O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath
Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;
man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!"
-Psalm 39:4-6
If I were to measure life, how would I evaluate it? Through the number of years, achievements, relationships, or wealth? Perceptions may differ but the question remains, which measurement really quantifies? We haven’t been at the end of our course, but surely our glimpse is crystal clear, and so we know the answer to that question.
We drift away with this so-called "life"
It is not unknown that people drift away with this so-called "life.” We are like the Israelites, gathering meat in the desert, thinking it will be stored away until we need it, only to find out soon enough that the maggots had their share. What a waste of time! All the hard work put into it. The Lord clearly told them what is to be done; gather what is enough for the day. They have known what to do from the start, but they chose another way, a way seemed good to them.
Fast forward to our times now, we are so consumed with the things going on in our lives. Getting a promotion, fancy cars, building a house, raising children, establishing a business -name it, all the things that fill our heads. This is what we must do and we have to fulfill and we have to achieve. Then we all shout, “For the future!” How confident we are! Psalm says, surely, we confuse ourselves with such things.
Then turn away from God
We turn our heads away from what God has called us to do. No? What are we busy today? What is the longing of our soul? We ponder our earthly needs more than our spiritual life. Our pleasure craves perishable things rather than eternal ones. The more we deny, the more we sink deep in the turmoil, inadvertently grasping the invisible idols we have built.
And then we laugh shamelessly. It would pass by like every other day, we thought. The same day as the times that we have ignored our conscience and embrace our earthly pleasures and treasures. We toil yet we will never know who will gather our wealth. What vanity! If all we have today is what we see, we are miserable! If what we deem important do not differ from a natural man, then where is our hope?
The Psalmist realized that he is at the mercy of God. The Lord can “consume like a moth what is dear to him” as he disciplines him for his sin. And so he cried out to God, “Deliver me from my transgressions” and “look away from me.”
“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you."
Stand or fall, or both?
What is there to hope for? All other things are mere sand that can be tossed by waves. It is destined to be ruined and bury you nowhere deep. Run to the Rock, a sure foundation. Yes, there will be tossing and beating, but a man whose hope is in God will stand in the midst of his scorners. He may stumble and fall, but His grace will lift him up in all the storms.
Like a breath, a shadow, or as nothing before God, may we see our lives as it is, and not to indulge into things that do not profit our eternity. Every moment is a rare opportunity to please our Maker, may we not miss it. And when the time comes that we take our last, we will see His the light of His face and rejoice in His presence.
