Living Well To 80 And Beyond

I’ve read many news articles recently about how to live healthier in your 70’s. The advice usually includes things like exercise and nutrition, along with having positive relationships with family and friends. Those are all important, but I’d like to add an important insight from God’s Word that you may find helpful as you approach 70, 80, or even 90.

Moses wrote these words in Psalm 90 –

“The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are” eighty years.”

Nehemiah wrote these words –

“Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Each of these verses have an important interpretation in their context, so that’s important to understand and consider. We don’t want to miss that or take Scripture out of context.

As for the ‘strength’ that Moses wrote about in Psalm 90, where does someone in their 70’s get strength to live to be 80? I’m thinking about that more as I am now in my late 70’s, so I thought it might be helpful to share some thoughts with you.

Life is Hard

My father, who lived to be 96, often said: “Life is hard, and then you die.” I think he said those words with ‘tongue-in-cheek,’ but there is some truth to it. Those of us who have lived into our 70’s and look back on life would probably agree that life is hard. Even people who are much younger might agree, especially those who have suffered physically or mentally.

Jesus Christ told His disciples that they would have ‘trouble’ in this life. That would be because of their being His followers, but there’s a general truth that life is hard. It’s important to remember what God told Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden after they disobeyed Him:

“To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.’ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:16-19

We live in a cursed and fallen world because of ‘sin.’ Life will be hard, and then we will die.

King Solomon also wrote about the challenges of life in Ecclesiastes. His final thought was this –

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

It’s important that we keep the end of life in view even as we live our lives. Life is hard, or as Solomon wrote at the beginning of Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” Vanity is a translation of the Hebrew word hebel and means ‘futility, emptiness.’ It comes from a root word that means ‘breath, vapor.’

That is a reminder that our life is short, like a vapor. Solomon’s father, King David, wrote these verses –

“Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.” Psalm 39:5

“As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.” Psalm 103:15-16

While those verses may sound a bit negative, David added this in Psalm 103 –

“But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children.” verse 17

Hope and Joy

King David had a tough life, but he almost always ended his poems (Psalms) with words of hope and joy. God’s Spirit gave David wonderful insight into how to balance a hard life with the joy that comes from believing in the power and goodness of God.

One example is Psalm 60 –

“O God, You have cast us off; You have broken us down; You have been displeased; Oh, restore us again! You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it; Heal its breaches, for it is shaking. You have shown Your people hard things; You have made us drink the wine of confusion.” verses 1-3

David was fighting many battles and struggling at times. They were hard times for him and his army. David asked God for victory:

“You have given a banner to those who fear You, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and hear me.” (verses 4-5)

He ended the Psalm with a strong sense of hope in what God would do:

“Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.” (verse 12)

Here are two other examples from how David had great hope and joy even in the midst of tough circumstances –

“Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray … For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Psalm 5:1-2, 12

“Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation’ … Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, ‘Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.’ And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.” Psalm 35:1-3, 27-28

We see this same mindset throughout the Bible. God’s people suffered, but many saw hope and joy in their relationship with God. It’s that example that reminded me of the words of Moses and Nehemiah. Our strength to face all of life’s challenges, including aging, comes from the Lord. Because of that we can rejoice!

As for the ‘hope’ of the Christian, the Apostle Paul explained it this way –

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14

Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior, is our ‘blessed hope’ as we await his ‘glorious appearing.’ Christians look not to just aging well then dying; we are ‘eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body’ (Romans 8:23).

Thankfulness and Joy

Another key for enjoying living well to 80 and beyond is having an attitude of joy and thankfulness. The Apostle Paul wrote this to the Christians in Philippi encouraging them to rejoice and be thankful –

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

Older people often have more time and more reasons to pray. Paul told Christians of all ages that whether they prayed general or specific prayers, they should pray ‘with thanksgiving.’ Notice that the attitude of thanksgiving preceded making ‘requests’ to God. Paul’s apostolic promise was that ‘the peace of God’ would ‘guard’ their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I have found that praying with a ‘spirit of thanksgiving’ helps me greatly. Rejoicing in all things and being thankful in all things goes a long way to making our spirits lighter and more attuned to God’s will for our lives. That goes a long way to helping us have strength in our 70’s, 80’s, and beyond.

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

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