By Pastor Fred Tanizaki

I used to be a biker dude. I rode a Harley-Davidson Road King, a bike that weighed close to 1,000 pounds. When I first learned to ride a motorcycle, someone told me that making a sharp turn was all about leaning and not about moving the handlebars. That’s what I was told. Turning a big, heavy bike by just leaning and not moving the handlebars isn’t a natural, intuitive act. Will the Road King really turn if I lean? What if it doesn’t and I run into oncoming traffic – I could die! Setting my fears aside, I trusted in the theory that leaning was the way to go. As I trusted, I learned, and I safely navigated my Road King.

In this article, I will introduce you to another dynamic that is so essential – learning to trust. Not in money, friendships, power, good health, or a happy life. Instead of all these temporal things, to truly experience “Growing old can be awesome!”, we must learn to trust in God.

As I mentioned before, this devotional is grounded in Psalm 71, and based on the work of author and pastor, Steven J. Cole.

Lesson 2: Trust in God

There is nothing like the feel of the open air, riding my Harley. But, if I didn’t learn to lean and make my turns, my ride would have ended tragically. A biker can execute turns because of the presence of gravity and centripetal force. These two elements are present throughout the world. You don’t have to generate gravity or centripetal force. It’s there. You just act on it. Same with trusting in God. God is always with us – He is the Almighty God! Therefore, we must act on this blessed truth.

In Psalm 71, the writer declares his implicit trust in God. He triumphantly declares,

“You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again and will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.” Psalm 71:20

The writer of Psalm 71 had experienced difficulties and much suffering in his life. But, because he trusted in God, he was not afraid, no matter what troubles he encountered in life.

As we age, we encounter a lot of challenges and difficulties. Our body doesn’t function as it once did. Aches and pains are the norm, rather than the exception. Those “senior moments” become more frequent. The world we once knew so well seems to have been swallowed up by cyberspace and its assorted contraptions. In such an environment, fear and confusion are constant companions. What can we do in response? Trust in God!

So, how do we trust in God? Same as riding a 1,000-pound Harley. Riding a big motorcycle didn’t come naturally to me. I had to learn to ride. In the same way, trusting in God is not something that comes naturally to most of us. This is because we have learned to trust in other things – wealth, health, power, our abilities, and other people. We must disengage in our trust in such temporal things, and learn to put our trust in permanent, omniscient, and omnipresent God Almighty!

Here are some steps to learn and grow in your trust in God:

Know God. For this important, foundational truth, please read my devotional from last week. You can’t trust God if you don’t have a personal relationship with Him.
Every morning, thank Him for the day that is to unfold. This practice will help you integrate into your daily life, the truth that you belong to God, and that He is in control of everything.
Instead of visualizing how things ought to happen, commit your future to God, and believe that He has the best for you.
Reflect on the truth that God is a promise keeper. What He promises, He will deliver. Meditate on verses such as 1 Kings 8:56, which says, “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.”
Don’t try to climb Mount Everest on your first climbing expedition. In another words, build up your trust in the Lord, faithfully, and steadily. If you fail, don’t despair. Our God remains faithful, even when we are not. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”

Growing old can be awesome! Know Him personally and grow your trust in Him. If you have questions about these devotionals, please contact me. I would love to talk with you. You can reach me by email at tanizaki@wintersburg.org. May the Lord richly bless you and your family!

This devotional was shared in its original form on May 6 as an e-mail sent out to members of our Seniors Ministry. To join the Seniors Ministry e-mail list, please contact Claire Seki crseki@hotmail.com.

Growing Old Can be Awesome! (Part 2: Trust in God)