Psalm 39:4 says, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” This verse expresses David’s prayer to God to help him realize the brevity and fragility of human life. In his distress, David asks God to reveal to him the limit of his life and the exact number of days he has left, so that he may gain wisdom on how to live in light of the fleeting nature of life.
There are several ways God makes us know the measure of our days according to the Bible:
1. Through His Word
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the shortness and uncertainty of life. Passages like Psalm 90:10 state that the years of our life are seventy or eighty if we are strong. James 4:14 reminds us that life is a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Ecclesiastes 12 describes the decay of the human body in old age. Stories of individuals like Job who lost everything in a day, or passages listing generations that lived and died all point to the brevity of life. As we study God’s word, we are reminded of the feebleness of human existence on earth.
2. Through Life Experiences
As we accumulate years and experience life’s ups and downs, we gain firsthand understanding of the fleeting nature of life. With time we witness loved ones and contemporaries get old, fall sick and die. The aging process in our own bodies leads us to sense the approach of death. Failures, accidents, job losses and other experiences make us realize the fragility and unpredictability of life. As God leads us through experiences, He teaches us not to take life for granted.
3. By Causing us to Number our Days
God can prompt self-reflection in our hearts and minds so we consciously numbering our days and considering the brevity of life. As Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” Counting our days involves regularly reminding ourselves that life is short and making deliberate efforts to live wisely and purposefully in light of that.
4. Through the Holy Spirit’s Conviction
The Holy Spirit makes God’s truth real in our hearts. He can create an internal awareness and conviction that life is fleeting and we don’t have many days left. Just like the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment, He can make us feel the urgency and shortness of time and draw our attention to eternal things.
5. By Allowing Trials and Suffering
Difficult experiences in life like sickness, emotional pain and losses have a way of reminding us that life is brief and fragile. The trials we go through, allowed by God’s sovereignty, can turn our eyes from the temporal things of this world to the eternal. Suffering humbles us and reminds us of the inevitability of death.
6. By Granting Wisdom through Prayer
When we seek God in prayer asking for wisdom and an eternal perspective, He can change our mindset to understand the measure of our days. As James 1:5 says, God gives wisdom generously to all who ask Him. The wisdom He imparts enables us to discern the purpose of our fleeting life on earth and live intentionally.
7. By Stirring our Hearts to Deeper Fellowship with Him
A sense of the shortness of life motivates us to draw near to God and pursue an intimate relationship with Him. Knowing we don’t have many days prompts us to redeem the time by spending it with the Lord. He stirs this longing for fellowship in our hearts as a means of getting us to understand life’s brevity and cling to Him.
8. By Reminding us of Christ’s Soon Return
Knowing that Christ can return any day to take believers reminds us that life is fleeting and time is of the essence. Passages like Hebrews 10:25 encourage believers to meet together eagerly as they see the Day of the Lord approaching. A focus on Jesus’ imminent return motivates holy living in light of eternity.
9. By Contrasting Eternity with our Earthly Lives
The vastness and permanence of eternity contrasts sharply with the temporariness of human existence on earth. As Romans 8:18 says, “Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” God uses the promise of eternal life to help us grasp the brief measure of our earthly lives.
10. By Enabling us to Number the Days Aright
Not only does God make us aware of the brevity of life, He also enables us to respond wisely to this realization. Psalm 90:12 says “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” As we seek God, He grants us the grace to make the most of our limited days by living uprightly, prizing Christ above all, and investing in eternal things.
In summary, God has given us His Word, the conviction of the Holy Spirit, life experiences, trials, prayer, reminders of eternity, and wise counsel to make us realize the fleeting nature of life. This understanding leads us to wisely number our days and live purposefully with an eternal perspective.