DCLM Daily Manna 20 May 2026: Brevity of Life
KEY VERSE
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
BIBLE READING: Habakkuk 2:13-20
1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
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Charles Spurgeon, the renowned English preacher, described the brevity of human life in five simple words: “It is sown, grown, blown, mown, gone.” In a similar light, Moses, the man of God, reflects on the fleeting nature of life in contrast to God’s eternal existence. He employs various metaphors to illustrate the transience and mortality of man, emphasising that sin has brought judgment from God upon humanity, thus shortening our days on earth. He then prays for wisdom to make the most of this brief life.
This text reminds us not to squander our limited time on earth. Regardless of how long we may live, our time here is short compared to eternity. We need God’s guidance to spend our days wisely and productively. The psalmist’s plea for divine assistance in numbering our days resonates with the New Testament’s call to redeem the time. To redeem the time means to seize every opportunity and make the best use of our moments.
Those who are aware of the brevity of life will be prompted to repent swiftly, lest they perish in sin and face eternal damnation. Believers, too, should avoid living in secret sin, realising that what is hidden from earthly eyes is fully visible to God. Rather than wasting our days on unproductive pursuits, we should invest them in righteous acts and soul-winning that yield eternal rewards. This psalm invites everyone to reflect soberly on life’s temporal nature, a message echoed in Fanny Crosby’s timeless hymn, “Be in Time.” In the lyrics, she writes: Life at best is very brief, Like the falling of a leaf, Like the binding of a sheaf, Be in time! Fleeting days are telling fast, That the die will soon be cast, And the fatal line be passed, Be in time!
Fairest flowers soon decay, Youth and beauty pass away; O you have not long to stay, Be in time! While God’s Spirit bids you come, Sinner, do not longer roam, Lest you seal your hopeless doom, Be in time!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
If life is but a breath, let yours breathe in eternity
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Samuel 23-24
DCLM Daily Manna 20 May 2026
