I’m not sure if any 99-year-olds are reading this today, maybe you feel 99, so we will hold that thought whilst we read a couple of verses from Genesis 17.
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. 2 Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (Genesis 17 v 1-2)
We have to pause for a moment. We are about to see, for the first time, this amazing name of God being revealed, not to a young man, but to someone in their old age: El Shaddai—the One who is more than enough and who has absolute power. It isn’t just a revelation of who He is but an invitation to walk with Him. Again, this old man is given a revelation and an invitation. How amazing is this? There can be a temptation to think, as we get older, that God is getting quieter, that He only works with the young; it’s not true.
The invitation is still before us. It means to live your life with the awareness that you are doing so in His presence. To be faithful to God is to make your decisions not based on social pressure or convenience, but out of your love for God. To be blameless isn’t to be perfect, but it is to have integrity.
Even at 99 years, Abram has still got things ahead of him on this earth. Whatever age you are today, there is still more for you. For Abram, he would soon have a new name signifying a new identity and a covenant for an inheritance he would leave behind for the nations. For that to happen, God is asking Abram to be ready. Even at 99 years, we need to be prepared for God’s next move.
If God appeared to you today with the same request, what would you change?
Perhaps He is, and you need to choose today to walk before Him, be faithful to Him and have integrity. Then you wait for God to do something new with you.
Missions Paul 