And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death (1 Samuel 20:3).
David was fleeing the wrath of King Saul when he confided in Jonathan, his dearest friend, “there is but a step between me and death.”
There is a sense in which this is true for each of us. Life is brief at best and very uncertain. Job described it as being “as swift as a weaver’s shuttle” (Job 7:6). I once visited a cotton mill in Huntsville, Alabama and watched as the shuttle zoomed from one side of the giant loom to the other. That experience helped me to understand the speed with which life passes (James 4:14, Matthew 6:30).
An awareness of the brevity of life and the reality of death enhances our appreciation of life and its blessings. Our primary purpose on earth is to “fear God and keep his commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
The book Meditations Of My Heart (from which this daily devotional is taken) is available / can be ordered from Sain Publications (931-363-6905 or email psain@sainpublications.com).