The Great Comforter is doing all of this right now. I know. I can feel it.
It’s almost as if He pressed deeper into my psyche and said: “I want to do this one through you, but this time without allowing your usual amount of content control.
“I have my reasons.”
So I’m even more of a vessel on this one.
And I’m not arguing one little bit.
We are, after all, talking about the Spirit of God taking greater charge of me in one of the endeavors I most love carrying out.
For me, just being able to feel that and believe that is a great blessing and great honor.
Yet I could never say that I haven’t, in my own way, seen all of this coming since the eighth day of this month.
On that occasion, I turned 70 years old – seven owe.
The milestone, to some, is no real big deal.
To others, it’s huge.
To me, especially when looking back to the person I was, it’s monumental.
In my younger years, few who knew me could ever imagine me at middle age.
And I, I couldn’t see me reaching even 25.
I often spent time trying to devise a plan for staying in the house for 13 months after the last day of my 24th year.
That way, I figured, I could limit the odds of death ambushing me somewhere on the streets while I was 25.
But this turning 70 had nothing to do with age milestones, death or the fear of its coming.
It had nothing to do with any proud boasting of surviving on the time side.
In truth, I’d nearly forgotten that my 70th birthday had arrived.
That was until a great clarity overtook the inside of me, on that day, lodging deeply in my heart and my mind.
And the strength of it told me that this is what I’ve been long searching to affirm, with no trace of doubt, all my life – the God in me.
Oh, I know I’ve testified in various ways about having the blind faith to know that God is in me, guiding and keeping me.
But even in the strongest of those times, somehow through my weak flesh, I’d manufacture doubt that I am one of Jesus’ chosen.
On the day marking my 70th year of living, however, no such doubt could creep in.
I knew, just knew that despite all of my sinfulness, I am one of God’s chosen children.
And even as I stood with the consequences of aging, in places, nearly overwhelming me, I knew I didn’t need a whole lot of faith to see the truth:
As I am getting older, even if it doesn’t seem that way or feel that way, the Holy Spirit is here in me and with me where I need Him.
While turning 70, too, I could almost see and feel the evil one working hard on my weakness, my flesh.
But his work that day was futile.
In truth, the more the devil seemed to poke, prod and cajole, the stronger, in every way, I began to feel.
And this time, all of the inside of me felt the most firmly re-enforced.
Getting older – bring it on. There’ll be no more of it where we’re all headed.
Jesus said: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16).
Ozzie Roberts
March 24, 2019
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