“They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.'” — Psalm 92:14-15

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At 44 years old, Philip Rivers didn’t need to come back. He’d already carved out a long, respected, probably Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career. He’d stepped into life after football as a high school coach, a husband and a father of 10. For most pro athletes, that’s the point when they get to enjoy the fruits of their labors and slow down their lives to be more like us normal folks.

There are few cases like what we saw in December from Rivers, who made a return to the NFL after being retired for five years. The Indianapolis Colts — with whom Rivers spent what was previously his final season in 2020 — lost starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles on Dec. 7. They were already without Anthony Richardson, who had been the previous starter before on-field struggles and injury set him back, and backup Riley Leonard injured his knee in the same game Jones went down.

Head coach Shane Steichen needed a solution as the team looked to make a playoff push. So, he turned to Rivers, with whom there was mutual respect. Rivers was already familiar with the offense, but still, pulling a 44-year-old out of retirement in Week 15 and inserting him as the starting quarterback on basically one week of preparation is pretty unheard of. Some lauded the Colts for their creativity; others scoffed at it or said even worse things.

But there was something endearing about how Rivers approached the entire thing. He was self-aware, acknowledged how unusual it was, how he knew what a lot of people were probably thinking about the decision, and he gave no predictions on how he’d play. He ended up throwing for 120 yards, a touchdown and an interception in an 18-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Valiant efforts but two more losses followed the next two weeks.

Wins would’ve significantly helped the Colts in their playoff chase, but when we look back on this a few years from now, the stats and results will pale in comparison to the message Rivers sent by taking the field. Because what Rivers ultimately pushed back against wasn’t just doubt — it was the lie that says time has run out.

That lie is one I’ve found myself believing more often as I’ve gotten older. Somewhere along the way, goals start to feel like they have expiration dates. Callings get replaced with timelines. We begin to assume that if something hasn’t happened by now, it probably never will. That certain doors were meant for a younger version of ourselves — one with fewer responsibilities, fewer failures or fewer what-ifs.

But Scripture tells a very different story.

Moses was 80 years old when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 7:1-7). Abraham was well past what seemed reasonable when God promised him a son (Genesis 17). Caleb was 85 when he asked for the hill country God had promised him decades earlier, saying, “I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out” (Joshua 14:10-12). Even Anna, a widow in her 80s, became one of the first people to publicly proclaim the coming of the Messiah (Luke 2:36-38).

God has never been constrained by age — only by our willingness to believe Him.

The Bible doesn’t say God uses us until a certain point. It says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). Completion isn’t tied to youth; it’s tied to obedience.

Rivers didn’t return because he needed one more chapter for himself. He returned because he believed something meaningful could still be done. He believed that stepping back onto the field, even imperfectly, still mattered. And in doing so, he offered a reminder to all of us watching: God’s purposes don’t expire just because we think the clock is ticking.

“I think of my sons and those ballplayers that I’m in charge of at the school. I think they’ll see that Coach wasn’t scared,” Rivers said after his first game back. “Shoot, sometimes there is doubt, and it’s real. The guaranteed safe bet is to go home or not go for it. The other one is, shoot, let’s see what happens. I hope in that sense it can be a positive to some young people.”

We are never too old to obey. Never too old to say “yes.” Never too old for God to do exactly what He has planned.

The question isn’t whether time is running out; it’s whether we still believe God is at work.

— Cole Claybourn

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