The Two Waves

by: Carole L. Haines

For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.
From birth I have relied on you, you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you… Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone… As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more… Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:5-6, 9, 14, 17-18 NIV)

We were out for a Sunday drive, a wonderful date-time for my husband, Bruce and I. Driving through the rural farmland, pastures and neighborhoods that surround our home. If you go 10 miles one way, you are in the middle of a bustling Downtown; a large, crowded and noisy city. Yet if you go 10 miles the other way, you encounter cows, goats, horses and chickens; acres and acres of corn ready to be harvested. We are truly right in the middle of it all. As we were driving this day, we encountered two people, one sitting in the car next to us, the other rocking on his porch in the middle of the afternoon.

The gentleman on the porch had a long gray beard. But he smiled and waved to my husband as we drove past. Bruce waved back. I was driving and didn’t even see him. He had lived a long time and yet still found pleasure in connecting with people simply by waving to them from his front porch. He may have been there to escape the loneliness of an empty house that used to bustle with activity, yet he seemed content and settled. Only God knows what is in his heart as He sits there.
The next encounter was with a young child, perhaps three years old. To him, the world is brand new, exciting; and he was waving to us from the back seat of a car. Joy-filled and exuberant that he could wave and everybody would smile and wave back. We could just feel his happiness as we gave him a big smile and a wave. He was laughing and getting the biggest kick out of the whole experience. It took us back to memories of our own childhoods as we would do the same thing.

Bruce and I are closer in age to the elderly gentleman on the porch and find the old saying to be true, “getting older is not for sissies.” It’s tough when bodies break down and don’t work like they used to. Friends and family pass away and are no longer here with us. Yet God is faithful from the cradle to the grave. He is there when we are born, carries us throughout our lives, and sits with us in our older years on that porch as we wave to passers-by. God can be trusted to keep His promises, no matter what comes into our lives. Amid the chaos of this world. Whether we tend toward the younger or the older years, God is faithful and will walk us through whatever comes our way.
Thank you, Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, for being faithful to who You are and bringing us through all of life’s many heights and valleys. We praise You and thank You for your faithfulness and presence. Amen!

¹⁸ Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.
(Psalm 71:18 NIV)