the sunset harvest: God is calling for workers

The older we get the sooner we find our time vanishes. Lately I am led to think of one people group who have come to almost the end of their life’s journey, the elderly remnants. In the last two years I have come across quite a number of these new Asian believers in their 60s, 70s and 80s. There is something in common between them. Here is a list: single (widowed/abandoned/separated) and living alone, mostly left aside by children and other close relatives, attending church but still seeking love (and joy). In my latest encounters I met two elderly persons, separately, in two different countries, both hungering for God’s love.

In a woman’s case, her husband left her many years ago and she is now living with her daughter and son in law. She received the audio Bible I gave her with thanks and displays genuine desire to listen and follow by reading the printed Bible as well so she can remember better. She told me. She started to attend a Christian woman’s weekly Bible study fellowship.

In the man’s case, he became a Christian two years ago and has been to a number of churches looking for joy in the Spirit. He hungers for God and watches Christian TV channel to learn about God. He reads the Bible too and prays in the Spirit. he longs for Christians to become friend with him. After sharing, he agreed to go back to his first church where he was baptized and join a cell group near his house.

The amazing thing of these two incidents is that both of them came to me first to ask me how to operate their smartphone to access the internet. The woman is a new acquaintance through her family and the man is a complete stranger whom I met in an internet provider’s retail and customer service store. The woman wanted to know how to share a youtube New Year greeting program with her friends. The man wanted to know how to access a Christian TV online channel and download its Application to his mobile phone.

They have both expressed one reason why they had not learned to use the mobile phone to access the internet: So far they had not met anybody with the unhurried time to teach them as most people are themselves pre-occupied with their own busy schedules in lives. Both have been happy after our sharing of the Bible as well as learning of new technology of communication. In the end the sharing of the new technology became secondary. They learned more about God and how to read His words and pray. I also teach them how to believe in God’s words on healing and pray for their own illness. All these are new to them.

As I have written before, the number of the saved multitudes include people groups not so much based on race or geographical/political country or tribe. But more on social classifications. The sudden appearance of these older persons hungering for God and His love reminds and confirms to me of the often neglected need of some people groups. Ageism and utilitarian mentality in some societies hamper the Gospel being spread among this group. But God is saving them and making sure they are not left behind. I can see that this need has been brought to the forefront and increased in its intensity. The silent outcry is being heard now. God has answered. I pray that God sends more laborers to this field that is ripe for harvest, just as Jesus has said. “The harvest is plenty, and the workers are few.”

Please slow down your steps and stop for this one.

Bible verses:

Psalm 71:9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

Psalm 92:14 They shall still bear fruit in old age;  They shall be fresh and flourishing,

Isaiah 46:4 Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.