A Hundred Years

Isaiah 65:20 – He who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. (NIV)

I've met a couple of people who lived to be more than a hundred years old. One of them was a lady whose family were west coast of Scotland fishermen. She lived with her 75-year-old daughter, who treated her mother like a queen. Everyone in the village was in awe of her, and young children from the local school constantly came to talk to her about what life was like a century ago.

Most of the conversations that she had were all about the past, but one day, whilst making a pastoral call, I asked her what a person of her age and long years of experience looked forward to. After all, she had seen and done everything, as far as everyone else was concerned.

She simply replied, "Next year's daffodils." Even at the grand old age of 102, she still kept hope alive in her heart.

When Isaiah talks about God's richest blessings being bestowed upon the people, he is prophesying about a marvellous time when reaching a hundred years old will be a common experience for God's people. In other words, life will be a bountiful blessing and longevity will be granted to all the faithful. For Isaiah's people, it was a wonderful vision, but for us Christians, it is fulfilled through Christ, and we are given the glorious opportunity to live infinitely beyond even a million years. We have only to seek His forgiveness and personally believe His words.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we also hope to see next year's daffodils, but we are also looking forward to the wonderful day when we see You face to face and pass over into eternity. You are the Holy One of God, who allows us this miraculous bounty of eternal life because we believe, serve, and have faith in You alone. Amen.