I will be your God throughout your lifetime— until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you. Isaiah 46:4 NLT

A few Christmases ago, as we were singing “Silent Night!” at a nursing home; a soft unfamiliar voice began to join us. When I turned to see who it was, I was shocked to see it was a 103-year-old lady, who had never even spoken a single word over the entire year during which she had been wheeled into our services. Then, it occurred to me that some of my other friends there could no longer remember where they were or how they had come to live there. A few had forgotten their children’s names and one or two, could not even remember their own. Yet, the miracle was that as we sang Silent Night; most had no trouble remembering the words as we lifted our voices together in worship.

As those last notes faded away, that experience made me remember that what mattered was not about how smart any of us were, how much money we had in the bank or where we lived. All that really counted in the end, was that we mattered to God. God has promised to carry us, not only during our years of beauty and youth, but even through white hair and failing memory. His love is an eternal and unchanging commitment, and even when everyone else forgets us, Jesus will carry us for a lifetime: and no matter when we were born or where we are living, He still loves to hear us sing to Him today!