O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (From the Introit for the Last Sunday of the Church Year)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The days of this world are numbered. That is a truth revealed to us in the Scripture readings for the last Sundays of the Church Year with their focus on the return of Jesus on the Last Day. The Introit for tomorrow, from Psalm 39, brings this reality home to us in a heart-wrenchingly personal way. It is an expression of David's anguish and a cry that comes from our lips, too. 

We don't know the exact circumstances David was facing as he wrote this psalm, but we can surely recognize the inner struggle he writes about. In verse 4, David cries out to God, "Lord, make me to know my end and what is the measure of my days; Let me know how fleeting I am." This is a psalm of lament. David prays out of his pain. He explains his feelings to God and cries out in despair.

In this prayer, David moves from his inner struggle to the realization that his life is fleeting. David remembers that his hope cannot be found in any of his earthly circumstances or wealth; his hope is in the Lord. His early focus on worldly wealth and success faded away. He saw that God's forgiveness was his greatest treasure. "But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools" (vv. 7,8). 

What a beautiful thing it is that the Introit for tomorrow delivers as the words of Psalm 39 are placed on our lips. As we see this present world passing away, God grants us an eternal perspective. Our hope is in the Lord who has saved us from all our transgressions by His own Cross death, and has given us a resurrection life that never ends. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Our hope and expectation, O Jesus, now appear; Arise, O Sun so longed for,
O'er this benighted sphere. With heart and hands uplifted, We plead, O Lord, to see
The day of earth's redemption That sets Your people free. ("Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers" LSB 515, st.4)

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch