Down Through The Years,
The Lord Has Been Good To Me
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Psalm 37:25
My brothers and sisters, the opening words of our text in Psalm 37 could have been written by any of us, for they speak the truth that each of us know all too well. “I have been young and now I’m old.” Whether we want to admit it or not, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second, you and I are getting older. It’s a reality that some folk try to escape or run away from. That’s why you sometimes see old men trying to look and act like young men. And older women trying to look and act like young women. Somebody know what I’m talking about. They’re old, but they try to dress young. They’re old, but they try to talk young. They are old, but they behave like they’re young. And my brothers and sisters don’t misunderstand me this morning, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to keep alive memories of our younger days, when we had a lot of vim and vigor.
But oh brothers and sisters, sooner or later, father time catches up with all of us and we have to say like the old song says, “The old grey mare, just ain’t what she used to be.” I smile when I see people who refuses to accept old age. It’s obvious from the lines on their faces and the furrows in their foreheads that their playing days have long been over, but you can’t tell some folk that they’re not in the game any longer, because they are still trying to convince young girls and young boys that they still got it going on. Can I get a witness? Oh brothers and sisters, I believe that if you have gone out of business, you ought to take down your sign. There’s no sense in trying to keep the business open if all of your merchandise is out dated. It’s physically impossible to escape the reality of old age or the idea of the fact that we are getting older. Old age is a natural progression of life. I don’t care how many vitamins you take or how well you watch your diet, or how much you exercise, you can’t stop yourself from getting old. Sometimes because of arthritis and rheumatism, you have to let parts of your body know that you are about to move. But not only that, it’s impossible to stop aging mentally.
It doesn’t matter how much you exercise your mind, or how many natural herbs you swallow, or how many books you read on keeping your memory, sooner or later your thought process will deteriorate and you won’t be able to remember folk names or places you’ve been or even what you went into the other room for. And oh brothers and sisters, I think I ought to tell you that old age brings about a change. Folk used to call you cute little pet name, but now they call you mama or daddy. You used to be able to stay up all night long, but now you have take a nap after lunch. You use to be able to run like a deer, but now you move like a snail. You used to be able to eat anything your heart desired and go on to bed, but now when you eat, you have to stay up while you let your food digest. You used to never take medicine, but now some of us take a pill for everything. I tell you things changes as you get older. But oh brothers and sisters, David here reminds us of one thing that never changes. God never changes. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever.
And if we look back over our life, you have to recognize that “Down through the years, the Lord has been good to us.” Have I a witness? Oh my brothers and my sisters, David speaks of God’s goodness in the past tense of his life. I have been young. In other words, God was good to me when I was young. The places I went, places that I could have been killed in, because I was young and foolish and didn’t see the danger that lurked in the club or at the parties, but still God had His hands on me. The stuffed that I drank, that could have poisoned me, but because I was young and everybody else was doing it, I didn’t see the danger that too much of anything is not good for you, but still, God had His hands on me. Anybody know what I’m talking about? I believe I can get one or two witnesses who know that for a fact down through the years God has been good to you. Am I right?
The folk I hung out with, some of them meant me no good, but they were my friends, because at the time I had a little something, because I was young and didn’t realize that as long as you have something, you have friends, but when you don’t have anything some of your friends will leave you like rats jumping off a sinking ship, when my so called friends left me, God kept His hands on me. Can I get a witness? Then David says, “I’m no longer young, but now I’m old.” My hair has turned white. My eye sight has gotten dim. My steps have gotten shorter. Somebody know what I’m talking about. But oh brothers and sisters, despite all of this, God is still keeping me. I wonder if there anybody here today who knows that God is still keeping you. And when you know that God is keeping you, you can’t help but have a testimony. It amazes me how some folk refuse to give God praise when it’s obvious that it’s only the Lord who’s keeping them. You ought to know who woke you up this morning. You know who started you on your way. You ought to know who clothed you in your right mind.
Oh brothers and sisters, when I checked out the obituary column and I didn’t see my name on it, that lets me know that I’m still here by the grace of God. I think I ought to tell you that God is good. God is not just good some times, but that God of ours is good all the time. You may have arthritis, but God is still good. You may have a bad heart, but God is still good. You may have high blood pressure, but God is still good. You may be diabetic, but God is still good. And my brothers and sisters, when you know that God is still good, you can’t help but say like David, “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” David is not saying, “I’ve never been in need.” We all get in need. We all need a little help every now and then. David is not saying, “There were times in my life when I didn’t have to borrow from a friend till my check came.” Every month I have more bills than I have money. But David says, “Even through all of that, I never had a moment in my life when God didn’t take of me.”
And if we are honest with ourselves, we can all testify that down through the years God has been good to us. Oh brothers and sisters, David said, “I’ve seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging bread. Never is a pretty strong word. Never means there’s absolutely no question about it. There’s been no evidence of the contrary. “I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” God truly is an awesome God. My grand-momma use say something when I was young and I couldn’t understand it, but now that I’ve gotten a little older, I know what grand momma meant when she said, “He may not come when you want Him, but He’s always on time.” And oh brothers and sisters, I come to tell you on my way to Glory that God has a reason for blessing you down through the years. It is not so that you can just receive. God’s reason for blessing you down through the years is not just for you alone, but that you might be a blessing to others. He gives us favor when we don’t deserve it. He allows us to breathe His air without any charge.
He protects us from all hurt harm and dangers, both seen and not seen. He allows our golden moments to roll on just a little while longer. Somebody know what I’m talking about. Oh brothers and sisters, I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but I do know that we are still around today to testify that it was the Lord that brought us out. And I think I ought to tell you that if He did before, He’ll do it again. There is a bright side coming. Just keep on trusting in God. Then you can be able to say like Job said, “That all of my appointed time, I will wait until my change come.” Yes I realize that “Down through the years, the Lord has been good to me.” I want you to know that if you can’t think of any other reason to acknowledge how good God is to you, think on this: God forgave us of our sins through the blood of His Son Jesus. We were no good, but the Father sent His good Son to pay the price for your sins and mine.
And because of the goodness of Jesus, those who accept Him, when they die of old age, simply move from an earthly level of God’s goodness to a heavenly level of God’s goodness. If it were not for the fact that God is good, you and I would not have a chance to live with God when we die. But thanks be to God that He forgives us through the blood of His only begotten Son. Oh brothers and sisters, you may not believe me or not, but there are some folk who don’t believe that God is able. You ought to look at your situation. Look at some of the things you faced just this past week. Look at some of the situations that are constantly in your life. You have come there today to this house of God with a need or needs to be met. You are here today because you want to know that if I get in trouble, when my back is a up against the wall, when all hope is gone, will God still be with me. Is God able? Can I get a witness?
And oh brothers and sisters, I think I ought to tell you that there are some things and some situation that you can’t make it by yourself and you are going to have to trust God in. Life will put you in a storm that will bring you to your knees. And let me tell you that I don’t care how good you are, bad things happen to good people sometimes to enable good people to understand that there is one better and to enable us to understand that the Lord will make a way for you. Nobody can get out of a crisis on their own. Oh brothers and sisters, I come to tell you that there is someone who cares, someone to share all of our burdens like no other can do. Somebody here can testify with me that He’ll come down from the skies. We got somebody who is with us. We are always worried, but we forgot the One who said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Somebody here know what I’m talking about. Somebody here knows that you would have given up a long time ago, but you had a word to keep you going. You were going to quit, but you found out that greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.
You were going to throw a pity party, but you found out that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. You were going to lose your mind up in here, but you found out that He’s able to keep you in perfect peace. You were going to discard all your hope, but you found out that the Lord is my Light and my salvation whom shall I fear. You were going just throw it all away, but one day while you in down trodden condition, you found out that if you look to the hills from whence cometh your help, all of your help comes from the Lord. Oh brothers and sisters, I believe I can testify that I’m not the only one in this worship service that is in Christ. I’m not the only one who found out that He’s there all the time. And as I get ready to leave you. I think I ought to tell you that we are living in a pressurized world. And let me tell somebody that if you have not had any pressure in your life, just keep on living. Pressure will come. But Jesus says that what is meant for evil, God meant it for the good.
I’ve been around the block a few times and I have discovered that when you live in a pressurized world, you get a pressurized testimony. You get a pressurized shout. A pressurized dance. You don’t care about what other folk say, because you know for yourself that it was the Lord that made a way out of no way for you. In the midst of your tribulations, Jesus does not say go ahead and give up. He does not say, well you did your best and you tried, so go on back home and cry. But that Christ of ours says, “Be of good cheer.” You don’t have to look sad. You don’t have to cry all the time. You don’t have to drop you head all the time, but cheer up. All because down through the years, the Lord has been good to us.
Conclusion:
* As I hurry on to a close, I’m reminded of a story about a young man who committed a crime that sent to him to jail. He was a very rebellious young man, who disobeyed his parents and ended up on the wrong side of the law. The law he broke sent him to prison for eight years. He knew that his parents were hurt and embarrassed by his foolishness. And as he sat, those eight long years in prison, he thought about his mother and his father and looked forward to the day when he could go home. As time passed, he didn’t know if his father would let him come home or not, because his father had never answered his letters while he was in prison. So he wrote a letter to his mother and said, “Mother, in a few days, I’m going to be released from prison and I’m going to take the train that comes by the family farm. And if you and father has forgiven me and if you are willing to give me new chance, I’d like for you to tie a piece of yellow ribbon on the oak tree beside the railroad tracks. And as I’m on the train, if I see the ribbon in the tree, I’ll know that I can jump off the train and that I have been forgiven.” He said, “If I don’t see a ribbon, I’ll stay on the train.
I’ll never come home again and you’ll never hear from me again.” Well that day came for his release and he walked down to the train station and bought him a ticket and got on that train. With every turn of the wheels of that train, tension mounted. Can’t you see him. He was wondering if that piece of ribbon was going to be in the tree. Well as the train rounded the bend that led to the family farm, he couldn’t stand to look, so he asked the man sitting across from him, “Please sir, would you mind coming over to the window and look out and see if you see a yellow ribbon on an oak tree.
It’s my family farm and I want to know if there is a ribbon on that tree.” The man said, “Yes, I’ll do it for you.” And as they came to the family farm, the young man said, “Do you see the ribbon?” The man said, “No I don’t see A RIBBON, but I see hundreds of ribbons. I see them tied to every branch. I see ribbons tied to the clothes line. I see ribbons tied on the rose bushes. There are ribbons down the fence and ribbons on the scare crow. I see ribbons everywhere.” The man asked him, “What do they mean?” The boy jumped off he train and said, “It means I’m forgiven and there’s a new beginning with my mother and my father. I’m going home when I tell you, that love forgives. And if you are here today and you can’t think of any other reason to tell the Lord thank you, tell Him, “Thank you for forgiving me.” Oh down through the years, not just one day, but down through the years. Not just every once in a while, but down through the years. Down through the years, the Lord has been good to me. Down through the years the Lord has transform my sorrow into joy. Down through the years, the Lord has been a bridge over troubled waters. Down through the years, that God of mine has been a burden bearer and a heavy load carrier. Oh my brothers and my sisters, no matter what you’re going through right now, be of good cheer, for Jesus has the victory. And I found out for myself that there’s power in the victory. That God of ours is able to deliver us.
The reason I know the Lord is able, because when mine enemies came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. The reason I know He’s able is because, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for I found out for myself that He’s with me and I found out that His rod and His staff they comfort me. As I go to my seat today, Down through the years, it hadn’t always been easy, but that God of mine made a way for me. Down through the years, the road got rough and going got tough, but thanks be to God, I made it. In the words of a familiar song, disappointments, disappointments, I’ve had my share of disappointments, but I made it through. Heartaches, heartaches, I’ve had so many heartaches, but I made it through. Loneliness, loneliness, I’ve had my share of loneliness, but I made it through. Burdens, burdens, I’ve had my share of burdens, but I made it through. I wish I had somebody here today who would find somebody and tell them, “I know the Lord has been good to me.” Down through the years, the Lord has been good to me. Has the Lord been good to you? Has the Lord been good to you? Say yeah, say yeah, oh yeah.
