Lama Smith lay most hours in bed. She was confided to a residential care home in West Tennessee. I was a young minister who enjoyed going to visit her. She was a former English teacher and faithful Christian lady. She was in her late 80s. She had constant intestinal and abdominal pain. I would go visit and enjoy her stories from years gone by. She would often wonder out-loud at why she was still living. She struggling with patience to endure the pain. Then she would answer this question with an affirmation that she trusted in the providence of God.
You or I could insert many other names with similar stories. Many elderly feel useless for the Lord. They wonder why they are still living. They struggle with joy, purpose, and meaning. These feelings are not limited to shut-ins, but many who attend church weekly feel unproductive and useless in the church. Their health is failing. They were once active and busy, and now they wonder what role can they play in the church. Do they still have a purpose?
I didn’t know Psalm 92 when I visited Ms. Lama Smith. Recently I discovered it and preached from this text.
It says:
“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the LORD; They flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age, they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” (Psalm 92:12-15).
Notice the images used to describe the righteous and their bearing fruit in old age.
- The Palm Tree
- Palm trees flourish in the midst of dry, arid climates. They bend, but do not break in fierce storms. Their outside bark becomes weathered, scared, and beaten, but they live on because their life is in their heart. It is said that their fruit becomes sweeter with age. The ancients used almost every part of the tree.
by rich2201 at www.sxc.hu
- The Cedar Tree of Lebanon
- The Cedar like the palm is an evergreen. They have an extremely strong root system and their wood is resistant to insects. It was the wood of choice for the temple and rich homes. These trees are said to live for over 2000 years. They grow between 120 – 150 feet in the air. Their image conveys strength, beauty, and stability.
by bugdog at www.sxc.hu
This is how God describes the aged righteous. Faithful children of God need to remember their value and worth to God does not come from what they do. God understands their health and physical limitations. But their purpose is to declare that the LORD is upright. They are like a palm or cedar, ever green and full of spiritual life. They continue to stand strong for God in faith through years, pain, death, and sorrow. Us younger brethren look to them standing strong in the temple of God holding forth the faith. They declare that the LORD is their rock!
To all of the Lama Smith’s of the world we say thank you.
Continue to be palm and cedar trees for us. You are not useless, your faith and endurance encourage us.
Your prayers change heaven and earth.
Your wisdom shapes the future.
Your hope inspires perseverance.
Keep standing despite the storms.
