“Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:3–4)

When we are young, concern for the future may be the furthest thing from our thoughts, but as we age we become more cognizant of our diminishing strength and declining health. While these changes become our new reality and may occupy our thoughts and discourage us, they come as no surprise to the God who made us and sustains us.

In Psalm 71, the author begins by proclaiming God as his “rock,” “hope,” and “refuge:” “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth” (v. 5). However, along with these declarations of trust, he then lifts prayers to the Lord expressing many of the same aging concerns we experience today: “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth” (v. 9); “now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not” (v. 18).

These cares are nothing to be ashamed of but are just the kind of concerns that God wants us to lift up to Him: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7); “cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee” (Psalm 55:22). If you find similar worries crowding your mind, hold fast to God’s assurance of His faithfulness to His beloved children (37:28). All the way from the womb to the tomb, He will carry you! DWR