Only One Life

Pastor Gary Oser

I have been reading from the book of Psalms in my daily devotions lately. Recently, I read Psalm 39. I want to share a few verses with you. Beginning at verse 4, the psalmist says,

“Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am. Behold, You have made my days as handbreaths, and my lifetime as nothing in Your sight; surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Surely every man walks about as a phantom; surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will get them” (vv. 4-7, NASB).

A number of words in these verses caught my attention and better help us understand life. The first is “transient.” The word transient means not permanent, lasting only a short time. We need to realize that our lives on earth only last for a short time compared to eternity.

Another word I noticed was the word, “breath.” The psalmist said in the last words of verse 5, “…surely every man at his best is a mere breath.” What a vivid word picture! Our lives are like puffs of air or short breaths which are quickly gone.

A third word is “phantom.” The first words of verse 6 say, “every man walks around as a phantom.” The word phantom means an illusion without material substance. We are like shadows. The New Living Translation (NLT) paraphrases, “We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.”

These words are not meant to discourage us, but rather remind us of the brevity and uncertainty of life. Knowing that life is brief and uncertain should cause us to make the most of the time we have on earth. A great prayer would be Psalm 90:11 in the Living Bible:

“Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are. Help us to spend them as we should (serving God).”

There is a brief verse of poetry by CT Studd which well says, “Only one life, and it will soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.”