“Christ is with us, so we have nothing to fear.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 2, 2023
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, ESV
I recently had a significant health scare, a brush with death that was both unexpected and disorienting in countless ways. As a relatively young man, it is easy to still cling to the illusion that my mortality will never catch up with me, that life and time will go on forever. Yet as anyone who has been in a similar situation knows, in the blink of an eye, everything can change.
Thanks be to God, my life was preserved, and I am growing stronger each day. Yet whenever life presents us with an unexpected trial, there is an invitation and decision that lies before us: will we brush it off and push it into the recesses of our memories, or will we embrace it as an opportunity for deep and lasting spiritual growth?
For me, one of the primary lessons that is emerging from this event is the reminder that none of us knows when we will reach our end. We may plan for 90 or 100 years, yet even our best-laid plans can be dismantled in an instant. In truth, when the psalmist tells us to “number our days,” this does not mean we determine the maximum possible number and then bank on it! No, the invitation is into a life of daily attentiveness, one in which we receive each and every day as an unmerited and free gift from God, never to be taken for granted.
As Paul reminded the church in Corinth, God is faithful in every way, and Jesus sustains and upholds his people “to the end.” Even in times of great trial when fear and confusion press in on every side, God will not abandon or forsake you. He is with you in the trial, even if it is your final earthly trial. And wisdom is found when each of us keeps this sober truth at the fore of our minds: one day, likely much sooner than we expect, that final trial will come, and we will meet our end. Let us meet it with courage and faith, trusting that Christ is with us, so we have nothing to fear.
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4, NIV).
Prayer
Father, I receive this day as a gift from you. Give me a heart of gratitude and of service, that I may freely give just as I have freely received, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
What does it look like for you to “number your days” in this season of life?
Related Reading
Deuteronomy 32:29; Psalm 90:12; Ephesians 5:16-17
Worship Resource
The Choral Scholars of St. Martin-in-the-Fields: All My Hope on God is Founded
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