Your Best Days (Part 1)
December 21, 2023
I recently heard a message from a trusted pastor who reminded us that as far as God was concerned, the best days of our lives are ahead of us. When I was young, I could very easily grab onto that sentiment without hesitation. I trusted that things in my life would get better and better. “Yes, God! I believe you and I thank you!” Now? Well, it takes more imagination and a great deal more faith to believe that my best days are ahead of me.
As far as the world is concerned, my best days are over. The world defines the best by looking at the outside. To the world, my best years include youthful stamina, good looks, popularity, a great paying job, a house, a green lawn, a great marriage to a strong and handsome young man, two perfect kids, and a dog that never chews up the furniture. While I have had all these things at various times, to the casual observer my outside life looks a little long in the tooth. But, if God says my best days are ahead of me, I need to figure out how God defines the best days.
Psalm 27:4
One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. (NKJV)
Luke 2:36-38
36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. (NLT)
One definition of best days appears to be spending more and more time with God, worshipping in church and outside of church. You are never too old to get closer to God. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible says you can have a close personal relationship with Him. In fact, God desires it!
Take Anna for example. You could feel sorry for her, thinking of her as a poor old widow who didn’t have a place to live and all she could do was hang around the temple all day. How boring is that? But what one observes on the outside is not necessarily what is happening on the inside. She spent a lot of time with God and was tuned into the joyous happenings of her day, so much so they called her a prophet! She was 84 years old, but the best day of her life was the day the infant Messiah was brought into the temple. She saw Him in the flesh and then encouraged everyone by telling them the Good News!
Two things impress me about Anna. One is that she took the time to develop a close personal relationship with God. There certainly were many things she could have been doing with her time, but she chose to spend most of it with God. There is never a downside to getting closer to God. And because she knew God and could hear from Him, she was able to encourage and educate others.
The other thing I learned from Anna was that she was expecting something. When you are 84 years old, and you are looking forward to something, that can make your life worth living. Anna was expecting the goodness of God in the arrival of the promised Messiah. To expect is to believe something is coming and to be looking for it every day in every circumstance.
My best days are ahead of me because, through prayer time, bible study, and frequently attending church, I am able to develop a deeper and deeper relationship with God. That is something to look forward to.