Tragedy Strikes Hard And Fast

Psalm 90 teaches us that we need to number our days.  But why?  Because life is short and presious.  Due to sin, each one of us will perish in our earthly bodies.  I have seen those who are older, who have lived seventy or eighty years pass from this life, death comes to their bodies.  I have also seen small children, some not even out of the womb yet die.  Yet as each of us who are older looks back on life, we know that life is short.  There is only a short time we are given to serve the Lord our God. 

When tragedy strikes, we are caught off guard, some become numb, some become overly and understandably emotional.  Some scared, some fearing, some sorrowful, few joyful in the Lord.  How long will tragedy occur in this life to our friends and family?  Until you enter into glory.  Trials are part of our lives.  But now we must ask the question, how do we move on?  It is easy to look at tragedy and think, "Oh these things just happen, yes perhaps I was stupid, it was an accident."  But then you just go on with life like nothing happened.  I've been there and done that.  I have wasted the great opportunity to be spurred on towards holiness.  Don't let that be you now.  Look at what happend, see the mercy of God, though you deserve death, you have been given more time.  Why?  So you can glorify Him!  Take this opportunity and deal with your sins with much sorrow, turn back to Him and repent.  Turn back to your Savior, the One who you have abandoned.  This life is precious, let us not make it all about vanity, pursuing the fleeting desires of this world, let us make it all about the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ and service to Him for His exaltation.

Let us number our days.  Psalm 90:

"1Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 3You turn man back into dust and say, "Return, O children of men." 4For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night. 5You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; in the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. 6In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; toward  evening it fades and withers away. 7For we have been consumed by Your anger and by Your wrath we have been dismayed. 8You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. 9For all our days have declined in Your fury; we have finished our years like a sigh. 10As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away. 11Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? 12So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. 13Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. 14O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, and the years we have seen evil. 16Let Your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. 17Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands."