God is our mainstay, our comfort and our support during good times and bad. And while God desires a relationship with us during all times, we may find it especially important to rely on God during very specific life events as older adults. Think about times you already draw closer to God, and check out this list to remember other times when God can be by your side during both difficulties and celebrations.

1. As You Move to Assisted Living

Transitioning from living within your own home or with family to an assisted living community can be hard to process, whether it’s a move of a few miles or across the country. Take comfort from God’s message to Jacob in Genesis 46: “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt . . . I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.” God will be with you, wherever you make your home.

2. As You Face Significant Health Issues

Feeling our bodies weaken from age and infirmity can be incredibly disheartening, and trusting in God’s plan even as we face health issues can be hard. But remember the prayer in Jeremiah 17:14: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” God’s healing may come in many different forms — from actual physical healing to acceptance of what may come. In all of those ways, God is with us.

3. As You Feel Overwhelmed with Issues

Sometimes, it can seem like the old adage is true: When it rains, it pours — when one issue comes about, so do many others follow. But Jesus tells us through John 16:33 that “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” No matter the issues we face, Jesus is by our side and will help us to overcome.

4. As Your Family Expands

We need God at our side not only during challenges but also during celebrations. As you enjoy excitement when your family expands — your children marry, they have children or grandchildren of their own — remember to praise God and to commit your family to God. Joshua 24:15 contains one of the more quoted verses from the Bible: “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

5. As We Deal with Death

Losing someone we love deeply can be one of the hardest experiences of our life, and it's a time when we especially need to draw closer to God. Although the Bible is full of quotable verses about death, many of which we already know by rote from funerals and memorials, let’s remember a lesser known verse as we accept the finality of death but also the promise of life in heaven to come. John, as the mysterious author of Revelation, says in chapter 14, verse 13, “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’”

As we bring God into our daily lives, we can also remember that the entirety of the Bible is divinely inspired and a personal message to us all from our Lord and Father. Besides your own Bible studies, remember that we have an onsite chaplain here at The Gardens, as well as weekly religious services, communion and prayer meetings.