Saturday, August 20, 2011

Who Am I?

Psalm 144:3-4
LORD, what are human beings that you care for them,
mere mortals that you think of them?
They are like a breath;
their days are like a fleeting shadow.

This verse humbles me. Who am I, indeed, that the Lord of the Universe would even take notice of me and my fleeting shadow of a life? My mortality is certain; am I living each day to the fullest, as if it were my last? I've heard it said that we cannot truly live our lives as God intended until we accept the inevitability of our death.

As Christians, we have the sweet promise of eternal life with the Lord when we depart this veil of tears. We know, too, that as small and insignificant as we may be, we are loved, each of us, individually, by a God whose caring and mercy is boundless and beyond any grasp of human knowing. We accept in trust, we walk by faith, and we seek to fulfill that which He intended for us to accomplish while alive here on earth, even though, in the eternal scheme of things, we are but a sigh.

May the Lord teach us all to number our days. Amen!

"Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way for my ever-wandering heart?"
~ Casting Crowns

Readings
Psalms 137:1-6 (7-9), 144 or 104
2 Samuel 23:1-7, 13-17
Acts 25:13-27
Mark 13:1-13

4 comments:

  1. Martha, I have always loved this scripture. The psalmist who penned this verse in the form of a prayer, a hymn of praise, knew. We are but a sigh, a speck of dust in Whoville. We are those microscopic folks whom God still hears and rescues. What a humbling thought indeed!
    Have a great weekend filled with blessings.

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  2. Thanks for your wonderful comment, Debra! It is, indeed, a most poetic scripture and tells the whole tale of who we are in such economy of phrase.

    May you have a blessed weekend as well, my friend!

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  3. Martha, I hearted this line – I don't know that I've ever heard it before. And in the eternal scheme of things our life is just a "sigh" - I've heard the regular stuff – the blade of grass, the flower in the field, the flame extinguished, the wisp of smoke, the mist - a breath - but not a sigh. And to make it real just side right now – and you are so right – that's what our life is – at least this life – but this life continues – our life really IS forever – and I heart that. Thank you for this Martha, God bless and keep you and each and every one of yours this day.

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  4. Thank you so much, Craig! I did sigh when I was writing this post just to bring that exact point home; boy, did it ever! Yes, it is glorious to know that we will live forever with our great and gracious Lord.

    Blessings to you and yours!

    ReplyDelete

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