Five-minute read.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; All the days ordained for me were written in your book. Before one of them came to be.
Psalm139:16
Ordained days.
My husband uses a countdown calendar every Christmas to mark the days until Christmas. A giant snowman with a twirling nose hangs in our kitchen. “Days ‘Til Christmas” sprawl across his black top hat, 24-1 border the snowman’s cheery face.
“Alexa, how many days ‘til Christmas?” Ron occasionally asks when he forgets to move the nose a notch. Something about the countdown adds excitement to the holiday as the days tick away. God’s book of life has each of our days numbered; long before Ron did his first Christmas countdown, the Lord knew when and how he would.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
I don’t understand God’s sovereignty, nor should I. How the Lord knows every intimate detail of my life, your life, and everyone else’s life baffles me. But I trust He does. And knowing my Creator knows how many days I will live on Earth brings comfort to me as I begin to understand the profound truth in this verse. Life and death remain in God’s control, and living out His purpose for my life remains mine. The Lord never fully intended for us to understand how the universe operates. He expects us to trust that He does.
Releasing the fear of death to the Lord allows me to live life fully. God already determined my days; I won’t die a day sooner or later than what the Lord ordained for me. Once I fulfill my life purpose, God will call me home to Him. And so, I needn’t worry about dying, instead focusing my attention on living.
How amazing to spend time thinking about God’s intimate knowledge of us. Living in a city, I see all kinds of people everywhere I look. The Lord created and knows everyone, loving them even if they don’t love Him back. Each story, God knows. Every hurt, every healing, every struggle, every triumph, nothing happens in life without the Creator knowing.
Yes, God does know the bad days before they happen and does allow them to occur. The Lord never promised a life without pain, but He did promise never to leave us, no matter the circumstances. Drawing closer to the Great Comforter will help us persevere during the storms of life. God leads us through the trials of this life, guiding us on the journey until we move to our heavenly address.
“Someday, you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.” Billy Graham[i]
The Lord knows your address on Earth and when it will change to a heavenly zipcode. We don’t control life and death; God does. But we do have a choice in how we live our lives now. Following Jesus will help us live an abundant life and keep us in our place. God runs the universe; we follow Him.
Application:
Limited days.
In this life, we have a limited number of days. When rushing to finish a project, I must remember that God will give me the time to do the things He wants me to do. In other words, the Lord has a purpose for my life. Only as I follow Jesus will I discover what He wants me to do. As I consistently take the next right step, God’s path for me unfolds. When I complete my final task on Earth, the Lord will call me home. Only God knows the date of my death. And He knew the day long before my conception. We don’t control life; the Creator does.
Releasing my fear of death and accepting God’s sovereignty allows me to live fully in the present moment. Whether a good day or a bad one, none last forever. And for each day I live, the Lord already had it planned long before my body formed in my mother’s womb.
Journaling Questions:
- How does knowing God numbers your days affect you?
- How does the fear of death interfere with living life to the fullest?
- Why do you think God allows terrible days to happen?
Prayer:
Lord, forgive me for thinking I had control over life and death. Please strengthen my faith as I follow You day after day. Release me from my fears, and help me walk boldly into the future, knowing You already have my days planned. Keep me on track, nudging me back in line when I stray. Help me life live fully, one day at a time. IJNIP. Amen
[i] https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/february-web-only/billy-graham-viral-quote-on-death-not-his-d-l-moody.html
