Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well

by Billy Graham

I never thought I would live to be this old. All my life I was taught how to die as a Christian, but no one ever taught me how I ought to live in the years before I die. I wish they had because I am an old man now, and believe me, it’s not easy. Whoever first said it was right: old age is not for sissies. Get any group of older people together, and I can almost guarantee what their favorite topic of conversation will be: their latest aches and pains. I will soon celebrate my ninety-third birthday, and I know it won’t be long before God calls me home to Heaven. More than ever I look forward to that day—not just because of the wonders I know Heaven holds in store for me and for every believer but because I know that finally all the burdens and sorrows that press down upon me at this stage of my life will be over. During the last year the physical ailments common to old age really have taken their toll on me. I also look forward to that day because I will be reunited with Ruth, my beloved wife and best friend for almost sixty-four years, who went home in 2007 to be with the Lord she loved and served so faithfully. Although I rejoice that her struggles with weakness and pain have all come to an end, I still feel as if a part of me has been ripped out, and I miss her far more than I ever could have imagined. No, old age is not for sissies. But that isn’t the whole story, nor did God intend for it to be. While the Bible doesn’t gloss over the problems we face as we grow olde...

Someone once said, “The gift of old age is remembrance.” Although I have had to curtail most of my travel, life itself still keeps me motivated as I watch God’s hand at work, not only in my own life but also in the lives of those around me and throughout the world. These last few years have brought the gift of observation and reflection. While that may sound dreadful to some, reflection is biblical:

These are remembrances worth recalling time and again.

Barzillai is not the only person in the Bible who made his greatest contribution in his latter years. In fact, Scripture is filled with examples of men and women whom God used late in life, often with great impact. In the centuries before Noah and the flood, the Bible tells us, God gave great longevity to His servants. Adam lived a total of 930 years; Methuselah—the oldest person in the Bible and the grandfather of Noah—died at the age of 969. All of his life Methuselah’s father, Enoch, had been a remarkable example to his son of what it meant to have a close relationship with God; the Bible says, “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him” (Genesis 5:23–24 NLT). Enoch’s godly example influenced not only his son but also his descendants long after his lifetime.

Noah. In the midst of a generation that scorned God and gave themselves over to every sin imaginable, the Bible says that “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God”

The first is this: old age may have its limitations and challenges, but in spite of them our latter years can be some of the most rewarding and fulfilling of our lives. It was for them, and it can be for us.

I often wonder if God, in His sovereignty, allows the eyesight of the aged to cast a dim view of the here and now so that we may focus our spiritual eyes on the ever after.

What testimony are you passing on to others following you? Remembering what God has done for you will invigorate you in old age. Others are watching your actions and attitudes. Don’t diminish the impact you can make; pass on foundational truths of God’s Word so that younger generations will be as Joshua, “filled with the spirit of wisdom.”

What does all this have to do with getting old? Old is authentic. Old is genuine. Old is valuable. Some say old is

even beautiful. I was told about an elderly woman who said, “I wish I had enough time, money, and courage to get a face-lift . . . my face is drooping!” Her beloved husband said, “Dear, the most inexpensive and lasting face-lift is just to smile; it draws your features upward, and that draws people to you.”

Even at ninety-two, my desire is to learn to be content. We should never get too old to learn or too old to smile!

Life is full of changes, but one of the greatest comes with retirement. Many look forward to it; others dread it. Sooner or later almost everyone who lives long enough will experience it. “I can’t wait until I retire,” a man in his early sixties wrote me not long ago—something I have heard hundreds of times over the years. Another told me, “My wife and I are still in our thirties, and our greatest ambition is to be able to retire when I hit fifty.” In contrast someone said to me recently, “I’m dreading retirement. The company policy has mandatory retirement, and I’ll have to step aside in a few years. I enjoy my work, and I can’t imagine my life without it.”

But God says you are greater than your work, and your work is only a part of His plan for you.

As the older generation we should be mindful of our responsibility to pray for others. Retirement should not put us on the shelf. We should use this time in our lives to rest from our labors but lift up others who are carrying heavy loads.

Loneliness, loss of purpose, depression, feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, fear of the future—these and a host of other emotions are common among retirees.

Do we, the older generation, do the same? Are we producing fruit that replenishes others, or do we complain about our circumstances and drain others who look forward to living full lives? By our attitudes, do we make the younger dread the inevitable—growing old? Many elderly people, without realizing it, taint the purpose God has for them: to impact the younger generations by exemplifying reliance on Him and hope in His unchanging promises. We should be content, for Jesus has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”

About the only thing that comes to us without effort is old age.

God forbid that we should ever retire from prayer, the sweetest work of the soul.

Does this mean it is wrong to relax and enjoy life during our retirement years? No, not at all; to say this would be to say that God doesn’t want us to ever enjoy the good things He gives us—which isn’t true. The writer of Ecclesiastes said, “However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all” (11:8). The apostle Paul repeated the Old Testament’s command for children to honor their parents, so that “you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:3). God knows that we need rest and exercise and relaxation; after a grueling period of ministry, Jesus urged His disciples to “come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest”

But if this is all we do—if our only goals during our retirement years are to enjoy life and have as good a time as possible—then we may well have fallen into the trap of empty, meaningless activity. More than that, we have forgotten one of the Bible’s central truths:

every day—without exception—is a gift from God, entrusted to us to use for His glory. This is true for your working years, and it...

What, then, is the key to a successful retirement? See your retirement as a gift from God. Retirement isn’t something that just happens if you live long enough, and it isn’t even a reward for your years of hard work; it is a gift from God. Once you understand this, you will approach your retirement differently.

God gave these years to us—however few or many they turn out to be—so we could do His will.

the questions we each must face are these:

His plan for us may change as the years pass and our circumstances change, but no matter how far along we are on life’s road, our constant goal should be seeking God’s direction for what lies ahead. Remember: His way is always, always best.

One day you may not be able to do everything you once did or everything you would like to do. Instead of feeling guilty or frustrated or resentful, however, thank God that you can still do some things—and make it your goal to do them faithfully and do them well. Commit your time—and your whole self—

to Jesus Christ, and seek to do His will no matter what comes your way.

You may still be an active senior adult, or you may be riddled with aches and confined to bed, but you can still be a productive servant of Jesus Christ by filling your mind with the knowledge of Jesus Christ and, as Peter did, impacting those around you with hope: “In keeping with his [Christ’s] promise we are looking forward to a new heaven. . . . So then, dear friends, . . . grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”

One of the most common financial snares affecting some people as they grow older is what we might call the debt trap.

Don’t give gifts you can’t afford.

Guard against unwise financial decisions as you grow older.

While caution is necessary when considering how to allocate your resources, don’t become obsessed about your finances.

Having a valid will is critically important.

Most people are familiar with a “last will and testament,” a legal document that outlines what they wish to happen after their deaths. In recent years, due to enormous changes within our nation’s health care system, an important document has emerged that gives patients certain rights. This is popularly known as a “living will.”

Closely associated with the living will may be other types of legal documents, such as powers of attorney that authorize another person to act on your behalf in case you are unable to function on your own. A “health care power of attorney” allows you to designate a family member or other trusted person to make medical decisions concerning your care if you are no longer able to make them for yourself. Similarly, a “financial power of attorney” designates someone who can make financial decisions on your behalf in case of your incapacity. Always be careful about signing any document of this nature under pressure (such as when undergoing emergency medical care in another state) to be sure it doesn’t change your true wishes or reverse something you signed previously.

Christians are not to be preoccupied with death; God has put within each of us a will to survive. But neither are we to shrink from death or act as if we must fiercely resist it until the last breath. The time may well come, in fact, when life’s burdens and

pains overwhelm us so much that we will welcome death as a friend—and that is as it should be. If we know Christ, we know that Heaven is our true home, and (like the saints of old) we are “longing for a better country—a heavenly one”

I have never heard the voice of the Lord audibly, but the Lord has spoken to me many times throughout my life. You might ask, “How can someone recognize His voice?” The Bible says, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice”

To recognize the voice of the Lord, we must belong to Him.

never had to ask who was calling. We recognize the voices of those who are dear to us and those with whom we commune.

if we are communicating with the Lord Jesus through prayer and meditating on His Word, our spirits will identify with His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27 NKJV). The Lord would not expect us to hear His voice if He did not make it possible. He sends out His mighty voice (Psalm 68:33) and says we can hear it (Psalm 95:7): “I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD” (Jeremiah 24:7 NLT); and “Obey My voice, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 7:23 NKJV). The voice of the Lord comes in various ways: a voice in the midst of the fire (Deuteronomy 5:24); a

voice upon the waters (Psalm 29:3); a voice from Heaven (Matthew 3:17); a voice out of the cloud (Matthew 17:5); the voice of His mouth (Acts 22:14); a voice from the excellent glory (2 Peter 1:...

God’s voice is not bound by man’s inventions. God speaks to the human heart. His voice is described as full of majesty (Psalm 29:4), a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12), and a glorious voice (Isaiah 30:30). The Lord’s voice is identified as the voice of the living God (Deuteronomy 5:26), the voice of the bridegroom (Jeremiah 7:34), and the voice of the Almighty (Ezekiel 1:24). His is a powerful voice (Psalm 29:4). It shakes the wilderness (Psalm 29:8), divides the flames of fire (Psalm 29:7), thunders (Job 37:5), and rushes like many waters (Revelation 1:15); and His voice cries to the city (Micah 6:9). We are to obey His voice (Deuteronomy 13:4) and hearken to the voice of His word (Psalm 103:20).

The first question God asked man is: “Where are you?” Adam answered, “I heard Your voice in the garden” (Genesis 3:9–10 NKJV). God also questioned the woman, “What is this you have done?” (Genesis 3:13 NKJV).

If God did not want to commune with us, then He would not question man; but not only does He want

to communicate with us, He also wants to hear from us. He expects a response. Isaiah “heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?’” Isaiah responded, “Here am I. Send me!”

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Many people have told me over the years that they believe God speaks through His Word, but they don’t believe He actually hears their pleas. Scripture dispels this. For those who fear...