A Prayer As We Grow Older

The truth is that everyone will grow older. After a few years, an infant will become someone who is part of society’s workforce. A kid dreaming of what to become will, after a decade, become someone with his or her own family. Also, someone who just started their own family will eventually find their sons and daughters having a family of their own. In other words, we all grow old as time passes by.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the years that You have given me and for each year that I was able to grow older to witness Your faithfulness, grace, and mercy. May the mercy that You give me never go to waste and may I  continue to grow as a Christian day by day and year by year. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What Does the Bible Say About Growing Older?

Though it’s not everyone’s experience, growing old is generally viewed negatively in our culture’s perspective. It is like an impending destiny and reality that some people try to avoid as much as they can. You will find people who do not want to grow old physically and so have different sorts of cosmetic procedures and treatments done to keep them looking young. Some even try to figure out how to be immortal by financing companies that research it. On the other hand, others try to deny their age. You find middle-aged people or those approaching middle age saying that they are still young. Or even if they are in their 40s or late 30s, they say they are still twenty at heart. While there is certainly nothing wrong with that way of thinking, it does become troubling if it is used to avoid the reality of one’s growing old.

While most of the world sees old age as something to be avoided or to be ashamed of, the Bible looks at old age differently—as something to be proud of. In (Proverbs 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of splendor;  it is attained in the way of righteousness.) it is written that gray hair is a crown of glory, and it is gained through a righteous life. But why is that so? Why is gray hair a crown of glory? The answer is that old age is something to be proud of (not that you boast in yourself, but only in the LORD) since it is gained only through a righteous life, as the passage says. The book of Proverbs always emphasizes how the fear of the LORD – leading to walking in wisdom, blamelessness, and righteousness – will find life, righteousness, and honor.

That is why those who trust God and walk in wisdom and the fear of Him find life. Such wisdom is life to the soul and adornment to the neck; it allows them to have peace, walk securely, and have a long life in their right hand (Proverbs 3). They are not afraid, no matter what trouble comes. However, for the wicked it is different; trouble is expected to come to them due to their sins. Proverbs 2 shows us the value of wisdom and living righteously and that growing old is just one of life’s many benefits.

That is why, in Proverbs 20:29, it is written that the glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. Young men may boast about their physical strength and vigor, but older men speak with wisdom that they have accumulated through years of experience in life—walking in God’s path, consuming His Word, and fearing Him. All of this is by the grace of God.

How to Pray as You Grow Older

Now that we know that growing old is a good thing, you can pray to God that as you get older, you do so through living in wisdom born of the fear of the LORD. Just because someone is old does not mean they are living a righteous and wise life, just as not all old people are believers. So, as you age, pray to God that you will always walk in the fear of the LORD, for that is the beginning of wisdom.

Heavenly Father, as I grow older, may I continually and deeply walk in the fear of You and behold every day Your holiness and glory so that I may revere You, trust You, and always walk in Your paths. May I always walk in wisdom, seek it, and live by it. Help me value Your Word and have my mind continually renewed day by day as I read it. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Another prayer you can pray as you grow older is one for spiritual maturity. Being spiritually mature means having godly wisdom and being able to discern what is right and wrong and what is good, acceptable, and pleasing to God. Spiritual maturity also means one has grown in the knowledge of God and the things of God—learning more about what His Word says and living it out. It is also a way of thinking, and that is why getting into God’s Word and renewing our minds is essential—it shapes our thinking. (Hebrews 5:14; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 2:6; 1 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.)

Father in heaven, I pray that as my biological age progresses, I will also mature emotionally and spiritually. May I grow in godly wisdom and be a person who always exercises prudence and discretion. Help me perceive and respond to matters in life in a way shaped by Your Word. May I also grow in my knowledge of You and apply it in my everyday life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

While walking in the fear of the LORD, remaining righteous is necessary for us so we can live wisely and get that gray hair, which is our crown of glory. Yet, in the end, all the glory still belongs to God. Why? It is because it is still His grace and mercy that guides you and helps you walk in His paths and see His glory. This way, you may behold Him and live in holiness just as you have seen His holiness.