October 7 

Today Dr. J.I. Packer preached at our church. A long time friend and mentor to us, Dr. Packer is 82 years old and has mentored two generations of Christian leaders as a professor of theology and author of wonderful books. Our church was packed with “30-somethings” hanging on every word. He preached from I Samuel 30:6, “But David found strength in the Lord his God.” It was a difficult time for David on every front–his own faults exposed, his family captured, his friends furious, his life in danger—But! We were reminded that David, in this bleak time, focused his thoughts on God. Yes, he was distressed; in fact he’d wept until he had no strength left to weep. But then, as Dr. Packer put it, “David quits following the lead of his feelings and starts to follow the lead of his faith. He begins to think.” 

He suggested five things David might have thought about based on many of the Psalms which David himself wrote:

• God’s sovereign control
• His pardoning mercy
• His loving care over others
• All the times he had experienced God’s deliverance in the past
• God’s many promises. As a result of this “thinking” he was strengthened by God and ready to lead again 

Dr. Packer reminded us once again that our lives cannot be controlled by our feelings but by right thinking which involves thinking about God correctly. 

I found myself applying these words to the empty nest season. Too often we assume we should have learned all this by now, after all we’re older. But instead, we still struggle with our feelings. We get discouraged, we blow it, situations implode, and hopelessness tries to creep in. But we have our God to whom we should turn, because at our age, we have many memories of His past faithfulness, we have seen Him bring good out of tragedy, and we have learned many of His promises. The turning point comes when we, too, lay aside our feelings and focus our thoughts on exactly who our God is. 

It was a powerful moment to hear these words from an older saint. Age gives authenticity to truth. A life lived long years in pursuit of knowing Christ is a tremendous model for each one of us.