“Look, you make my days short-lived,
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.”
Psalm 39:5 (NET Bible)
I had just finished a seminary class in Dallas and was headed north on I35. Rain was coming down, the clouds had created a darkened atmospheric ambiance, and the road was slick.
No sooner had I crossed under an overpass than I heard a unique sound of power like I had never heard, combining grinding and ear-piercing scraping.
The eighteen-wheeler was driving south on I35 and coming head-on at me. It was deterred only because the concrete barrier prevented it from crossing into my lane. In my rear-view mirror, I saw it crashing alongside the wall and jackknifing at a wicked speed.
My heart pounded as I exhaled. I had been holding my breath. At that moment, I realized how fast accidents can happen and how powerful the vehicles we drive are.
Have you ever been in a moment like that? A close call to a potentially life-ending experience?
In Psalm 39, King David reminds us how short our lives are.
In response to this ever-present reality, he exclaims, “But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying? You are my only hope!”
David’s hope was God. In his short life, he understood the awesome reality of God, the God of hope.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- Is it easy to put hope in a job? Money? Relationship? Potential promotion? Pleasure? People’s approval?
- Is it also easy to lose hope in the unseen? God, who can feel far away or distant? An unrealized expectation?
What is the way forward?
- Remember
- God has worked in your life before. Reflect on how you have seen Him do surpassingly more than you ever hoped or imagined (Eph. 3:20).
- Rest
- Sabbath is placing your trust in God’s work instead of your own. Take time this week to carve out some Sabbath rest where you can reflect on God, His Word, and His works in your life. Do it in creation if possible.
- Return
- You are never too far gone from God’s story of redemption. He exchanged His life for yours so that you would be eternally embraced in His. Come home if you have walked away from this promise.
So teach us to consider our mortality,
so that we might live wisely.
Psalm 90:12
— September 1, 2022