SCRIP-BITS

Psalm 39:4.     Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
 
Oh Friends, ‘I’m getting better! Thank God, I’m getting better!’ Yes mih people, the ole fella’s battered and bruised body is healing. Wow! At long last the wound from my surgery is healed. That deserves another rousing, ‘Thank you Lord!’ Unfortunately though, while one part is healing, another part is breaking down. The old knees are again causing havoc, severely curtailing my mobility. For some reason that God alone knows, He seems intent on keeping me immobile. And if that’s the case, then I have no choice but to grin and bear it; ‘unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.’ (Col.1:11) That’s my new mantra. (smile) But believe me, it works, because every time I get to the joyfulness part, I begin to chuckle, and that certainly eases the tension, relieves some of the pressure of the negative situation. Oh my brethren, sometimes our discernment of God’s directions for our lives is truly difficult. With some things moving in positive directions and others in negative, we often get confused about the path we ought to follow. No wonder, Bruh David, in his prayer for self-understanding, cried out to God: ‘Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.’  And we are frail my people. Both in terms of the fragility of our bodies; easily injured, as well as our life span; that we can be here today and gone tomorrow. Now I don’t know if our Bit is a prayer we should really petition the Lord with, because for many of us, the answers might not be to our liking. Our end might be terrible, and our days much shorter than we expect. And Bruh David, never one for mincing matters, spells it out: ‘Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth (hand span); and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity (vapour). Selah.’ (Ps.39:5) Yes Friends, in the context of God’s eternal character and eternity, our lives are nothing. In God’s sight we come and go as quickly as a vapour appears and then vanishes into nothingness, as though it never existed. Moses, in Psalm 90, his only psalm, which makes it the oldest in the Psalter, puts it this way: ‘For all our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend our years as a tale that is told (a sigh). The days of our years (lives) are threescore years and ten (70); and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years (80), yet is their strength (boast) labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away…. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom (gain a heart of wisdom).’ (Ps.90:9-10,12) Those are such true words my people! Moses lived it. He saw a whole generation of unbelieving, disobedient Israelites wander aimlessly in the wilderness for forty years, right next to the Promised Land, and then perish without ever setting foot on it. He never did either, because of the people’s wickedness. The Lord was nice enough though to show him it in the distance, from a high hill. (Deut.34: 1-5) Friends, the same can be expected to happen to us, if we don’t faithfully bow to God’s will. He will allow us to journey round the same mountain oodles of times until we smarten up. And if we don’t, then we’ll keep going around in futility until our frail lives disappear in a puff of vapour. The author of Psalm 119 also asked about the length of life. ‘How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt thou execute judgement on them that persecute me?’ (Ps.119:84) I humbly submit my people, that we should not concern ourselves with either of those questions. Our sole concern is to be grateful and appreciative of our earthly days, be they few or many, and to do as Moses pleaded: ‘that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.’ Yes my brethren, seeking after God and His wisdom, should be our life’s goal, while leaving all the other incidentals to be fulfilled through His promises, in His impeccable taste and timing. We know we’re only on this earth for a relatively short period, and can vanish in an instant, so please, let’s pay attention to the truly important matters. Much LOVE!…though we’d all like to know God’s plan for our lives…sometimes it’s best that we don’t know…