How Long?

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 22, 2025

How Long?

We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

1 Chronicles 29:15 

“O Lord, how long will this go on?” (Psalm 89:46) Have you ever asked God this question, or been tempted to? Psalm 139:16 tells us, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book,” so certainly God has the answer to our question. But do we really want to know?

My friend recently learned from their doctor that their life expectancy is between twelve to twenty-four months. The news sent shock waves through their children. Sometimes, we want to know, but we really do not want to know how long this will go on. How can we stay focused on the grace for today? I think John Newton can help us:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

  Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

  Than when we first begun. 

My Takeaway: Focus. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18 NRSV) Until God’s glory is revealed to us, remember, the One who knows our name is with us, even in the valley of the shadow of death! 

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.