No Rest, No Sleep, No Hope—Forever!

I'm not a night owl. I have zero appreciation for those of you who love to stay up into the wee hours of the morning. My eyes begin to droop around 10 p.m. I want my bed. I need my rest and I want it to start long before midnight. Then when 6:30 a.m. comes I'm rested and ready to roll out to begin the new day. I've had my eight and I'm on the way.

Whether you're a lark like me or an owl, one of the huge problems of our day is getting enough sleep. Tons of products promise to put you to sleep. Some work for some. Many don't and they droop along through the day, fighting to keep going. Stress, anxiety and tension follow and soon sickness of one sort or another sets in. Can't sleep, can't work, not gonna make it.

That's what happened to the thousands who were rescued from slavery in Egypt under the leadership of Moses and the saving Hand of the LORD. They didn't make it. It's all recorded in the Biblical Book of Exodus. They made it out, but the foreboding wilderness of Sinai stood between them and the Promised Land. And when they came up to the very borders with orders to march, they caved in. They believed the reports of most of the spies. Those guys are as big as giants; its hopeless, they said. And so Israel turned back in doubt and rebellion toward the heat and horror of the desert. Hebrews puts it this way:

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.' As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall not enter my rest.'" - Hebrews 3:7-11 ESV

No rest for the wicked. And the most wicked thing you can do is to doubt the promises of the loving and forgiving Savior. That's what the Children of Israel did. They gave it up. They threw in their towels. They lost hope and turned to other gods. They didn't, they wouldn't believe in the LORD who brought them out and set them on the path leading to freedom and security. So they invited the anger of the LORD upon themselves.

I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest." Hebrews 3:11 ESV

And the LORD's anger was kindled on that day, and he swore, saying, 'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not wholly followed me, none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the LORD.' And the LORD's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. - Num 32:10-13 ESV 

No rest, no sleep, no hope. That's today's warning for all who once claimed to be members of the household of God in Christ Jesus, but threw it all away in unbelief and rebellion.

Take care, brothers (and sisters), lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. - Hbr 3:12 ESV

It's hell not to be able to sleep in the darkness, plagued by fear, guilt and remorse. It's hell to wander through the house, staring out at the night while everyone around you is quietly and happily taking deep breaths in sleep. No rest, no sleep, no hope. That's your future if you throw away all that is freely given to you in Jesus. No rest, no sleep, no hope—forever!

 

                 

Does Old Age Have Meaning?

The question of meaning has increased for me as I entered old age. So many of my age fall into the despair as they struggle to find meaning in their lives. In the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon uses poignant images to describe the breakdown of our mortal bodies and warns us to make our peace with our Creator before these days come.

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut--when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low-- they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets-- before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. - Ecc 12:1-7 ESV

If you have ever been to a nursing home you have seen those whom Solomon describes, sitting, tied to their wheel chairs, white heads hanging low, eyes dull, toothless, trembling, groaning and staring out at nothing in particular. It can be a most disturbing spectacle. 


But even before reaching this stage in life, many in old age ask about the meaning of life. A white paper on old age and meaning by Sage Publications suggests there are two significant questions to ask:

1. Does old age have a meaning for society? 
2. How do individuals actually experience their lives as meaningful in the last stage of life? 

I'd like to rephrase the questions:

1. Does anyone feel that we old people are important?
2. How do I personally make sense of this final stage in my life? 

So often people talk about what a wonderful thing it must be to be retired and have time to do things you really want to do. "Yeah, right," says a friend. "I tried that and in two years I got bored to death with three or four games of golf every week. Now what do I do? Watch TV? This retirement thing really stinks."


The Sage white paper points out that we're not all alike by any means. Broadly speaking, people over age 65 tend to do the same sorts of things they did in their middle years. Some things slow down however. For instance one study of leisure found that after age 65 only about 17% go to movies. Travel among people over 75 also diminishes. Other activities, such as outdoor gardening, TV watching, watching sports and just talking with friends remain strong.


One interesting fact for business is that Americans over 50 command more than half of all discretionary income and account for 40% of consumer demand. The young-old are much more likely to travel than the old-old. All in all, as noted, people continue to do the sorts of things they are familiar with and find meaningful as long as they can. Of course, as Solomon points out, the body doesn't stay healthy and whole forever. So elderly find themselves limited by illness and weakness and eventually forced to stop altogether.


Another friend of mine spent much of his life traveling the world to present seminars and training for people in his profession. Now he has heart disease and cancer. He struggles to continue, but his medical problems are raise big barriers. He talks about his final keynote speech at a conference in London. But will his health allow it? And what then?


Does God offer any help to those who are in old age or approaching it? Personally, I've never found the Solomon's words of much help. They fill me with anxiety, despair and hopelessness. They are meant to do that, of course. Don't forget your Creator, he warns. You won't live forever. Make your peace with God "before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."


There's much more in Scripture beyond these somber words. In the next couple posts I'll take a look at many other passages that do provide meaning, hope and encouragement to seniors.