You probably know that Moses wrote this while wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, presiding over 150 funerals a day! The nation had failed to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives because of “Fear” and ended up living a monotonous (manna) life, joyless, on the survival level missing success and significance living all together. Thus, every one over 40 years of age died in the wilderness. Moses laments the brevity of life in this psalm.
God has been around forever… “…from ‘once upon a time’ until ‘kingdom come’ You, God have been in charge.”TM We are like “..a blade of grass that springs up gloriously with the rising sun and is cut down without a second thought.”TM It doesn’t matter if we live 70 or 80 years (or more-implied) we all end up the same place -“the mortality rate is still 100%.” The Message puts the verse about Grass as a question. It says, “Are we no more to you than a blade of grass that springs up…. and is cut down without a thought?” Absolutely not! That’s what Easter is all about! Yes we too die, like the Grass, but that’s not the end to us!
In Matthew 6, Jesus answered that question. He reminds us that God feeds the birds who don’t work and asks us “are you not much more valuable than they?”NIV He then reminds us that he clothes the “grass” of the fields with beautiful splendor, but he cares much more for you.” Matthew 6:33-34 ends with, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.”NIV
“And if our eyes have been on temporal goals while here on earth, we have nothing to show for our labor.”JT
Don’t worry about the “survival” needs, God has always been around and He will take care of you. Just focus on Him… He wants you to know Him and trust Him. Verse 16 is a prayer, “Do wonderful things for us, your servants, and show your mighty power to our children.”CEV
May He answer that for you today.