I almost didn’t write this one, but I think it is something worth considering for each of us, regardless of our age. There is no time in your life where God cannot use someone in some way, shape or form. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you’ve got a job to do for God.

Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:4-5 NLT)

Abram has lived his whole life in one location and built his herds, flocks, entourage, and wealth over the course of many years. Surely at 75, he’s getting ready to retire and slow down (for a moment, let’s just ignore that in these times, people lived longer!) But let’s just imagine that God’s call for you comes at an age when you might think that the best part of your life is over and finished. And the new direction is something you’ve never considered before.

In our world, this is a challenge. We spend many years working and investing in different places, hoping to build wealth and security in order to enjoy life and retirement. We all look forward to this period as one where we can enjoy and appreciate all the things we’ve missed. The danger is that we map all our life out so well that there’s no room for God to break in.

God tends to call someone when they least expect it and ask them to walk with Him into something you might never dream about.

I read a story recently about a couple in Queensland who were school teachers. They got to early retirement age and watched friends purchase caravans or head off overseas on holidays. They both really wanted not to rush, but to stay available to God, so they dared in a season of prayer to ask Him for His leading. God called them to minister to a refugee camp in Syria with over 2 million people and no running water. It meant they needed to give away the immediate dreams and entitlements of life, learn a new language, find a way to meaningfully connect with Muslim people and embrace whatever God wanted them to do.

You are never too old for God. You are never beyond being used by Him. What gets in the road is us.

Question to Ponder: Do you ever feel like God has finished with you? Are you willing to be available to Him, without reservation, regardless of how many years you might have lived?