Job 14:1 “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.”

Without a doubt, we need to be acutely aware of how brief and uncertain life is.  Job goes on to describe life as a flower that comes forth and then is cut down. James tells us that life is like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanisheth away (James 4:14). Job describes life as being swifter than a weaver’s shuttle (Job 7:6). David really brings into focus for us how uncertain life is when he says there is but a step between us and death (1 Sam. 20:3). Realizing how brief and uncertain life is, we need to conduct ourselves in such a way that we do not live as if we know what is going to happen to us in the next moment of time. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons David utters the prayer, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”. Everyone of us can testify to the fact that even when life is full of happiness and all is well, sooner or later our world is going to come crashing down upon us in a cruel way so quickly and there is absolutely nothing we can do to prevent it from happening.  Even though we often must live with sadness in our life, thanks be to God, we do not have to live our life sadly (Isa. 12:2-3; 1 Pet.1:3-9).

Every day we have those momentary aches and pains along with burdens and cares but nothing devastating. Then one day, suddenly it happens, some horrific event comes crashing into our life. What will we do? How will we respond?  Sometimes our world will come crashing down upon us. The question is not will this ever happen but rather how will we respond when it does happen? I know what the response should be: “Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus, He is a friend that’s well known” (1 Pet. 5:7; 1 Thess. 5:17; Phil. 4:6-7; Heb. 4:16).

God’s love, mercy, presence, exceedingly precious promises, redemption, forgiveness, salvation are all reasons why the child of God should be happy (Ps. 146:5). No matter what dampens our spirit or causes our heart to be troubled with sadness, so long as we abide under his wings of love the troubled heart will only be momentary (John 14:1; 1 John 3:1).

We are frail, emotional human beings and sometimes we are going to be engulfed in sadness but our religion, that is, our faith in God should be such that it lifts us above the storm and allows us to “rejoice in the Lord always”(Phil. 4:4; Isa. 40:31,;Romans 8:28, 31; Psalms 90:14; 1 Thess. 5:16)

Charles Hicks