08/11/2026
“Age is just a number…”
Extra long read 😁 BUT highly important IMO. Based on Psalm 92:12-15
*A Word of Encouragment to an Older Generation.
*A Word of Challenge to a Younger Generation.
*A Reminder (Wake Up Call) to the Church.
Before you dive in let me say, my dad Charles Richey, is 97. 75+ years in ministry. 2 weeks ago he preached a powerful word in our Camp Meeting … I think much of him in this passage! I see him doing what the Word says! What’s your/my excuse?
Psalm 92:12–15
“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing,
To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
There is a message, imo, the Church and younger generations desperately needs to hear: Getting older does not mean becoming less useful to God.
The world often celebrates youth while quietly communicating to older people that their greatest days are behind them. Culture can make people feel as though their value decreases with age.
But Scripture tells a different story.
The Bible doesn’t say, “They used to bear fruit.” It says: “They shall still bear fruit in old age.”
That word still is powerful.
Still praying. Still believing. Still serving.
Still worshiping. Still mentoring. Still encouraging. Still giving. Still dreaming.
Still carrying wisdom. Still bearing fruit.
Your age may have changed, but God’s purpose has not expired.
YOUR ROOTS ARE DEEPER
“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” — Psalm 92:12
The psalmist doesn’t compare the older believer to a freshly planted flower.
He talks about trees. Trees take time. A tree becomes strong because of seasons.
It has survived storms. It has endured drought. It has experienced heat. It has stood through winter. And every season has forced its roots deeper.
There are things you know now that you could not have known 30 or 40 years ago.
There are battles you survived that taught you how to trust God. There are prayers you’ve prayed that taught you perseverance. There are disappointments that taught you God’s faithfulness.
There are seasons when you didn’t understand what God was doing, but now you can look back and say: “He was faithful the whole time.”
You may not have the energy you once had, but you possess something younger generations desperately need, depth. You have history with God. You have testimony.
You have perspective. You have scars that have become evidence of grace.
Don’t apologize for your age. Your years are not merely something you’ve accumulated. They are something God can use.
YOUR PLACE IS STILL IMPORTANT
“Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.” — Psalm 92:13
The key word is planted. Planted people don’t live by constantly asking: “What’s in it for me?” They ask: “Where can I be fruitful?”
There is tremendous power in an older generation that remains planted. Planted in God. Planted in His Word. Planted in prayer. Planted in the local church. Planted in community. Planted in covenant.
Planted in the purposes of God.
The enemy would love to convince you that you have served your time. That your work is finished. That younger people don’t need you. But the Kingdom of God doesn’t operate that way. The generations need each other.
Younger people may have energy, but older people have experience. Younger people may have technology, but older people have testimony. Younger people may know how to move quickly, but older people know when it is time to slow down and listen to God.
Younger people may have questions, but older generations can say: “I’ve walked through this before. Let me tell you what God taught me.”
YOUR FRUIT IS NOT FINISHED
“They shall still bear fruit in old age.” — Psalm 92:14
This may be the most encouraging phrase in the passage. Still. Not used to. Not once did. Not back then. STILL.
God expects fruitfulness to continue. Your fruit may look different now. Earlier in life, your fruit may have been raising children.
Now it may be helping raise grandchildren.
Your fruit may once have been building a career. Now it may be building people.
Your fruit may once have been leading ministries. Now it may be mentoring leaders. Your fruit may once have been doing everything yourself. Now your fruit may be teaching someone else how to do it.
Fruitfulness is not always doing more. Sometimes fruitfulness is reproducing yourself in others. Moses had Joshua.
Elijah had Elisha. Paul had Timothy.
Jesus invested in disciples. Paul told Timothy: “The things that you have heard from me… commit these to FAITHFUL men who WILL BE ABLE to teach others also.”
— 2 Timothy 2:2
That’s four generations: Paul → Timothy → faithful people → others. That’s legacy.
YOUR FRESHNESS CAN OUTLIVE YOUR YOUTH
“They shall be fresh and flourishing.” — Psalm 92:14
This is remarkable. The psalm doesn’t merely say older people will survive. It says they will be fresh and flourishing.
There is a difference between getting older and becoming old on the inside.
Age may slow your body down. But it doesn’t have to dry up your spirit. You can remain spiritually alive. Still hungry for God. Still excited about His presence.
Still expectant. Still worshiping. Still learning. Still laughing. Still believing.
Still praying prayers that are bigger than yourself.
There should be something beautiful about an older believer who walks into the room carrying an atmosphere-presence-testimony that says: “I’ve been through a lot, but God has been good.”
Not bitter. Not cynical. Not defeated. Filled with Fresh Oil!
YOUR TESTIMONY IS YOUR MINISTRY
The passage ends with the purpose of their continued fruitfulness: “To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock…” — Psalm 92:15
Why does God keep us fruitful? Among many reasons or is, so we can declare His faithfulness. Your life is a testimony. Somebody needs to hear what you’ve learned.
Somebody needs to hear: God will keep you. God is faithful in difficult seasons.
Don’t quit your marriage. Don’t abandon your calling. Don’t give up on your children. Don’t stop praying. Don’t let one bad season define your entire life.
There are sermons you can preach without ever standing behind a pulpit; because you’ve lived it!
Your life preaches. Your faithfulness preaches. Your marriage preaches. Your perseverance preaches. Your prayers preach. Your testimony preaches. Your scars preach. Your continued worship preaches.
A WORD TO THE OLDER GENERATION
Don’t let society make you feel invisible.
You are not invisible to God. Don’t let your limitations convince you that you have no purpose. Your purpose has not expired.
Don’t compare what you can do now with what you did 30 years ago. Ask God what fruitfulness looks like in this season. Don’t spend the rest of your life merely looking backward.
There is still something ahead.
Don’t say: I’ve done my part.
Say: Lord, what do You want to do through me now?
Your next season may not look like your last season. And that’s okay. God isn’t asking you to become 30 again. He’s asking you to be faithful at 58, 68, 78, 88, or whatever age He gives you.
Your greatest contribution may not be behind you. It may be sitting across the table from you. It may be a grandchild. It may be a young pastor and family. It may be a young married couple. It may be a teenager who needs someone to believe in them. It may be someone who’s all alone. It may be a new believer who needs someone to teach them how to pray.
It may be someone who simply needs to hear: I’ve been where you are, and God brought me through.
I would encourage an older generation to stand and declare:
I am still planted.
I am still growing.
I am still praying.
I am still believing.
I am still serving.
I am still learning.
I am still mentoring.
I am still worshiping.
I am still bearing fruit.
I am still declaring the goodness of God.
My age does not disqualify me.
My past does not disqualify me.
My scars do not disqualify me.
My limitations do not disqualify me.
I am planted in the house of the Lord.
I will flourish in this season.
I will bear fruit in my latter years.
I will be fresh and flourishing.
I will tell the next generation that God is faithful.
And when people look at my life,
they will see that the Lord is upright.
He is my Rock. He has kept me. He is keeping me. And He will keep me.
Because I’m not finished. I’m still bearing fruit.
May the Joy of the Lord increase upon you continually in these great years!
Blessings,
Jack Richey
