Day 8 of 30

Today’s Readings:

Morning: Psalms 38-40

Evening: Psalms 41-43

(Click here to print the reading plan)

Monday through Friday: Written by Pastor Stern

Saturday and Sunday: Written by Jonathan Hatt

Today’s Devotional Thought:

“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” (Psalms 39:4-7 ESV)

In our time of international turmoil, these verses from Psalm 39 are certainly countercultural. We want to feel good about ourselves. We want confidence in our world. But David wants to know how fleeting he is. Have you ever prayed this? He says, “Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!” In other words, we are in turmoil because of our fear of death and our love of money, but every single one of us will die in the end unless Christ comes back first. Or, as Job says in his sorrow, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not” (Job 14:1-2).

Now this may not sound like the “positive, encouraging” devotional you wanted to read this morning. But I love the visceral realism of the Bible. It doesn’t expect us to stick our heads in the sand and pretend everything is fine when it’s not. We can lament the vanity of life. We can mourn the brief, shadowy nature of human existence under the sun. And personally, I find texts like Psalm 39 comforting. When we see what’s going on in the world during COVID-19, we are reminded “how fleeting” life is. We are reminded that we need a living hope beyond the toil and hardship of this life.

And thankfully, that’s exactly what David expresses in verse 7. Life is short and full of turmoil; all is vanity and chasing after wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14). Therefore, is there hope? What are we waiting for? Where can we put down an anchor in the tempestuous sea of life? Well, David says, “My hope is in you.” And certainly he’s right. We can hope in God. After all, as the Apostle Paul says, “hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).

And when we recognize this amazing reality, we can begin to say:

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” (Psalms 42:5-6 ESV)

Ways to Pray:

Father, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days.
Lord Jesus, let me know how fleeting I am!
Holy Spirit, help me to stop hoping in myself and this world. Let me hope in Christ alone!
Triune God, let me be realistic about the hardships of life. But don’t ever let me be consumed by fear or cynicism. May I find living hope in you today!
Please give me opportunities to share my hope with others as I go about my day—even in quarantine!