FEBRUARY 24
Psalm 39:4, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”
I am deeply grateful for the work we do in hospice care. It is a privilege to provide comfort and support to patients and their families in their final days. Each situation is unique, but they all share one common element: a terminal diagnosis. For some, death comes quickly, as with the patient who passed away during their admission. For others, the process is more gradual, with patients living for months or even years beyond their initial prognosis. Occasionally, patients even improve to the point of being discharged from hospice, though their eventual death remains an undeniable reality.
In a broader sense, we are all in “hospice” because, sooner or later, death comes for us all. The psalmist grasped this truth and prayed for God to make him fully aware of his mortality. In Psalm 39, David asks God to help him understand the fleeting nature of his life and the measure of his days. But why did David pray this way?
While David intellectually understood the brevity of life, his prayer was for a deeper, spiritual awareness of it. The context of this prayer is essential. David, like all of us, was a sinner who battled against sin (Psalm 39:1), faced God’s discipline (Psalm 39:10-11), and sought forgiveness (Psalm 39:8). His hope, however, was firmly rooted in the Lord. He saw himself as a sojourner in this world (Psalm 39:12), knowing that the troubles of life are temporary, and that deliverance was imminent (Romans 7:24-25; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
Though life’s journey can be challenging, it is comforting to know that life’s troubles are not forever (2 Corinthians 4:17). For those who have faith in Jesus, the good news is that one day they will be freed from all earthly burdens. In the meantime, our awareness of life’s fleeting nature should prompt us to make the most of the time we have, as Paul exhorts in Ephesians 5:16: “Be making the best use of the time, for the days are evil.”
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”—C. T. Studd
Application Questions: How aware are you of the fleeting nature of your life? The psalmist asked God to increase his awareness. Why? What changes would such an increased understanding bring?
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