leaders, and like Belshazzar, their thoughts have continued to plague them. Their loins’ joints have loosened, disorganizing the knees and wheels that would move the nation to greatness. Presidents, leaders, and citizens are all wailing over problems that have defied solutions because of the failures of our leaders who have to usurp divine foundations. National offices are filled with occult men and women who conspired to reject experienced godly senior servants that God chose to deliver nations. Such also explains why educated illiterates, evil worshippers, idolatrous men, and women who conspire against the righteous and true worshippers govern many developing countries.