“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” — Psalm 90:12

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Justin Verlander is the oldest current Major League Baseball player at age 42. He’s still one of the best pitchers in the league even though he’s not able to match his performance from five or 10 years ago. His career statistics are amazing! The 6-foot-5, 240-pound pitcher has 535 starts, 262 wins, 3,456 strikeouts and a 3.31 ERA. Verlander has won three American League Cy Young Awards and two World Series championships. He is best known for playing with the Detroit Tigers, but has played for several teams. Currently, he pitches for the San Francisco Giants.

During the 2024 season, some signs appeared that his playing career is reaching a twilight level. He only made 17 starts for the Houston Astros, as he missed time with shoulder inflammation and neck discomfort. He spent a good bit of time on the disabled list and became a free agent before getting picked up by San Francisco. During the early part of the 2025 season, he’s been healthy but usually only pitching five innings per start and giving up a few more runs than in years past. Though his team hasn’t scored a lot of runs, he hadn’t recorded a win in his first nine starts.

If Verlander decides to play more years, he may move to the bullpen where he can pitch fewer innings, or he may decide to retire and become a sports commentator or a coach. At the moment, he appears to have a calm, realistic attitude. But some athletes, as well as fans, may go through depression or engage in destructive behavior when faced with physical decline and mortality.

Even though God gave Moses good health for 120 years, his body changed over time and he wrote about the painful struggle of the aging process. “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). Therefore, Moses urged us to live according to the Lord’s instructions because time passes quickly and we don’t know how long we will live or when we will lose our strength and abilities. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12).

As we age or face injuries or rejection, it’s easy to fall into a bad attitude and quit doing what we ought to do. But the Lord expects us to continue to grow spiritually for the rest of our lives, no matter our circumstances or physical condition. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia

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