A word from the Word – You’re NOT too old to claim that mountain my friend!

When you’re over 50, you start thinking differently. It just happens. You might start thinking you’re too old to make a difference in the lives of children, teens, younger women.

My husband has had a huge impact on young men through the years. I’m not sure if it’s because he still thinks he’s 30, if he can still relate to them well, or if God has just chosen to give him the blessing of connecting with 20-somethings. Only the Lord knows why my 62 year old man has such an impact on the lives of young men who are 40 years younger.

But not long ago, he uttered something I never thought I’d ever hear him say. “I don’t think I’m really able to reach those guys anymore.” (He was talking about some 20-somethings that God had placed in his path.)

But what I noticed that he may not realize is that when he begins speaking, they tend to lean in and listen.

In Joshua 14, 85 year old Caleb requested… well, pretty much demanded, that Joshua give him the mountain God had promised him 45 years earlier. (Joshua 14:12) The Hebrew word for give is nathan and it means to ascribe, assign, appoint, bestow.

It was time for the long awaited promise to be fulfilled and Caleb’s mind wasn’t on retirement, it was on taking ground for God.

No golf games, bingo, or rocking chair for Caleb. No… he was fit as a fiddle and ready for the new thing God had promised him long ago.

Maybe as you’re reading this, your reminded of a dream God tucked in your heart long ago. 

You’re not too old for God to fulfill His promise, for you to take that mountain, for you to take ground for the Kingdom of God. 

Ask for it. And if you don’t see it show up, keep wholly following God, and keep asking for Him to bring it to pass.

Delay isn’t denial. It’s just a necessary part of the process. 

So be patient.

Be persistent.

And never give up on what God has promised you.

He specializes in new things! So hang on… the promise is coming!


Now let’s do some digging in the Word together! There’s treasure tucked oh-so-sweetly in the pages of holy writ! So, come on. We’ve got some nuggets to find!

Read through Joshua 14:7-12 and make note of the way Caleb describes his 40 year old experience serving God.

“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said.”” Joshua 14:7-12 NKJV (Emphasis mine)

  1. Who sent Caleb?
  2. Where did he send Caleb?
  3. What was the report that Caleb brought back after spying out the land? (See Numbers 30 – specifically vs 13)
  4. Based on the text in Joshua 14:7-12, how did the other spies’ report influence the nation?
  5. How would you handle it if you would have had to suffer through 40 years in the wilderness because others wouldn’t trust God?
  6. Would those weary wilderness years have made you want to give up on the promise?
  7. Was the mountain Caleb’s for the taking or would he have to still work for it even though it was given to him?
  8. What can you learn from Caleb’s life about your own long-awaited dream, your own wilderness journey because of someone else’s lack of faith, your own struggle with lost years when you wished you were doing something else but couldn’t because of a season you didn’t cause or choose?
  9. What dream do you have in your heart right now or what promise did God make you long ago that you need to ask for today?
  10. What’s stopping you? 

Ask dear one! Just ask!

2 Comments

  1. A great word. I love seeing how God used His servants all the way up until He took them home. Thanks, Stephanie!

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