“Show me, Lord, my life’s end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a mere handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before you.
Everyone is but a breath,
even those who seem secure.
Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom;
in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth
without knowing whose it will finally be.
But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions…
When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin,
you consume their wealth like a moth—
surely everyone is but a breath.
Hear my prayer, Lord,
listen to my cry for help;..
that I may enjoy life again
before I depart and am no more.” Psalm 39:4-8a,11-13 (David)
“You return man to dust
and say, ‘Return, O children of man!’
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.
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 90:3-6,9-10 (Moses)
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:4
The Lord God established time in Eden with an ordered course of day and night, then created man to inhabit and exercise dominion in the rich, perfect world He had made. Rhythms of light and seasons, atmosphere and creatures, all were both the backdrop and substance of man’s fulfillment. Made in God’s image to bring Him glory, man was to be fruitful and multiply all his days. When His command regarding the tree of life was transgressed, God’s purpose still held, though finite man, even great men, would evermore wrestle between wistfulness and want, futility and fruitfulness, yearning and endurance. (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:15-18,21-24; Isaiah 43:7; 49:2-3)
Considering our days is a prudent practice, though exclusively dwelling on either past or future dampens vigor for the present. In taking time to assess our ways and days for fruitfulness, it’s important to acknowledge they are numbered by our Maker and Lord, and we’re gifted for particular purpose within their limited scope. Are we making the most of each one? Do we spend our stewardship in sighing and slouching, or singing and seizing opportunities?
Certainly weariness and some incapabilities are bound to increase over time, yet the Lord can be glorified in how we take advantage of His gift of any day. Have we grown complacent or lazy in service to the Lord and others, or do we eagerly spend ourselves for His kingdom’s sake? Where and how are we investing in His Body? Valuing what He values yields wisdom and spiritual fruit. (Psalm 118:24; Ephesians 5:15-17; Colossians 4:5)
Lord, help me live to the full each day You give, for other’s blessing and Your glory.
As the rain and snow 