The Reality of Life and Death (Psalm 38-41)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

How often do you pause and think about how short your life is?

While childhoods make us feel invincible, the more we age, see loved ones die, and encounter health struggles of our own, the more we realize how temporal life is. David certainly understood this struggle. After choosing to remain silent in the face of wickedness, David writes in Psalm 39:4-6,

⁴ “Lord, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.
⁵ In fact, you have made my days just inches long,
and my life span is as nothing to you.
Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Selah
⁶ Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.
Indeed, they rush around in vain,
gathering possessions
without knowing who will get them.

David shows us that sometimes, the natural response to problems is recognizing our mortality. As Gerald Wilson writes, “The psalmist wishes to know the ‘end’ of his life and the ‘number’ of his days (39:4), not in order to have mastery over life but to gain an appropriate appreciation for the tenuous and fragile nature of human existence.”^[1] We are here for a few days, and then we’re gone. Our time is measured.

While many fear becoming “so heavenly minded they become of no earthly good,” the reality is that those who follow God live with this constant dual reality. We enjoy the pleasures of life and wrestle with our pain, all while recognizing there is a life to come. As C.S. Lewis said,

“If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.”[2]

Thus, to make the greatest impact in this world, we must keep our eyes focused on eternity while our feet are firmly planted in the reality of our present moment. How do we do this? The answer is to look to Jesus and walk as the Holy Spirit instructs us to walk.

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | Lord, I praise you for the depth of wisdom in your word, reminding me of the fleeting nature of life. Your teachings illuminate the brevity of my days and the vanity of worldly pursuits, guiding me toward what truly matters.

Release | I release my grip on the temporal, the material possessions, and the pursuits that consume my energy yet offer no lasting fulfillment. Help me to let go of these distractions, recognizing their temporary nature and the false sense of security they provide.