|
Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain . . . but now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.
--Psalm 39:6-7
Bustling in Vain
"Bustling"
describes almost everyone I know, myself included. I "can't stop thinkin'
about it." Our lives are packed with needful, good and excellent activities
and growing lists of opportunities we would like to
pursue. Why is this? Is this normal? Does it have to do with our stage in
life? Or is it a by-product of our day and age?
From reading Psalm 39, I would say no to
the last two questions. It seems that David, living 3000 years ago in Jerusalem,
felt and observed in those around him the same drivenness. Moses expressed
identical thoughts several
hundred years before David in Psalm 90. Apparently this sensation is typically
human across time and culture. The "bustling" sensation is not
unique to us.
Fortunately, David and Moses did more than bemoan the nature of life. Their God-given psalms enable us to step outside our activity whirlwinds to take inventory and gain the perspective we need. Each gives similar advice.
David says:
Moses says:
Ralph Nader, the famous consumer advocate,
spoke at Michigan Tech just this week. He echoed the advice of Scripture
when he asked the 20-year olds in his audience to add up the number of weeks
they had until retirement at age 65. He cautioned them that the weeks would
quickly pass and that without reflection, they could be caught up as cogs
in corporate wheels, preoccupied with their paychecks, in disregard for
issues of personal and
social justice and freedoms they could be compromising along the way. He
challenged them to make deliberate decisions about significant values in
which to invest their lives.
Moses and David are speaking to God's children
from the same big-picture perspective. "Think about your life."
they're saying. "Don't mindlessly consume the fleeting days and years
of the life God has given you." Through His Word, prayer and fellowship
with His people and serving Him and one another, we can understand and deliberately
choose His will as best we know how. We can't slow the clock, but we can
stay in touch with the
Clockmaker. And He will make our lives count.
-- Steve Wilson, Pastor
For more information, contact
Evangel Baptist Church, Dr.
Steve Wilson, Pastor
1114 College Avenue, Houghton, MI 49931
906/482-6626, evangel@up.net
Go to