What Are We Waiting For?

And now, Lord, what do I wait for?  My hope is in You.

--Psalm 39:7  (NKJV)

From the daily Bible reading on February 25, 2013 of Psalm 39; Acts 9:1-31; Leviticus 14:33-15.

In this Psalm, David first holds his tongue while surrounded by his enemies lest he say something sinful in the eyes of God.  But then he opens his mouth and, talking with God, he ponders just how short and frail a man's life really is.  He compares us to a vapor: here but a moment and then vanish into thin air.  He makes this comparison twice, to emphasize how he has finally concluded our lives are but a blink of God's eyes.  David wonders why we spend so much of this too short time busying ourselves in vain, heaping up earthly riches that no one will gather, that we can't spend on heavenly rewards.  Thinking on all this, on how short our life is and how worthless our worldly treasures really are, he asks God the question, "What do I wait for?  If all I do in this life passes in a flash and is worth nothing, what could possibly be left for me?  What kind of dreams and hopes for tomorrow can I realistically have?"

Then David answers the question for us: our only true hope is in the Lord.  Anything else is futile.  Anything we amass, even our own brief life, is nothing more that a puff of steam drifting off in all too short a time.  Unless we put all our hope, all our faith, in the one true and eternal God and Jesus His Son, we are nothing and we will amount to nothing.  Trust in the Lord.  He is our one hope.  Only in Him do we have an everlasting tomorrow.  Amen.

Gracious Lord, we realize our life is short and we have nothing to hope for unless we place all our hope and faith in You and Your redemption through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Thank You for Your promise of an eternal tomorrow with You if we only believe in Your Son Jesus.  In that beautiful name we pray.  Amen.