Most of My Heroes are Eighty Years Old

Michael E. Wood
October 24, 2011

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. Psalm 145:3, 4

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1st Peter 2:9

(See also the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

In the place that God has designed for my personal growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am often afforded some time each week to listen to sermons online as I go about the doing of chores around the house. On one of these occasions I was blessed in the message received through the voice of one who is a godly example of that which he preaches. While in the process of preaching from 2nd Chronicles 34 on the subject of, “Excellence: The Pursuit that Honors God”, Pastor Bob Latour used the word “heroes” in reference to many of the members of Beacon Baptist Church in Burlington, North Carolina. With great affection my mind was stirred with appreciation for many of these faithful members of the body of Christ, whom God has used as expressions of His love loyalty and faithfulness through the years. And thus the word hero is defined by the context in which it is used.

Likewise, Dianna and I have been given the privilege to minister the word of His grace to a number of God’s people at Atria El Camino Gardens, of which some of them are eighty years old and more. While not only having the opportunity to preach the gospel of the kingdom of our Lord we also are in the beginning stages of seeing the blessings of the relationships He is building through this ministry to the praise of His glory.

Over the first few weeks of preaching we have found ourselves focusing on the texts from Revelation 12:11 and Revelation 1:9. From these texts we can easily see the relationship which is formed in the body of Christ both locally and universally throughout all of time as those who were written in the Lambs book of life before the foundation of the world. In the Lamb who was slain we are united as one unto the praise of His glorious grace and are sown by Him in this world to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Thus, most of my heroes are eighty years old and more.

Most of my heroes are eighty years old
Or more if you count from the grave,
For though days on earth may have ended in time
They speak of One mighty to save.
With lives full of faithfulness as the great mark
Of grace which was on them outpoured
They shine as the stars from the heavens above
And shout things which can’t be ignored.


They tell of the Savior of which they had met
Whose mercy and power subdued
All of their sins by the blood of His cross
And even through death He has proved
The life that He gives is eternal in value
And kept now in store by His Name
Till all who believe shall be gathered as one
Forever proclaiming His fame.


For this is the purpose for which we were born;
As seeds sown in each generation
Will show forth the glory of Jesus our Lord,
The Lamb slain before the foundation
Of this present world before it was formed
Or spoken by Him to existence,
As He The Almighty with one single word
Will overcome all the resistance
Now present as vanities of nations rage
Continually sinking in mire.
This age will then end by His Word as decreed:
Our God; a consuming fire.


Oh, where will you be, and what will you see
And feel at the end of your course?
Will you enter with joy the presence of God
And know Him through Jesus the source
Of life from the dead, our covenant head,
Rejoice in the great consummation,
Or forever be doomed as the flames will consume
All hope, in eternal damnation?
Now is the time and today is the day
If you by His grace hear His voice
And answer the call as before Him you fall,
Rejoice that He made you His choice.


Oh Spirit of God, please come and breathe through
The words of Your infinite heart,
And help us more clearly, the love of our Savior
To see, though now but in part.
And know the assurance that like Him we’ll be,
Beholding His glorious face,
Fulfilled by the promise You speak by Your Word
To enter Your glory by grace.

Upon completion of this poem, the thought came to mind that this might make for a good Southern Gospel song, and thus music came to mind and it has been recorded as such.