I looked up the members of my seminary graduating class recently and
discovered that many of my friends are now deceased. It was a sober reminder of
the brevity of life. Three score and ten, give or take a few years, and we’re
gone (Ps. 90:10). Israel’s poet was right: We’re but strangers here and
sojourners (39:12).
The brevity of life makes us think about our “end”—the measure of our
days and how fleeting they are (v.4), a feeling that grows more certain as we
draw closer to the end of our lives. This world is not our home; we’re but
strangers and sojourners here.
Yet we are not alone on the journey. We are strangers and sojourners
with God (39:12), a thought that makes the journey less troubling, less
frightening, less worrisome. We pass through this world and into the next with
a loving Father as our constant companion and guide. We’re strangers here on
earth, but we are never alone on the journey (73:23-24). We have One who says,
“I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20).
We may lose sight of father, mother, spouse, and friends, but we always
know that God is walking beside us. An old saying puts it like this: “Good
company on the road makes the way to seem lighter.”
As you travel life’s weary road, let God lift your heavy load. (RBC)
