What do I Wait For? My Hope is in You.

Psalm 39:7  ¶ And now, Lord, what do I wait for? my hope is in You. (NKJV)

The Psalmist in this chapter comes to the conclusion that every man at his best state is but vapor. (Psalm 39:5)  He says in verse 4, "LORD, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.  Indeed, you have made my days as  handbreadths; and my age is as nothing before you:"  He goes on to say in verses 9-11 "I was mute, I did not open my mouth; because it was You who did it.  Remove Your plague from me: I am consumed by the blow of Your hand.   When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth: surely every man is vanity."

For those of us who deal with chronic health problems on a regular basis, the meaning of this passage of Scripture becomes very clear and meaningful.  When I was young and healthy I thought I was invincible and God was only needed if I got in trouble.  As I have gotten older, health problems seem to collect like snow on a rolling snowball.  I see how frail I am and that my life really is but a vapor.  I also see that God in His sovereign plan is the One who has caused these things to come into my life.  I could become bitter against God for what He is doing or I could realize as the Psalmist did, that my life is dependent on Him..."what do I wait for? my hope is in You."  

The Psalmist was a shepherd.  He would have known that when a lamb insisted on wondering away from the shepherd that he would break the leg of the lamb and then carry the lamb close to his heart while the leg heals.  The lamb then learns to be dependent on the shepherd for everything and when his leg is healed he isn't prone to wonder away from the shepherd.  It is for the lamb's good that the shepherd breaks its leg.  So it is with God, our Good Shepherd.  He often "breaks our leg" in order to keep us close to Him.  I can say that some of the sweetest times of fellowship I have had with my Lord are times trouble abounds either with my health or within my external circumstances.  It is times like these that drive me to my knees and closer to my Lord.

Has God been showing you the measure of your days and how frail you are?  What do you wait for? Put your hope in Him.  

Dear Father, You are the sustainer of all life.  You are the giver of eternal life.  "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."(1 Corinthians 15:19)  Our eternal hope lies in You, and this life is but a vapor.  Help us, Lord to keep our hope in You and look forward to our eternal reward and home in heaven with You.  Amen.