Mere Breath

from Brahms' RequiemIII.

Baritone & ChorusO Lord, make me know my endand what is the measure of my days;let me know how fleeting I am!Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,and my lifetime is as nothing before you.Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!Surely a man goes about as a shadow!Surely for nothing they are in turmoil;a man heaps up wealth and does not knowwho will gather!And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?My hope is in you - Psalm 39:4-7IV. ChorusHow lovely is your dwelling place,O Lord of hosts!My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord;my heart and flesh sing for joyto the living God.Blessed are those who dwell in your house,ever singing your praise! - Psalm 84:1-2, 4The brevity of life sobers us, pressing upon us our frailty. But it is not merely the length of time that shakes us, but how that time is spent. Psalm 39 is a psalm seeking God's mercy to withdraw the punishment of the psalmist's sins. "Deliver me from all my transgressions," is the cry of the psalmist in verse 8. As he says later in verse 11 of the Lord, "When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath!"It is the sorrow of life which we bring upon ourselves through our sins that makes us see clearly and despondently the brevity of life. What hope do we have? Our hope is in the one who disciplines us; for he brings consequences to bear on our sins not to destroy us, but to turn us to himself that we might find life. Our hope is in the Lord to deliver us from the consequences and guilt of our sin. But he not only delivers us from our troubles; he delivers us to happiness found in him. He brings us to his dwelling place where we find joy in the worship of our God.For now, we are spiritually by faith taken to that dwelling place. The day will come when our Lord, who has gone before us, will return and bring us into the presence of God where forever we will joyfully sing his praise.