Number of Our Days
A while back, I was visiting an 86 year-old man in a hospital room. Certain conversations in life seem to be particularly smothered with the presence of God; this dialogue was one of those interactions. From his sitting position on the edge of the bed, the man leaned toward me and whispered: Several years ago I had a vivid dream, a vision I know was from God. I was 83 at the time and I distinctly saw two numbers on a chalkboard, the numbers 83 and 89. I believe the Lord was revealing to me the number of my days.
The impact of the man’s words and the sincerity of his heart left me speechless. Here was a man living as if he had only 36 months left to live. The implications of this vision on the elderly man’s life have proven to be powerful. Minutes are dripping with purpose; hours are not wasted; days are not wished away. The longing for tomorrow has been replaced with a profound sense of living for today.
David wrote these words in Psalm 39:
“Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.”
A while back, I encountered a man for whom this prayer had been answered. May we all live each day as if we have had a similar 83 to 89 vision.