How Fast It Flies

Lord, make me aware of my end
and the number of my days
so that I will know how short-lived I am.

— Psalm 39:4

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? A teacher? Firefighter? Professional wrestler? I wanted to play baseball for the Chicago Cubs. My plan didn’t work out—how about yours? See, our dreams change as we grow up. When seven-year-olds become fifteen-year-olds, they start looking ahead through a different lens. Besides the overwhelming excitement of getting a driver’s license, today’s teens dream of becoming social media influencers and professional video gamers. But even those dreams change. Sixteen turns to seventeen and seventeen turns to eighteen. Before you know it, you’re dreaming of college graduation, getting married, and starting a family.

It’s easy to see. We can get so caught up in looking forward to whatever’s next that we lose the gift of this moment. As the saying goes, “Time flies.” In Psalm 39:4, King David echoed that sentiment. And he wasn’t known as a man who wasted his days! He was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Still, David understood if he wasn’t intentional, his days on earth would pass with no God-honoring impact. So he asked God to give him that intention.

What about you? Life on earth is short. If it hasn’t happened yet, there will come a day when it hits you and you realize how fast time flies. But if you’ve kept God first in your life, you won’t find yourself looking back with regret. So make time for God and His Word. Make time for your family. Ephesians 5:15-16a says it best: “Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time.”

• Listen to Matthew West’s “18 Summers.” How do you relate to this song? How is God speaking to you through it and Psalm 39:4?
• Does being aware of how short life is hit you as a depressing reality or a purpose-giving reality? How so?
• Thank God for the years He has already given you. Acknowledge how fast time flies and ask Him to help you make the most of every opportunity in the days ahead.