Gleaning Wisdom From Senior Citizens
In our nation the population of those 65 and older number is nearly 50 million, or about one in every seven Americans. What a rich deposit of talent, skill, and wisdom many of those seniors have that they could share with younger people.
King David prayed, “God, now that I’m old and gray, don’t walk away. Give me grace to demonstrate to the next generation all your mighty miracles and your excitement, to show them your magnificent power!” (Psalm 71:18 TPT).
Consider this quote: “Judaism appreciates gray hair as a symbol of experience, character and wisdom. My father always spoke of his love for each of his gray hairs as an eloquent reminder, he said, of how important it was to make every present moment count.”– Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Couldn’t the younger generation use spiritual fathers and mothers with gray hairs to help them realize and accomplish their destiny? Perhaps to help them avoid some of the mistakes they themselves made along the way—in family, workplace, and social relationships. Why not dig deep into their wells of experience? Peter wrote the early church: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10-11a NIV)
Some person-to-person meetings might work these days if masks are worn and social distancing is observed. But another possibility is for churches to set up “Seniors Helping Juniors” groups with virtual connections. Using computers and smart phones are great ways for one-on-one sharing. I have used these in the past.
Here is an older woman’s prayer asking God to use her to mentor younger women, taken from our newest book, Warfare Prayers for Women:
Here Am I; Use Me
Lord, we seniors have a wealth of wisdom, knowledge and experience we could share with younger women. Our talent and skills for certain tasks should not be wasted just because we are older. Open the door to opportunities for me to help others succeed in their callings. If there are younger women You want me to mentor, please bring them my way and help us connect our generations. I want to be an encourager, a prayer partner, a teacher to impart something positive into a few women coming behind me. I refuse the enemy’s interference in Your chosen plan for our meeting and mutually learning from one another. Thank you, Lord, for the ways You will cause this to happen. May I be vigilant to share more about Your love and Your desire to equip us to do Your will, Amen.
Old Age Scriptures: “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12 NIV).
“The righteous will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green, declaring the Lord is upright.” (Psalm 92:14,15a NIV).
Quote: Eugenia Price, a Christian who tried to keep her novels historically accurate, said: “Research for my earliest St. Simons [Georgia] stories came out of the brains of the oldest people I could find. God walks very naturally among these people.”
Prayer excerpted from our book Warfare Prayers for Women , Available on Amazon.
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