July 24

Jehovah, make me to know mine end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how frail I am. — Ps 39:4

As the winged arrow flies
Speedily the mark to find;
As the lightning from the skies
Darts and leaves no trace behind;
Swiftly thus our fleeting days
Bear us down life’s rapid stream;
Upward, Lord, our spirits raise;
All below is but a dream.
— John Newton.

O gentlemen! the time is short;
To spend that shortness basely were too long,
If life did ride upon a dial’s point,
Still ending at the arrival of an hour.
— William Shakespeare.

Prayer

Lord, forbid that I should overcast my life with intentions, and neglect to put in the deeds. May I not be satisfied to spend my days in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. May I not be dismayed over what I might have been, but with all my might do what I can now. Amen.