Psalm 39: Life is so Brief

My Bible gives the theme for this Psalm as: Apart from God, life is fleeting and empty. This is an appeal for God's mercy because life is so brief. The last four words, "life is so brief" really stood out to me. Beginning in verse 4 and following through verse 7, David speaks of the brevity of life. This is the section I want to focus on for today.

David asks God to remind him of the limited time he will have on earth, to be reminded that his days are numbered. Numerous other places in the Bible touch on this same topic. David along with other authors throughout the Bible describe life as short and fleeting:

Psalm 78:39-"...gone like a breath of wind that never returns,"
Psalm 90:12-"Teach us to realize the brevity of life..."
Psalm 103:15-"Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die."
James 4:14-"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog--it is here a little while, then it's gone."

In verse 5, David creates such an awesome visual through describing life as "no longer than the width of my hand." This just goes to confirm that our life here on earth is limited and in the grand scheme of things only a minor span of time.

Just these two verses (4 & 5) made me begin to really think about how I view my duration on earth. I know we are all aware that life is short and it could end at any moment. But is the fact that I acknowledge this reflected in my everyday life? Am I putting these words into action and living in such a manner to mimic the urgency found in them? Or do we pass through life as described by David in verse 6: "We are merely shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it." That sounds like a pretty boring and monotonous life.

We don't have to fall to such a life of emptiness and drudgery because we have hope, specifically placed in the Lord (verse 7). We as Christians can view the statements about the brevity of life and rejoice because it doesn't all end with physical death. It is our hope that allows us to press through the struggles and pains of this present life.

A little sidenote...I know all of us can probably relate to life being short through experiencing the death of a young individual. I can name numerous people I have known to leave this earth at such a young age, including my mom. I know that it's during these times of hardship that we most reflect on the brevity of life. It is my prayer today that we will meditate on the shortness of life and won't wait for a tragedy to occur before we realize that life is but a blink of an eye. Let us be constantly reminded that this life is not where is ends, but let us live in hope and look forward to the amazing splendor we will one day share with our Lord and Savior!!!!

See you guys tomorrow morning!!! Becca