LORD, make me to know my end ....

... what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am (Psalm 39:4). The fear of death, acknowledged or unacknowledged, keeps us in life long bondage (Hebrews 2:15). We tend to push it down, out of (spiritual) sight, out of mind! It keeps is from praying this prayer. But the believer does not need to fear death, because perfect love casts out this fear (1 John 4:8). We are intended to know that we have eternal life, and that we shall not come to the judgement (John 5:24). But we too can be grieved by the wickedness of the world, and when we are, it can cause us like David to remain silent, and refrain even from the good (verse 2). I mean what is the use?

But in his silence David continued to muse on the wickedness of the wicked, and it caused his heart to burn hot within him (verse 3). And as I mediate on these things this morning, it is causing me to ask myself if I too and silent in the fact of the wickedness that is all around me. Am I intimidated into silence by the knowledge that anything I say is likely to be received negatively? David's reaction was the prayer of this morning's verse. Even though in Christ I have passed from life to death (John 5:24 again), I will be called into account for every idle word spoken or not spoken (Matthew 12:36). Davis response is to ask first, that he might know his end. When David observed the wicked, he become aware of his own sin (verses 8-11), and he asks the Lord to help him embrace the fact of the end of life, and to learn its lesson well. When we do not face the often unwelcome fact that we all have an end, we will not likely live with it in mind. Steven Covey in his book “The seven habits of highly effective people,” suggests that we imagine our funeral, and ask ourselves what would we want people to say about us at that time.”

In the second part of the verse he asks that the Lord would make him aware of the measure of his days, and how frail he is. Most of us live our lives according to the adage “Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.” When we know how fleeting is our life, we will not do that. And how fleeting is it? It is a vapour (vv. 5, 11), even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14). So then in light of all the wickedness that surrounds us, we need to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16). And we also need to know how frail we are, knowing that without Him we dan do nothing (John 15:5). We are totally dependent on God, and what we do, needs to be done in full cooperation with Him.

Father, on that day I will not be wishing I had sinned more, I will likely be wishing I had redeemed the time. I want on that day to hear “Well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord (Matthew 25:23). So I pray with David this morning “make me to know my end, the measure of my days, and how frail I am.” And help me to live my life accordingly in Jesus Name Amen