Thursday, November 6, 2025

             Psalm 39 is titled “a Psalm of David.”  Like many of the other Psalms, David is the author of this one.  The Psalms give us a wide range of insights into many aspects of life. We find a spectrum of emotions and experiences that David and others faced.  The Lord inspired David to write these words—words that continue to inspire us even today.  One theme of Psalm 39 is the brevity of life.  David wrote, “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” (Psalm 39:4-5).  A bit later in Psalm 89:47 we read, “Remember how fleeting is my life.”  Life goes by quickly.  There is an old saying with which many of us might agree—the days go by slowly but the years go by quickly.  David, and other Bible writers, want to emphasize that life is brief.  In Psalm 39, we learn a few important life lessons.
            First, the span of life is limited here and now.  Eternity is coming.  But eternity is not part of our earthly living.  There is a fixed beginning and ending for us on earth.  We are born at a moment in time and then we will die at a moment in time.  Check out a grave marker and you will see two dates—a birthday and a death day.  No one escapes death unless the Lord comes for His people first.  Knowing that life is limited should influence how we live and the decisions that we make every day.  One day, we will be accountable to the Lord for how we have used the life He gave us.  We want to make decisions here and now that lead to a good accounting before Him.
            Second, God has ordained our days.  Our lives are in His hands.  Some people live a century or longer.  Still others seem to live rather brief lives—at least by our human estimation.  But the value of life is not measured by its length.  Rather, the way a life is lived is what matters.  We want to live for God’s glory—to love Him above all other things.  We want to love our neighbors—as we love ourselves.  A rather short life can be surrendered to the Lord and lived for His glory.  Likewise, a lengthy life could have been wasted and squandered on trivial pursuits and things.  We want to remember that God has ordained our days and we want to live them for His glory and purposes.
            Third, we can be comforted in knowing that one day we will be with the Lord and beyond the reach of death, disease, disorder and despair.  One day, God will remake and renew our bodies and make us suitable for eternity.  When we face the usual, daily battles, we can comfort ourselves in knowing that this world is not our final home.  We will one day go to be with the Lord and find ourselves gathered before this great cloud of witnesses. The only way we will be with the Lord is by coming to full faith in Jesus alone for our salvation—trusting and believing that He died for our sins, was buried and rose again so we could be forgiven and redeemed.
            James 4:14 compares life to a mist.  James wrote, “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 teaches us that we have now (today) to live, love and serve the Lord and others.  Tomorrow is not promised.  Eternity is coming.  We are but a mist on the world scene—an early morning fog that quickly burns away when the heat of the sun strikes it.  So, how can we live abundantly in the brevity of our days?  Know the Lord and take your joy and delight in Him.  Live generously and thankfully—be a giver and live with a grateful heart.  Know the Lord is the source of ALL blessings so be eager and willing to use your blessings for His purposes and glory.  Be quick to forgive and release anger, bitterness and pride.  Love what is true, right and good.  Run from evil and sin.  As Paul wrote in Philippians 2, live and shine brightly like stars in the night sky.  Have a great Thursday!