Not even Captain Jack Sparrow could have prepared the Somalian pirates for what they encountered when they attempted to storm a luxury cruise liner filled with retired tourists. As the buccaneers pulled alongside the ship and began pelting it with machine-gun fire, the octogenarian warriors used deck furniture to resist and fight off the armed sea robbers.

Eventually, the golden-agers forced the pirates to retreat. Sixty-five-year-old John Jeffrey, who was injured in the attack, said triumphantly: “They tried to scare us off, but we stood our ground and continued throwing chairs.” Just as age didn’t prevent these seniors from bravely defending themselves, age did not prevent 85-year-old Caleb from flexing His muscles.

Because of Caleb’s wholehearted devotion to and trust in God, 45 years earlier the Lord promised him a piece of property. After that promise, Caleb had spent nearly 5 decades under Joshua’s leadership—wandering in the wilderness with a dissatisfied, unfaithful congregation and fighting against the Canaanite kingdoms. But even after the wear and tear of all those years, with flashing eyes and a strong voice, Caleb declared: “Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me” (Joshua 14:10-12).

God had not only preserved the promise for the man—He had preserved the man for the promise.

Sometimes our culture neglects and shelves seniors. But God still needs octogenarian warriors—believers who will trust His promises, refuse to let age define their usefulness to God, embrace new experiences with God, and write new chapters for Him.

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Judges 15:1-20