“Lord, reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how short-lived I am. You, indeed, have made my days short in length, and my life span as nothing in Your sight. Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor.” (Psalm 39:4-5)
David wasn’t being morbid when he prayed this prayer. He was just asking God to help him with his life perspective. His purpose was to gain a heightened perspective that would help him live out his days more effectively, more in a deeper spiritual fellowship with God.
In the verses that followed, for example, David noted how people seem to live out their lives like shadows, frantically working to gain the possessions of this life, not knowing who will ultimately get them when they depart this world. To David that seemed so “off target.” Thus he expressed a truth from his heart: “My hope is in You.”
Maybe we need to take David’s words to heart ourselves and recognize first that this live truly is brief, almost nothing in the eternal scheme. Even a long life by our standards is still no more than a vapor in comparison to eternity. Second, while we recognize the importance and value of work, we need also to understand that our relationship with the Lord genuinely deserves a higher priority. Third, in this context, we need then to commit our hope all to the Lord, to trust our lives fully into His hands. Such a life perspective yields the fruit of peace.
Lord, We rejoice that whatever the span of our days, we are Yours. Help us to keep this perspective daily. Amen.
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