My Days Are Numbered
The Opera Ain’t Over … Till God Says It’s Over
SUMMARY: God planned me, built me, watches over me, can steer me back on track when I wander, will keep me safe until the Divinely allotted numbers of days ordained for me are up, and then take me to the next life that he has prepared for me. My life will be over when God says it’s over!
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Psalm 139:16
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be
How many days do I have left? I don’t know—although I know my number of days decreases with each passing year. But the fact is, neither you nor I know how many more days we have before our exit from life on Planet Earth. No one does, except God. He knows the exact number of years, days, hours, and seconds that I will occupy my address on Planet Earth; the exact moment that my death will occur.
Now that may not seem like a cheery thought to you, and in fact, most people would find that sobering, at best, and frightening, at worst. Not me. I find great comfort and security in knowing that God has my life so ordered that I will neither die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what has already been recorded in his book. You see, life and death are far above my pay grade, so I will happily let Father God take care of that department, thank you very much.
“I find great comfort and security in knowing that God has my life so ordered that I will neither die a day sooner nor live a day longer than what has already been recorded in his book?”
Dr. Ray Noah
So, if I truly and correctly understand this profound truth, then I am freed from the fear of death to fully live the life that God has planned for me in this present life. I can enjoy an intimate walk with the One
Who was intimately involved in each minor detail of my day: “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. (Psalm 139:1-4)
Who never lets me out of his sight: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” (Psalm 139:5-8)
Who guides my every move with his Fatherly hand: “If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast “ (Psalm 139:9-10)
Who is not limited by my circumstances: “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.“ (Psalm 139:11-12).
In fact, God is so involved in my life that he was even there at the moment my mother and father conceived me in love, and he superintended even the most infinitesimal details of my physiological and temperamental formation: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
God knows me! He knows everything about me. He planned me, built me, watches over me, and can steer me back on track when I wander from his purpose: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)
All that to say, I can completely trust God with all the details of me in this life and completely trust him to keep me safe until the Divinely allotted number of days ordained for me are up. Then, at that point, I can completely trust him to take me to the next life that he has prepared for me.
The psalmist says, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand” (Psalm 139:6, NLT), but while it is way beyond my comprehension, that won’t keep me from enjoying this day and praising the One who is in charge of it!
Why? Because I trust him!
Choose You This Day: Throughout the day, declare, “God is in charge of me!” Then live like it’s true—because it is!
“I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn’t need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So, what is there to worry about”
Henry Ford