A Prayer to Remember Life Is but a Breath - Your Daily Prayer - October 10
A Prayer to Remember Life Is but a Breath
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow.” - Psalm 144:4
Listen or Read Below:
Tragically, our news reports tell the stories of individuals losing their lives, with their years cut short in an instant. Hearing it shocks us, but it also reminds us that life is like a breath, not to be taken for granted, knowing it could be cut short without a moment’s notice.
Unexpected deaths can leave us feeling numb, shaken to the core, and unsure of our futures and even the meaning of life. Lives taken in an instant often bring us to our knees.
God Tells Us Life Is Fleeting
The Scriptures are full of God reminding us that life is fleeting, asking us in James 4:14, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
Psalm 39:5 also explains, “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.”
Although it doesn’t feel like a breath most of the time, especially when we’re going through various difficulties and sufferings, God wants to keep it at the forefront of our minds, not to lessen the value of our lives but to stress the importance of how we live our lives.
1 Peter 1:24 reminds us, “For all people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall."
As 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 reminds us, “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?”
No Fear of Death
God doesn’t want us to be fearful of death because Jesus tasted death for us, so we don’t have to live in fear. Death has already been taken care of for us, so that we go from life to life in an instant.
As Hebrews 2:9 explains, “But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”
Earthly Life Is Only Temporary
Because this life is only temporary, we don’t want to get too comfortable. As Hebrews 13:14 reminds us, “For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are changed from residents of the earth to residents of Heaven. As the Apostle Paul explains, “The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47).
Jesus, the second man of Heaven, has a place for us with Him. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3).
He wants us to be with Him, forever, as He prayed in John 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved Me before the creation of the world.”
Revelation 21:3 gives us a glimpse of our new residence, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Thank You for the sacred life You give us.
Although we may not understand the brevity of it, why it is like a breath and fades away like a flower, with grateful hearts, we praise You for the precious life You give us.
Strengthen us daily to seek to please You and to follow Your ways in all we do. Help us to remember that our gift of life is given to us to glorify You.
Also, rather than focusing on the brevity of life, let us fix our eyes on eternity and everlasting life with You.
Thank you for preparing a place for us to dwell with You.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Ridofranz
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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