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Key takeaways
- Deborah’s life shows us that every stage brings new chances to grow, serve, and make a difference by trusting God.
- A responsive heart helps us hear God’s call and push aside selfishness, doubt, and resistance.
- We can age bravely when we build strong relationships, rely on God’s strength in challenges, and patiently trust God through life’s twists and turns.
Aging is not “lost youth” but a new stage of opportunity and strength.
Betty Friedan
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.
Henry Ford
Each stage of life brings both new opportunities and new obstacles. Young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood all come with their own challenges and chances to grow. This can be exciting, but it often feels like we are barely getting a handle on our current stage when life hits us with the next one.
At each stage, we have a choice: will we seize the opportunities God places before us with courage, eager to learn something new? Or will we settle into compromise and complacency, just trying to get through the next day?
We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.
1 Corinthians 10:13 TPT
New stages in life can test our faith as we learn to rely on God in the midst of new circumstances, pressures, and responsibilities. The Bible tells us that these tests are actually opportunities. This means that aging—or entering a new stage of life with new limitations and challenges—is not the end of our story. It’s simply the beginning of a new chapter. The Bible is full of people whose stories began with an opportunity, and whose impact lasted far beyond their current circumstances or challenges.
In Deborah’s story, we find a model of courage and faith that reminds us we’re never too old—or too young—to make a difference. Her life was a testament to aging bravely, fully embracing God’s plans at every turn and in every chapter of her life.
Find your next chapter
Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help. [4] Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. [5] She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. [6] She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. [7] I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’ ”
Judges 4:3-7 NIV
When we meet Deborah, she has already lived a solid first act. She was a married woman who had become a respected spiritual leader of all the people of Israel. She also led Israel through a time of great oppression. She had probably seen a lot of pain and difficulty.
She could have let her responsibilities and challenges make her settle, telling herself she had done enough. Instead, she listened to God’s voice which led her to raise up Barak to lead. She could have told God that he was asking too much, that it would be too much work to get Barak to lead (as we’ll see later, Barak was less than eager). She could have considered her own leadership status to be too important, and decided to lead the army herself.
But she didn’t. She trusted and listened to God.
In the second or third part of our lives, our story is still being written. Deborah was responsive to God, which helped her find her next chapter. If we want to journey bravely to the next stage of our lives, one of the most important things we need to do is make sure our hearts are responsive to God’s voice. Do we listen to him, or resist the ways he is calling us to serve, lead, and grow?
There are many reasons our hearts can become unresponsive to God, and they are not necessarily related to our chronological age. Here are a few spiritual reasons our hearts become unresponsive to God:
Selfishness and self-promotion
For those living in constant goodness and doing what pleases him, seeking an unfading glory and honor and imperishable virtue, will experience eternal life. [8] But those governed by selfishness and self-promotion, whose hearts are unresponsive to God’s truth and would rather embrace unrighteousness, will experience the fullness of wrath.
Romans 2:7-8 TPT
Sometimes, our response to life can be selfishness. Selfishness makes us long for an easier or more comfortable life, while self-promotion makes us chase achievements and ambition. Both of these forms of selfishness make us unresponsive to God, chasing our own plans instead.
Unbelief
So search your hearts every day, my brothers and sisters, and make sure that none of you has evil or unbelief hiding within you. For it will lead you astray, and make you unresponsive to the living God.
Hebrews 3:12 TPT
Unbelief can be difficult to see; the Bible says that it hides. Sometimes our hearts become unresponsive because we are doing the right Christian behaviors, but we don’t really believe the Scriptures anymore. One sign of unbelief is discouragement. We can become discouraged when we feel like our prayers are not being answered or we have simply stopped praying. Discouragement over time can take a significant toll on our faith.
A hardened heart
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.
Ezekiel 36:26 NLT
A tender heart is a responsive heart. So if our hearts have become calloused by pain, suffering, or guilt (Hebrews 3:13), we will not be responsive when God calls us to something new.
We need to search our hearts for these three things (selfishness, unbelief and a hardened heart every day to ensure that we are responsive when God calls us to our next chapter.
“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered- how fleeting my life is. [5] You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” [6] We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. [7] And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.
Psalm 39:4-7 NLT
Our lives are short. What matters is not how much time we have, but what we do with the time we are given. This psalmist saw how small he was in the grand scheme of things, but this didn’t make him settle for selfishness, unbelief, or apathy— it made him ground himself in something bigger than him.
Each of these scriptures remind us that God has a larger story in mind for us. Even when we face heartbreak, fall into old patterns, or get overtaken by challenges, God is still bigger than it all. Putting our hope in him is what helps us look ahead rather than behind, and take steps forward even when we don’t know where the path leads. This hope is what Deborah is remembered for. It’s why her story is in the Bible, because she chose to step forward rather than stay sitting.
Pause and reflect
- What “next chapter” God is calling me toward?
- How responsive is my heart when God calls me to do something new or potentially difficult?
- How do I want to be remembered?
Find your supporting characters
Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.” [9] “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the LORD will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. [10] There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.
Judges 4:8-10 NIV
No one’s story is meant to be written alone. Though Barak probably could have used a little more trust in God, he clearly saw that he couldn’t do this task on his own, so he enlisted the help of both Deborah and the people of Israel.
Deborah responded to this by going with Barak. She didn’t get irritated and tell him she would just do it herself. She didn’t refuse his request for help so that she could sit on the sidelines. She went with Barak into battle and fought alongside him. This partnership between Deborah and Barak led to a great victory.
As we get older, we might get tempted to fulfill the “mentor role” in relationships. Though it’s not bad to mentor and give advice, this is often an excuse to stay a passive spectator in others’ lives, rather than an active participant. God wants us to invest our lives into relationship building not gaining status, financial security, or career advancement. He teaches us that true fulfillment comes through living a life of love.
Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.
1 John 4:19 TPT
Take a second to think back on your life so far. How have you seen God’s love? His patience, persistence, and compassion? How have you seen him fight for you? Has his involvement and role in your life been a passive or active one?
When we are grateful for the love and grace God has invested into our lives, we can’t help but do the same for those around us. Our relationships with others are gifts from God, and they deepen when we choose to love with the same grace and sacrifice God first showed us. Investing in people brings just as much meaning to our lives as it does to theirs. This is especially true in later stages, when it becomes clear that relationships—more than status or possessions—are the true markers of a fulfilling life.
Our relationships are what bring the greatest value to our lives. Our relationships with God and each other strengthen us to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.
When we spend time every day praying about the gratitude we have for God’s love in our lives, we will begin to see all the opportunities to pass on that same love to others. We’re surrounded by people every day — at work, in our neighborhoods, even at home — who need our active love. Who needs you to invest in them with the same fighting spirit Deborah had?
Pause and reflect
- Who can I walk with and inspire, as Deborah inspired Barak?
Face the plot twists with God
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. [15] At Barak’s advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.
Judges 4:8-10,14-15 NIV
After calling Barak to lead and showing support, Deborah didn’t wait around. She didn’t make sure they were 100% prepared for what was ahead, nor did she check in to see if Barak felt confident enough to move ahead. She told him to go and take action, while reminding him that God was already moving and going ahead of them. Then as Barak fought in battle, God led them to victory.
In our stories, life brings plot twists and challenges, but God prepares the way for us. Facing life’s unexpected turns can be daunting, but when we trust God’s guidance, we find courage to move forward with confidence in our battles, knowing he’s in control.
The LORD is my light and my salvation- so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? [3] Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.
Psalm 27:1,3 NLT
As we get older, there are some things we can’t control (aging parents, health, decisions our adult children make in or out of the house, sudden loss, etc) but we can control what effort we make to turn to God.
To reflect on how we are handling the battles in our lives, let’s look at a few signs that we are relying on our human abilities rather than God:
- Micromanaging: We get overly controlling, thinking if we just have everything planned perfectly it will go well (Luke 10:38-42).
- Denial: We won’t admit the pain, difficulty, or battles we are in because we don’t feel like we can handle it (Isaiah 30:9-11).
- Blaming: Maybe it’s God, maybe it’s a person, or maybe we even get down on or blame ourselves for things out of our control. Instead of asking for help, we make excuses for why we shouldn’t make an effort (Job 36:13).
It takes daily effort to choose God instead of our own human abilities to face the battles in our lives. One way to do this is to equip ourselves with God’s Word:
Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15 BSB
The more time we spend in God’s Word, the better equipped we will be for the battles life throws at us. Deborah had the confidence of someone who was attached to God and his Word, and this led to her taking action, trusting that God would take care of the things she couldn’t control.
How can we use the Bible to help us with our battles?
- Instead of micromanaging, we can find Bible verses that talk about how God is bigger than us and our plans. Every time we want to take control, we can choose to slow down, read those verses, and let go. Here are a few verses to get started: Isaiah 30:20-21 TPT, Psalm 37:5 TPT, Jeremiah 17:5-8 NIV, and Matthew 6:30-34 NIV.
- Instead of denying what’s overwhelming us, we can choose to pray about what we can’t control. The book of Psalms is a great place to find examples of vulnerable and honest prayers to guide us in our prayer life. .
- Instead of placing blame on others, we can humbly ask for help from God and friends. James 4 and 5 are good chapters about the power of taking responsibility for our own sins and praying for each other.
Pause and reflect:
- How do I handle the things I can’t control in my life?
- How can I use the Bible to help me in my battles today?
Let the story unfold
On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: [3] “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will praise the LORD, the God of Israel, in song. [7] Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel. [12] ‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’
Judges 5:1,3,7,12 NIV
After God brought them victory, Deborah and Barak celebrated a song that told the story. In it, Deborah recounted that the people of Israel wouldn’t fight until she arose to lead them. She understood that the story took time to unfold—it had taken twenty years for the people to cry out to God for help, and even then they wouldn’t fight without her.
Patience is a big part of Deborah’s story. We don’t see her angrily turning her back on the villagers who wouldn’t fight. Instead, she loved them like a mother.
As we age, we can follow Deborah’s example of patiently waiting for God’s story to unfold. God is always planning our next chapter for us. We don’t have to be in control or know what’s coming. All we have to do is trust his plan to unfold.
Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. [13] But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold.
Psalm 106:12-13 NIV
Often, we live life with hopes and ideas for “our plans.” When things don’t go the way we want, it is tempting to give up. Deborah would certainly have experienced this as she led her people through years of oppression. It takes true faith to keep passionately following God when we have experienced disappointment, discouragement, or regret in both our and our families’ lives. Deborah’s relationship with God helped her move forward, knowing there were things to do and places to go:
So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!
Romans 8:12-14 MSG
Deborah chose not to have a “do it yourself” life. She had a connection with God that helped her face the future bravely. As long as we don’t give up, there will always be things to do, places to go, battles to fight, and lives to change. The opportunities are endless, and so is our strength that comes from relying on God.
Pause and reflect
- In what areas do I get impatient as I wait for God’s plans to unfold?
- How can I step forward in faith today?
Final thoughts
Our lives are stories that God himself is writing. Embracing each chapter, finding our supporting characters, trusting through the plot twists, and not giving up on the story allow us to grow in faith, resilience, and joy. Like Deborah, let’s “arise” and step forward with courage, knowing God’s hand guides every part of our journey.