“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.” Psalms 39:4
I read this Bible verse in a book called “What Really Counts”. This verse was found in the first chapter of that book, where it’s talking about life. What was said in this particular chapter was important, teaching you to realize between what really matter and what doesn’t. It also teaches you to find your purpose in life. The author then ended this chapter with the verse above, and that was what struck me.
This verse has got me thinking – it says “Remind me brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days will be numbered, and that my time is fleeing away.” To different people, it could mean differently: to a certain group, it could mean that one should all the more enjoy life, since it’s so “brief”; to another, it could mean that one should serve God all of our days because our life is short.
One thing is for sure: We will all die one day. So what if you can break the record of being the longest living person on earth, you’ll still die in the end. Some do not even have the chance to have a glance at this world God has created. Others die in many different ways and of different ages. The thing is, we do not know when we will die. We can be alive and kicking for a moment, and the next we see ourselves in front of an angel.
Knowing all these, plus applying what was said in the verse, will make people choose the former option. Since they would not know when their life will end, they will most likely say, “I must enjoy life now, for I don’t even know whether I will live to enjoy tomorrow.” “I want to fulfill my dreams, get a good job, be rich, get married, and have a family.” Yes, all these are important, and I’m sure that God also wants you to have fun and live a good life. Then what about serving Him, or giving Him back praises and offering He deserves? Why don’t we say this too, “I want to reach out to my friends, and see him/her come to know Christ”, “I want to serve Him with the talents He has given me”?
It’s very rare of people to say that. Not even I myself think of it. I find myself dragging my feet every morning, doing almost the same thing everyday, being busy with a lot of things, including my own emotional matters , and not thinking about how God can actually help me. I find myself having a lot of time for other things, yet not having time for God. And the verse says that our time here on earth is brief. Well, I’ll be damned.
Living as a Christian, one has surely been taught to live for Christ. Since our time is brief, we might never know whether we will live for Christ tomorrow too. Yeah, we want our personal achievements and dreams too, but surely there must be time for God too. If we go to church just to play church, then sorry to say, you’ve just wasting your time.
I’m not going to say, or stress, or even suggest about what you need to do in your life. You are living your own life, which means you have the freedom to choose what to do with it. However, do choose it wisely, and do take heed of the verse. Make sure you have time for God. You may never know, the devotion you did today could be your last.
Touchwood