Psalm 49:20 
People who have wealth but lack understanding 
are like the beasts that perish. (NIV)

Mankind, with his assets 
but without understanding, 
is like the animals that perish. (CSB)

We aren’t immortal. We don’t last long.
Like our dogs, we age and weaken. And die. (The Message)

—

I love happy psalms! This is not one of them.

This is not the kind of song to accompany with banjos and fiddles. Crowds do not stamp their feet and clap their hands when they sing this verse. This is a verse for contemplation. Softer shades of melody are in order here. Even though the writers are singing about other people and their problems, we see our own hopes and dreams in them and know we, too, could end up like them.

Great wealth may bring great power, but both are left behind when the inevitable end comes. Lacking understanding, no matter how wealthy and powerful, leaves us no better off than a dead dog. 

Cheery thoughts indeed, eh?

Let’s take a walk on the light side of the road. 

First, construct an asset map for yourself. What are the good things God has placed in your hands? Think about money in the bank, retirement savings, meaningful work, loving family, comfortable homes, and all the extras we call our own.

Second, note where you are in your life expectancy. Closer to the front? Nearing the end? Know where you are and what this particular age makes possible. Bobb Biehl has a helpful book for these ponderings called Decade by Decade: Life Is Surprisingly Predictable. 

You have a basket of assets. You have a measure of time. What understanding do you require for where you are today? Ask God for perspective and insight. Seek his wisdom. (See James 1:5 for one of God’s promises you can ask for and receive today.)

Third, with your assets, time, and God-given wisdom and understanding, you are capable of living your most productive time of life right now. Biehl says in Decade by Decade that our most productive time of life is our sixties. Second to it is our seventies. However old you are today, the best is yet to be. This is also true if you belong to God and discover that today is the day you draw your last earthly breath. 

You are not a dead dog or doomed to a lack of understanding. You are someone God wants to elevate and invigorate. He wants to empower you to live the life he dreamed you would live. 

Grab a banjo or a fiddle and sing with me:

I ain’t no dead dog
I ain’t no prize hog
I ain’t got a pretty movie-star bod
But I got more than I’ll ever need
I got God
And life forever, guaranteed

Sad songs say a lot. When we turn them right side up, they say a lot more.

—

I will count my blessings and number my days so that I can live a life of wonder and praise.

—

Our Father, bless us with understanding. Shower us with wisdom. Empower us to live our best lives yet. Amen.