“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” Psalm 39:4 NIV
While David’s intentions to bridle his tongue were honourable, they were not practical. But when he could no longer suppress his feelings, note what he did not do: he did not air the agony of his soul to other people. He neither complained to others nor did he question God before others. Instead, he turned to the Lord, directly addressing his frustrations and questions to Him. In desperation, David cried out to the Lord in distress. He needed to understand the purpose of his pain. When David said “make me to know”, he was not asking for information, but understanding. Know, the Hebrew word, yada, means to know intimately and personally, to know by experience, to know thoroughly, to give insight into. He longed to understand the purpose of the Lord’s painful discipline at this stage of his life. David asked the Lord to give him understanding of his life’s end, referring to his death. Some commentators think that, because his suffering was so painful, he was asking God how much longer he would be forced to live and endure it. This possibility, however, is not the best understanding of David’s question. This psalm was likely written in the latter years of David’s life. He asked God to give him insight into the measure of his days, how much time he had left on earth, so that he might apply the lessons the Lord was teaching him through his suffering. God had a distinct purpose in disciplining David, and the aging king, a man after God’s own heart, yearned to understand it. By understanding how frail or fleeting his life was, David could make the best use of his remaining days.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, give us insight in how to live for You, even in the trials of life.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, as hard as it may be, through Your indwelling Holy Spirit, give us insight in how to live for You, even in the trials of life. AMEN
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)
Judges 11:29-40
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