Fresh and Flourishing

We think of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as great patriarchs of the faith, and indeed they are. But they were pretty flawed people too.

Abraham, as godly as he was, had serious lapses in his faith. Isaac was biased and didn’t listen to the Lord. Jacob’s mistakes are legendary.

So when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush and said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6 NLT), I think He was telling Moses that He was giving him a second chance.

I think God was saying, “Moses, I am the God of men who have failed and who need second chances. I am the God of ordinary men and women who have accomplished extraordinary things. That means I can use you.”

Moses was 80 years old, an age when people are long past retirement. This shows us that God has a plan for every stage of our lives. God wants to use us when we’re young. God wants to use us when were middle-aged. And God wants to use us when we’re old.

Researchers have done extensive studies on those who have entered retirement. People who chose to live a life of leisure or no longer had any purpose in life died at a younger age. And in a study that followed 7,000 people at the age of 50 for more than a decade, experts found that people died at a younger age if they felt their lives had little purpose.

As a Christian, your life has purpose. God has allowed you to go through all that you’ve gone through to mold you into the man or woman that He wants you to be. You have something to offer. You have something to do. God still wants to use you.