Bearing Fruit in Old Age: Why Your Faith Still Matters

Why Trees Teach Us About Righteous Living

Have you ever felt like your best days of serving God are behind you? Many of us have. Yet for centuries, people have compared strong, lasting lives to trees: “steady as an oak” or “turning over a new leaf.” The Bible does the same thing, but with a beautiful promise. In Psalm 92:12 we read this,

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon."

The Palm Tree: Deep Roots and Living Water

Palm trees are interesting. They grow straight and tall, reaching for the Heavens. God designed the palm tree to survive in harsh conditions, and in many ways, that is exactly how He calls us to live. They grow most often in desert climates but they prefer to be near water sources. Their deep roots reach underground water but they are also spread wide and shallow to catch the small amounts of rainfall that occur. They have many adaptations not just to survive, but to endure and continue producing fruit. Date palms have been grown in the Middle East for thousands of years and are prized for their delicious fruit.

Do we see similarities to our life and a palm tree? Are we rooted deeply in God's word? Do we have access to water sources like church, Bible study, and godly friends who encourage us? Palm trees thrive near water sources because water is life. Water allows the tree to produce fruit. Are we near our source of living water—Jesus?

The Cedar of Lebanon: Strength, Shade, and Slow Growth

We understand from Scripture that the Cedars of Lebanon were used to build Solomon's Temple to God. These trees can live up to three thousand years. They can be 70-120 feet tall (20-40 meters) with enormous trunks 12-25 feet (4-8 meters) in circumference. Their branches grow wide, providing much-needed shade. Their growth rate is slow and steady. Many different species of birds and mammals call these trees home. These are not just impressive traits, they are instructive ones.

As a Christian how are we growing? Are we seeing a steady and measurable increase in holiness as we go through life? As Christians, our lives should be useful for others, like these trees. Do we give people rest when they are near us and shelter them, or do we cause stress and harm? If our lives are not producing that kind of fruit, then something at the root needs to change.

The Psalmist continues and says,

"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God." (Psalm 92:13)

Planted in God’s House: Foundations That Last

This verse reminds us that where we are originally planted will help us grow. If a tree is planted near water, with lots of sunlight, and good nourishment for its roots it will certainly flourish.

This truth applies not only to our own lives, but to how we raise the next generation. Like a young tree planted in a good location, when our children are raised in a Christian home, with Christian values and are taught their faith through the word, then we can trust they will grow and "flourish" as time passes. They may experience spiritual drought or hardship that can cause them to lose their way for a time; but those roots will hold because they run deep. This does not mean the outcome is guaranteed, but it does mean those early roots are not easily removed. And the Psalmist encourages us that this won't stop when we get old.

Bearing Fruit in Old Age: God’s Promise

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

The NIV translates it as "they will stay fresh and green." So many of us feel useless in old age. We feel we have no more to offer, nothing of value left to give our Lord. But this verse tells us this is not true. Even in our old age we will bear fruit and what we do for the Lord will be as necessary and useful as what we did as young people, sometimes more so.

Biblical Heroes Who Never Retired

Think of the many people in the Bible who accomplished much for God into their old age. They didn't "retire." They didn't "slow down." David was still serving as king and offering spiritual guidance up until the time of his death. Samuel was a mighty prophet and judge of Israel far into old age. Caleb was 85 when he received his Promised Land inheritance.

In the New Testament, Simeon and Anna were elderly temple prophets who recognized the infant Jesus as the Messiah. Paul fought his good fight into older age, never giving up on wanting to be like Jesus. These are just a few examples. Maybe you know someone, a grandparent or an elderly relative, who continues to faithfully serve the Lord in any way they can.

We can serve others as mentors, because with age comes wisdom. "Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days, understanding" (Job 12:12). We have seen much and through all of it we have seen the faithfulness of God. When the hard times come for the young we can be like those huge trees, we can offer shelter and rest. We can be an encouragement in this world of negativity. We can speak life where our culture too often speaks death.

Practical Ways Older Christians Still Serve

Psalm 92:15 tells us how

"To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."

Where others may doubt that the Lord is upright, we know that is not true. Our fruitful lives as older Christians are living proof of God's faithfulness and His righteousness. He is a promise keeper and cares for each of us. As we grow old we can share these stories with others. Isaiah 46:4 reminds us that in our old age it is God who still carries and delivers us.

They will see in our fruitfulness that we have not given up. We haven't succumbed to the temptation to just be lazy. We haven't listened to the lies that tell us old age means automatic loneliness. The choice of loneliness comes down to God-focus or self-focus. We may have lonely moments but they don't have to define us.

Declaring God’s Righteousness Until the End

We know from experience that God is our rock. We did not build our house on sand, no, we built it on the rock of ages who will never fail us. We have undergone trials and come out on the other side fresh and green. And if for some reason we haven't remained that way, we can always turn back to Him and seek His face to know His will for us.

Lastly, we can speak of His righteousness. In the earlier part of this psalm the writer mentions the wicked will "spring up like grass" and "flourish" but we know this is temporary. They will end in destruction. The righteous however will go on to an eternal reward with Jesus. We know this because God is a righteous judge. Evil will not go unpunished.

We find God's promise for the righteous in Psalm 1:3,

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

Our spiritual lives don't have to wither and die. The spiritual water of the Holy Spirit is there to refresh our souls, so that we can still bear good fruit for God’s glory.

As older Christians with deep roots and a continuous fruitful life of "becoming like Christ" we can share our testimony with others. How has God blessed us? How have we seen Him work in our lives? What has He saved us from?

Faithfulness in old age is not limited by strength, but shaped by willingness. We also have something quite precious—time. We have time to pray for others deeply. Even in a nursing home, we may be capable of organizing a prayer group. We can keep a record of how God has answered prayers and share it with others to lift them up.

If we are physically able, we can still volunteer in church outreach to the community. At my church older Christians are the mainstay of these efforts because it is they who have the time. We can offer to be a child's substitute grandparent at school if they have "grandparent's day" and the child has no one. Those skilled, crafty elderly can knit hats for newborns or make caps for cancer patients. The list is endless. In some parts of the world, this calling becomes even more costly.

For those of you who live in places in the world where you are facing severe persecution it is you who will show the young the courage it sometimes takes to be a witness. In Psalm 71 the psalmist prays, "Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails." We would do well to pray the same.

These promises are not made to everyone. They are made to the righteous. Righteousness comes not by our own ability but by trusting in Jesus and letting the Holy Spirit work through us to do God's will. His will is for us to do good. We don't get to stop just because we're old. Righteousness doesn't mean perfection. It means that every day we choose faith. Every day we choose true repentance.

The question is not whether we admire these trees, but whether we are becoming like them. Are we putting down deep roots in God’s Word, or are we content to live shallow lives? Time will pass whether we are growing or not. The only question is what kind of life we will have to show for it.

Be Like the Palm and Cedar: A Final Call

Let us be like a palm tree: reaching for Heaven, seeking the water of life, facing adversity, and producing much fruit. Let our lives also be like the mighty Cedar of Lebanon: slowly and steadily growing in holiness, being a shield for those in need and home for those who need it, and becoming wiser with age. Praise to God for His creation that always reminds us of His faithful promises.