The End of the Christian Life: Lenten Study Companion, Week 4
Author: J. Todd Billings and Kaitlyn DeVries
March 12, 2026
Interplanetary Exploration: The Strange New World of Modern Medicine
“LORD, let me know my end,
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting my life is.
You have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight.
Surely everyone stands as a mere breath.”
–Psalm 39:4-5
I’ve been staring at this computer screen for much too long, and I can feel a dull ache growing above my left eyebrow. Almost without thinking, I walk to the cabinet, grab two white Tylenol capsules and swallow them with a glass of water. Praise God for the gift of medicine! But, if I’m not careful, medicine can easily shift in my mind from a good gift to a cloak that masks my mortal limits. Medicine can keep us alive indefinitely, so it seems; at least technically. Ventilators, pacemakers, and intravenous nutrition could keep my lungs breathing, my heart pumping, and my body nourished far beyond the point when the rest of my body’s systems begin to shut down. Suddenly, knowing when my life is actually ending becomes more complicated. If medical options seem to have no ending, how do we come to terms with ours?
Psalm 39 says, “LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days.” This is a very fitting prayer in this season of Lent. As we journey in the wilderness, we can come to recognize all of the clutter and extra weight we are carrying. We may live some of our lives before God and in service of others; but usually we’re sucked into carrying extra weight that assumes we are the end of the journey rather than the pilgrims. Our cell phone puts our own interests at the center. Our culture asks us to act as if we are forever young. And the practices of medicine sometimes make us think that “anything is possible.” All too easily, we can assume that the inconvenience of mortal limits is for other people.
But the psalmist knows better. Our lives are valuable and precious, but short. In relation to the everlasting Lord, our lives are a “mere breath”—that is their measure. Walking on the Lenten path, we can speak these words from God back to God. Praying this with the psalmist can be an opportunity to let our priorities be shaken, to let our lives be laid bare before the holy and gracious Lord.
Practice:
- Daily: If you take daily medication, take a moment each day this week to view that medicine as a gift.
- This Week: The wonders of modern medicine can make it hard to navigate end-of-life issues. We are faced with choices today about the kind of end we prefer. Palliative medicine expert Susan Block recommends asking four questions as we think about medical decisions at the end of life: What is your understanding of what’s happening to you? What are your fears? What are your goals as time runs out? What trade-offs are you willing to make? If possible, find a family member or friend to discuss each of these questions this week. As you consider them, read Romans 14:7-9 and dwell on the significance of claiming “whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
Prayer:
Pray the words of Psalm 39. What thoughts or feelings arise in you as you pray, “LORD, let me know my end and what is the measure of my days”? Bring these thoughts and feelings before the LORD and rest in his presence.
Study based on The End of the Christian Life, by J. Todd Billings. Used with permission.
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