The Value of Vapor

            Over the last few weeks, I glimpsed fog outside the window as I prepared to feed the cats on several mornings. As I did a few light chores, some scriptures about vapor came to mind.

             In Psalms 39, David described his life span as “the measure of my days.” He spoke of the need to evaluate life and its brevity. Then he compared life to a vapor with these statements:

Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Psalm 39:5

Surely every man is vapor. Psalm 39:11

The only reference in the New Testament to vapor as a metaphor for “life” is used by James, the leader of the Jerusalem church that sprang up after the ascension of Jesus. James wrote of the humans who live with an unfounded, but prideful, vain conceit about the control they have over their day-to-day lives. In James 4:14, this bold leader, who would soon be a martyr, spoke bluntly,

You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

 James, a half-brother of Jesus, had nothing written in the Gospels about his interest in the ministry of Jesus prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yet following the resurrection of Jesus, James committed himself wholeheartedly to the Way. He embraced Jesus as the only Way to God because of his recognition that Jesus was the only one who could offer Himself up as a sacrifice for all humans - humans who could never free themselves from sin.

                Einstein’s theory of relativity, postulated time is relative. It does seem as we age, time moves at a more rapid pace. I recalled, during a meal at the farm, hearing Dad, around age 90, lean over to Mother and asked, “Where has the time gone?”

            The fog of the many recent mornings burned off so quickly. One morning, the vaporous, but thick fog persisted until around 10 a.m. Nevertheless, it soon disappeared. In literature, vapor is often used to characterize something or some event as fleeting and passing away.

            This is what Dad was saying. Even though he had lived over nine decades, much longer than others, and had been married to Mother over 60 years, the time seemed so short to him.

Big Bend Road - Of their 67-year-marriage,

Mother and Dad live the first 12 years just a half

mile south of this county road and the last 55 

years right on this thoroughfare. Yet to Dad it 

passed like a vapor or fog does!

             Psalm 90 is categorized as a prayer of Moses. Moses, the great lawgiver, asked God to teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. The scripture states

the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom can be defined as a reverential respect. If we are mindful of our limitations as mortals, we recognize we can only know God through His Word. We also understand we can only have that relationship with God through Jesus. Finally, Jesus tells us plainly,  If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.

            Undoubtedly, our lives are brief. In 2020, may we resolve to come to know God’s Word better and show our love for Jesus by obeying what His Word says.

Lord, as we begin 2020, enable us to realize the brevity of life – even our own lives. May we commit to cultivating a stronger relationship with You, nurturing it daily as we read Your scriptures, fostering an unwavering love for You that all can observe as we obey what we read.