December 29 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 90:7–12

Devotional

“We fly away.” These words point out to us how quickly our journey through life takes place. Scripture is correct when it says “We fly.” The brevity of life cannot be emphasized any clearer. The path of our life is not a walk; rather, it is a flight. That is why the psalmist petitions, “Teach us to number our days” (Ps. 90:12). The years go by so quickly that the psalmist refers to days instead of years. The years appear to be long when they are before us, but when they lie behind us, they are only as days. Seventy, eighty, or ninety years—what difference does it make? Compared to eternity it is all just a drop in the ocean. There is still the question for young people whether they will even reach that age.

Besides brevity, this flying away also refers to restlessness. Life is so rushed and filled with hustle and bustle. How often don’t we say, “I have no time”? We fly away as a bird through the sky. It is as if we are thrust forward. We seem to be pursued by our busy activities. And before we know it, our time is gone.

There is a song that says, “Take time to kneel.” In other words, we are to let the wings of our rushed lives hang down and touch down for a moment from our hectic flight. Then we must take advantage of that reprieve to ask ourselves where we are heading so quickly. We are to keep ourselves in check before we fly ourselves to eternal death and are brought to a screeching halt against our own gravestones. When we read, “We fly away,” the issue is, where are we flying? And also: Where will you be in eternity? The one says: “I don’t know.” The other answers: “I hope it will not be too bad.” A third one must confess: “I never thought about that.” “We fly away.” To what destination are we flying? This question has another question attached to it. That is: Where do we come from? Where are we from and where are we going? If we do not know where we are from, neither will we know where we are going.

Where did the journey start and how did it start? It started in sin. Another psalmist says, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps. 51:5). If the beginning had not been so bad, death would not have been the end. If we had known no sin, there would be no grave waiting for us. But our own sins drag us into the grave and it is our fault that death is present. That is why we fly away to the place where sin must be punished. There is no other way, unless we receive grace between our beginning and our end. God would not be just if He did not punish sin.

We are rushing forward to eternity. God’s Word wants to bring us to a halt and calls to us, saying, “Realize that you must make haste to be converted. It is only a little while. There are only a few days left before you will have to appear before God, and then it will be eternity.” We must make haste, but our focus should be on that which has eternal value. There is little time left to realize how dear the time of grace is, and how precious the day of salvation is. That is the day of grace, in which God still calls that there is a Surety for guilt and He is still waiting for hell-worthy sinners, to give them life instead of death. Do we agree that time flies? Make then diligent use of the day of salvation. We must not rest until we find rest in a reconciled God. Only then can we continue on our way with joy.

 

From The Everlasting Word by Frans Bakker, compiled and translated by Gerald R. Procee. Reformation Heritage Books and Free Reformed Publications, 2007. Used by permission. For further information, click here.