Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4, NIV

 

What a poignant, comforting promise from God is found in our verse today. It reflects God’s faithful compassion and love for his people, even when they age and their hair turns grey, and shows how he understands human frailty. He precedes this verse with, “... I have upheld [you] since you were conceived, and have carried you since birth.” (Isaiah 46:3b)

 

How precious is that? God is present from before our first breath and then remains as a faithful Friend through every stage of life; and now he promises to carry, sustain and rescue his people in old age.

 

Beautifully illustrated in Genesis 24:1-10, this theme takes up with Abraham, the man known as “the Friend of God” (James 2:23), who is now well advanced in years but is still walking in deep trust with him. Abraham is faced with a vital mission – to find a wife for Isaac, his son. Abraham’s confidence isn’t in his own wisdom and strategies, but in God’s faithfulness, and so he entrusts the assignment to his faithful servant, Eliezer.

 

In a wonderful testimony to God’s friendship, Abraham knew exactly what to do to keep in line with God’s promises to him, which also showed Eliezer his continued faith in God, as he instructed him to swear by God, the one true God, whom he worshipped; he, too, would see how God answered prayer and provide yet again for his master. And God did not disappoint.

 

Eliezer prayed, and God answered. “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” (Genesis 24:27) There’s no mistaking Eliezer’s joy at the success of this significant mission and his awe at what God has done through him. His words are a beautiful testimony to God’s unwavering presence in Abraham’s life.

 

Abraham’s story is a testimony to the lifelong friendship God invites us to. His trust, even in old age, reveals how a life rooted in God brings peace, purpose and provision. God cares for each one of us. Don’t we stand in awe of how when we put our trust in God and become his friend, he works out even the most intricate details in our lives from beginning to end?

 

Are you allowing God to do that for you?

 

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being our faithful friend for life, and for reminding us that no matter our age or season, you are near, ready to carry, sustain and rescue us. We trust in your provision and guidance, just as Abraham did. Help us to lean on you in every season, and rejoice in your unfailing love. Amen