“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.” (v.4)
The Bible is full of references to the shortness of man’s days and compares it to; a shadow that comes and goes, a flower that fades, a breath that passes away and does not come again, a blade of grass that withers, (see 1 Chronicles 29:15; Job 14:1-2; Psalm 78:39; Isaiah 40:7; James 1:9-11; 4:13-14). Most of us do not like to think about the fleeting nature of our lives or about the reality of death. Yet David prayed here in Psalm 39 that God would show him the frailty of human life and the shortness of his days (v.4)
That may seem a strange prayer until we understand the truth expressed in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” It’s only when we live out our days on earth with one eye on the temporary, that we will live wisely. It leads to a change of perspective that causes us to live for eternity, rather than just for what this world has to offer. The truth is, the more we live with our eyes fixed on the next life, the better equipped we are to live in this one!
David goes on to point out that, if we busy ourselves in this short life with heaping up treasure on earth, we labor in vain - for we do not know who may gather it in (v.6). So what shall we then do? We must seize each day that is given to us. As Paul the Apostle said in Ephesians 5:16, “Redeem the time, because the days are evil.” Therefore, we need to make the most of every situation, making use of the time we have been given.
The Truth: Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
