Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. Psalm 39:4
Life has a crazy way of showing how old a person is. When a person is a little child, someone who is in their twenties, appears to be old and the person in the forties is ancient. It appears that it will take forever to get to that age.
Later when that child is in his twenties, the forty-year old appears just a little older, and the one in the sixties is very old. And it still appears a long way off to that age.
When a person gets into the forties, the age of sixty does not appear to be that far away and eighty is very old. By the fifties, people start to realize that there will be an end to life soon.
David asked God to show him how short his life really was. Life on this earth, in light of eternity, is just a quick vapor. Eighty, ninety years is nothing compared to several thousand years.
Most people live as though they will live forever on this earth. It is eat, drink and be merry. However, no one really knows when they will die. An accident or illness can take them sooner than expected. And the age of eighty comes up quickly.
Many parents wonder what happened to the years as they see their youngest child go off to college or get married. It flies by very quickly.
Why would a person want to be able to number his days?
It helps keep perspective of this life. The trials and troubles of this life are here for just a short moment, though it feels like eternity. The work that you do on this earth, is only available for just a moment.
How can you make the best use of the time God has given you to live on this earth?
Are you spending your time playing and living it up?
Or are you spending your time making disciples and being God’s witness?
You only have a few days on this earth to live for God. Make the most of the time that you have. Ask God to reveal to you how short life on this earth really is.
I pray today that God will show you how to number your days; that God will show you the work He has for you to do; that you will make the most use of your time for God; and that you will touch lives for eternity everyday.
What a great reminder! We need to be ever aware of how very brief our time is here on earth. May we live it faithfully on mission for our great God! Keep writing, brother!
Thank you for the comment and encouragement!