What to Do When You're Afraid of Getting Old Alone

The fear of getting old alone is one people don't talk about much, but it lives in a lot of hearts. Some pictured a spouse walking through the later years with them, and that person never came. Others raised kids who grew up and moved across the country, and now they lie awake wondering who will be there when they can't drive themselves to the doctor, and who would even notice if they got sick. It's a frightening thing to wonder about, and most people wonder in silence.This episode opens at a small church in Skiatook, Oklahoma, where a growing group of widows knew that fear. Many had been married 50 or 60 years, their spouse was gone, and their kids were far away. One woman, Vicki Hendryx, couldn't stop thinking about them and didn't want a single one to feel forgotten, so she made a plan.An old man in the Psalms prayed this exact fear straight to God. Psalm 71:9 says, "Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails." It's a raw prayer from a man who could feel his strength going and dreaded being discarded, and he said it right to God's face. God's answer, all through Scripture, is the same: I am with you, I will never leave you or forsake you. When your friends are gone and your strength has failed, He is still there. Old age does not move you one inch outside His reach.Often, God answers this fear with skin on. He sends His people. The church was built to be a family for exactly the person who has no other family left. When a congregation takes its widows and older singles under its wing, that's more than kindness. It's God keeping His promise through His people, in the parking lot after church and in the hospital waiting room.That's what Vicki built. She had the church adopt its widows one by one, making a profile for each and matching every widow with at least two volunteer families, so no one slipped through the cracks. More than 30 widows in that church now have people who show up for them every week. Nobody there ages alone. As Bart notes, his own church cares for its widows and older singles the same way, so no one with no family nearby has to face aging by themselves.BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:Why the fear of aging alone is so common and so rarely spokenWhat Psalm 71:9 shows about bringing that fear straight to GodTwo things to do with the fear, and how the church becomes family to those who have noneGod will not cast you off in your old age. Much of the time He answers the fear of aging alone by sending His people to stay close.Share This Episode:https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/307Need Prayer? Leave me a voicemail:https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/voicemailWant to keep these devotions coming? Please consider supporting this podcast.https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/support/Rate and Reviewhttps://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/reviews/new/Connect with BartFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dailydevotionsforbusylivesWebsite: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.comFeeling spiritually drained? Start here. Download your free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus here: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/subscribe.