“LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.” Psalm 39:4 NLT
As I sat down to prepare the devotion I would be blessed to give before Sunday’s Bass Pro Marathon and Half Marathon, my thoughts drifted to the weather forecast. As a seasoned runner, the predicted rain and wind were not alarming as I had battled these conditions many times. But for the first-time racers and many others, I recognized that this was a very big concern. And so I prayed, “Lord what would you have me say to them to calm their fears, lift their spirits, and encourage them to press on despite the conditions they might face” and this is what I was led to say…
“Good morning runners and walkers! It’s so great to be out here with you on this beautiful Sunday morning! Now if you’re saying, how can you say this is a beautiful morning with all the rain around us and more coming in later, I hope you’ll choose to remember how blessed you are to have the strength and ability to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles regardless of the weather today or any other challenge you will face out on the course. Doing this will change your perspective so you can “run with joy” whether it’s raining or the sun is shining, and whether the wind is at your front or the wind is at your back.
You see, whether you’re 18 or 80, there WILL come a day when you will no longer be able to run. This happens to everyone… without exception. No one is guaranteed tomorrow, no one is guaranteed continued good health or freedom from injury, and no one escapes the aging process.
This was something King David clearly understood when he prayed this prayer in Psalm 39:4…. LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. David prayed this prayer because he wanted to fully understand just how short and unpredictable life was so that he could thoroughly grasp his limitations and how powerless man was to control the events of each day (including the weather). David wanted to be prompted by God to remember that he, like us, only had a certain amount of time on this earth to do all that he wanted to do…. and all that God was calling him to do. Being “reminded” of these immutable facts then was a priceless blessing to David because it caused him to appreciate and take full advantage of EVERY moment he had… something he could ONLY do because he understood what an undeserved gift each day was and how fleeting each day was.
So no matter what today holds, and it may hold a lot of wind and rain, remember that your days are as numbered as King David’s were and that this day will pass by very quickly. For that reason make the most of it by getting out there and running with a smile on your face and joy in your heart, choosing to count your blessings and choosing to be thankful for the rain along the way….. knowing that the rain and any other challenge you will encounter along the way will only serve to make reaching the finish line all the more sweeter and grabbing hold of your well deserved medal all the more meaningful.”
This was a message I wanted to share with you because no day will be free from problems my friend. I want to encourage you, as I did them, to face them all with a smile on your face and joy in your heart and to keep pressing on to the final finish line.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the lessons running teaches us about life. Help us to understand that the wind and rain will take many forms as we navigate our days, but if we will keep our eyes on You, we will be both joyful and victorious. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
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