Abraham

The older I get, the more “senior moments” I have. You know what those are, don’t you? Where you try to pull up a name or place from your memory but there’s nothing in your head? At first you get angry with yourself, but as time goes on you just think less of yourself. Everybody knows that the older you get, the more wrinkly and saggy your skin gets, your hair thins out, your eyesight dims, and your hearing fades. In other words, seniors should just be quiet and get out of the way. Right?

Wrong! God strenuously disagrees. He used some super seniors to advance his kingdom in some significant ways. When he saw how spiritually bankrupt and rebellious the generations after the great flood had become, he decided to build a nation of believers out of one couple. But the job was too important for young people. He needed seniors. “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’” (Genesis 12:1).

Abraham was 75 and Sarah 65 when they were directed to leave their comfortable home and way of life and head to Canaan hundreds of miles away. Age 75! Abraham had been getting AARP mailings for 25 years already, and God had him and Sarah start over in life. God’s choice was perfect. They accomplished their mission. Abraham finally became a father at age 99.

We call him the father of believers.