The Shortness of Life

LORD, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
-Ps. 39:4

David, the king of Israel, whose throne was promised to last forever, wrote this psalm. In it he considers how short life is.

Not one, not two, but three times David compares life to a breath in this psalm. Why? David is in tune with the shortness of life. He makes it personal. He says make me. Know my end…my days. Let me know how transient I am. Life’s brevity led him to “guard his ways” from sin (v.1). He switched his focus from pursuing riches to pursing God (v. 6). When he considered his future, he put his hope in God (v. 7). What a helpful view of life!

When you’re in tune with the shortness of life, you don't pursue riches. You pursue God. You guard your ways from sin. You consider your future and anchor your hope in God. We need an acute awareness of life's shortness. It will help us live rightly.