“My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue, ‘LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am’” (Psalm 39:3-4).
Sometimes if we are not careful, we become taken with ourselves and the things we are “doing” for God. We sometime forget to pause and to “muse” (as the verse above says) about what God really thinks of what we are doing. We many times mistake activity and busyness for spiritual growth and effort. The writer of these verses tells us that there is value in sitting still in the presence of God and just thinking about what we are doing and what we have done.
One of my personal problems is simply listening to people without giving my opinion. The writer here talked about having a heart that was “hot within” himself. He wanted to burst out with some advice or to express his opinions. Instead, he simply mused on his own life. While doing this a fire erupted in his heart about his own life. I want you to consider what God had touched his heart with during his season of silence. When he finally did speak, he asked the Lord to help him see himself with a realistic viewpoint.
Many times I wander through a day without much aim or direction. I do that because I can easily develop the feeling that I will always have days like this one, and if I waste a bit of this day, it is really not that important. How foolish this thinking is, and how wasteful it is for this life God blessed us with. David wrote asking God to help him to avoid this foolish behavior, and I think it is worthy of us asking God the same thing with this day He has given us.
There are many today facing death just around the corner. Young and old alike are susceptible to death. More than simply death, we are all equally susceptible to wasting the valuable time God has given us. Today I am asking God to keep me grounded. I am asking Him to reveal the priorities He has for me today so that I might accomplish His will for my life. I am asking Him to allow me to see just how “frail I am.” God has gifted each of us with abilities … burdens … relationships … opportunities to meet strangers … times to touch family. God will give each of us twenty-four hours (1,440 minutes – 86,400 seconds) in this day. Understanding how “frail” we really are should motivate us to use our lives wisely. Don’t waste a second today. Stay grounded and serving God today!