Nearing Home by Billy Graham (best book club books for discussion txt) 📗

interrupted momentarily because of interference. Often people nearly scream into the phone, “Can you hear me?” A reply comes back, “I can hear you. Can you hear me?” It’s sometimes comical to hear the younger generation ask their peers to repeat themselves.

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 Eve had had a mobile phone, she may have suggested there was interference on the line.

But there is nothing humorous about broken communication with the Lord of our lives. When it happens, I can assure you that we are the interference—not Him. Sometimes we don’t want to hear what He has to say because we already know what the Word of God has told us. The Bible is full of accounts of men and women hearing the voice of the Lord but not recognizing it at first. This happened to the prophet Samuel. God called him by name, over and over. Samuel thought it was someone else. But the Lord persisted until Samuel recognized His voice (1 Samuel 3:11).

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!” (Isaiah 6:8). The persecutor of Christians heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” In this remarkable exchange, Saul responded, “Who are You, Lord? . . . What do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:4–6 NKJV). This dialogue was the beginning of the apostle Paul’s great ministry.

But God’s voice isn’t always heard in the form of a question. He is a loving God who cares about our needs. His voice gives comfort and guidance. Gideon heard the Lord speak peace (Judges 6:23), and Habakkuk heard God’s voice say, “The righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

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 and honor the Lord, He hears the voice of weeping (Psalm 6:8) and says,

Refrain your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tears;

For your work shall be rewarded. . . .

There is hope in your future. (Jeremiah 31:16–17 NKJV)

If ever you feel lonely and weak, listen for God’s words of comfort: “Hear my voice” (Isaiah 28:23), and “Lift up your voice with strength” (Isaiah 40:9 NKJV). He hears the voice of your words (Deuteronomy 5:28) and attends to your voice in prayer (Psalm 66:19). I hope these reminders from Scripture boost your spirit.

At my age I can sympathize with most seniors. The good old days call me back at times, especially when I am with friends who have shared so much. While I choose not to dwell on the past or relive my youth, there are times I long to hike up into the hills with my children or stand in the pulpit to deliver a Gospel message. But the walker, wheelchair, and cane near my bed remind me that chapter in life is past. So I thank God for the memories that have enriched my life but look forward to new opportunities, to experiences that can add some dimension to the present. Our attitudes play a major role in the closing scene on life’s stage.

WHEN YOUTH FADES

“Birthdays are good for you,” someone said. “Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.” A reply came, “Looking fifty is great—if you are sixty!” It is all perspective. Children look at their thirty-year-old parents as old, their grandparents as ancient. Grandparents look at their children and grandchildren as forever young. Yet children are always pushing their young age up as fast as they can. Ask a child how old he or she is. The answer will always end with “and a half.” A ten-year-old can’t wait to be twelve. The twelve-year-old wants to be a teenager. The teenager wants to be old enough to get married. Couples are anxious to marry their children off so they can become grandparents. When they get to the grandparent stage, they begin complaining about being too old.

Our society is made up of obsessive contradictions: the young want to be rewarded with big jobs without obtaining experience, the middle-aged brag about working out at the gym but can’t wait to retire in order to rest, and the old want to drink from the fountain of youth. The truth is that instant success robs young people of the journey; but it is along the journey that we obtain knowledge, collect memories, and have a sense of achievement that makes life a rewarding experience. And older people are often deceived by miracle drugs and creams promising renewed beauty and vigor. Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer who traveled at one time with Christopher Columbus, went in search of a magic water source that people called the Fountain of Youth. Rumor had it that drinking its waters would keep one young. Ponce de León was determined to find this legendary fountain; instead he found Florida—what became America’s retirement haven. How many couples have packed their belongings, pulled up roots, and left home and family to set up housekeeping in a condo on a Florida golf course—with a nursing home across the fairway?

A plastic surgeon in the Sunshine State named his private practice Fountain of Youth Institute, but according to a recent report by Scientific American, the Fountain of Youth is a myth. It reports, “The prospect of immortality has always had universal appeal.” The article includes a position statement containing this warning: “No currently marketed intervention—none—has yet been proved to slow, stop or reverse human aging.”1

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