By Andrew Williams
Then Joseph brought in his father, Jacob, and presented him to Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. “How old are you?” Pharaoh asked him. Jacob replied, “I have traveled this earth for 130 hard years. But my life has been short compared to the lives of my ancestors.” Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before leaving his court.
Genesis 47:7-10 NLT
Good morning fellow disciples.
I am very grateful that I grew up around my grandparents at different times in my life. I also grew up around a lot of older people. I was also very blessed that these persons were God fearing people. Because of this I have a love and appreciation for the elderly.
I love to listen to their stories. I love to learn from their life experiences. There is so much wisdom to gain from them. Their views on life have helped to shape my thought process.
In Genesis 47:7-10 NLT, we see the elderly Jacob blessing Pharaoh the king of Egypt. The king of Egypt honored the patriarch of Joseph’s family. Later on, before he died Jacob blessed his 12 sons.
We should also honor the older persons in our families and the families of others. Because of their age and their life experiences, we can learn a lot from them. We honor them by listening to them and spending time with them.
Are you grateful for the elderly persons in your life?
How do you show your gratitude and how do you give thanks to God for them?
Do you go and visit them?
Do you sit and talk with them?
Do you pray for them?
Do you ask them to pray for you, and bless you?
Prayer: Father God, You have given long lives to many. We know so many elderly persons who are still alive and we thank You for them. We are so grateful for them, Lord, and we thank You for placing them in our lives.
Some are not alive now, but we thank You for the roles that they played in our lives.
Help us to not only be thankful to You, but to also show our gratitude, love, and honor to those who are still with us. Help us to humble ourselves before them and receive the blessings that they will proclaim over us. May we always honor them and let them know that they are truly appreciated. Amen.
Amen