I read her Facebook post and paused to consider my mortality. A dear college friend had sat in a doctor’s office that day and heard words that shifted her perspective: “Your days are numbered.” As she shared her recent diagnosis, she asked us to pray that she would know how to wisely spend the allotted time God would ultimately allow her to live.
Daily, I am praying for God to heal and extend the life of my brave sister in Christ. No doctor’s diagnosis gets the final say on her destiny. All her days – and all your days – are held in God’s divine hand. The Almighty alone determines our future, and His plans for us cannot be thwarted.
As I look at my calendar for the month ahead, I confess I can’t help but think about how I might order my life differently if I were walking in my friend’s shoes. What If I knew I had just a few months to live? I am guessing I would set aside quite a few things to devote my time to what was most important in light of eternity. I’d recognize that soon I’d be seeing Jesus face to face and shift my focus.
The truth is that our planned agenda for tomorrow is not guaranteed. You and I must choose to seek the Lord now and surrender our all to His sovereign timetable. This was the heart of a humble Moses as he penned Psalm 90: Lord, I know my life will pass away quickly, so I’m surrendering all my days to you. Teach me how to live.
Knowing our time is limited can teach us how to manage our to-do list with greater wisdom. We are less likely to waste the precious time that we know will soon slip through our fingers. We determine to pursue with purpose what God values and are less likely to get derailed by the shiny distractions of the world.
Asking God to give us a teachable heart acknowledges that we need His help to discern where we should invest our time. We are often misled by our erratic emotions, but God’s wisdom never changes nor varies. Our all-knowing Heavenly Father knows our heart, understands what we need, and has a specific plan for our tomorrow. His Word will show us how to recognize what is “right” regarding our future and strengthen us with the resolve to make courageous choices that honor His name.
Each morning we can begin our day by recognizing what a precious gift God has granted to us by allowing us to know Jesus who is the way, the Truth, and the Life. Our Savior embodied the wisdom and power of God as our example, and now His Spirit of Truth speaks wisdom to our hearts and reveals what is to come.
As a mere mortal, the Lord has allotted you a restricted measure of days, and you can offer every second you hold to bring Him glory. Live wisely and hold nothing back from your Eternal God.
