Show me, Lord, my life's end. -Psalm 39:4

At the age of 59 my friend Bob Boardman wrote, "If the 70 years of a normal life span were squeezed into a single 24-hour day, it would now be 8:30 in the evening in my life. . . . Time is slipping by so rapidly." 

The difficulty in admitting that our time on earth is limited inspired the creation of "Tikker"-a wristwatch that tells you what time it is, calculates your estimated normal life span, and displays a running countdown of your remaining time. It is advertised as the watch "that counts down your life, just so you can make every second count."

In Psalm 39, David grappled with the brevity of his life, saying, "Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is" (v. 4). He described his life span as no longer than the width of his hand, as only a moment to God, and merely a breath (v. 5). David concluded, "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you" (v. 7).

The clock is ticking. Now is the time to seek God's power to help us become the people He wants us to be. Finding hope in our eternal God gives meaning for our lives today.

In what ways am I wasting time? In what ways am I making my days count? In what areas do I need to make changes?

Prayer for Today

Father in heaven, please help us to believe that our forgiveness is as real as the price You paid for our rescue. Amen.