The New Year begins with vast possibilities. A whole year — 365 days — lies before us. So much can be accomplished in a year. We make new resolutions, set new goals. The horizon seems almost limitless.
“A new year? Where did the old one go?” we ask. It seems like only yesterday we entered 2014. What happened to all the plans and hopes for that year? Time seems to be going by faster and faster.
At the intersection of the past and the future the Psalmist prays in Psalm 90:12 that God will “teach us to number our days.” The prayer is not to know the number of days one has on this earth. That is known only to God. Nor is the prayer to keep track of the days on a calendar or in a diary.
Instead the Psalmist prays for a realization about the days one has. That realization grows out of observations made in the foregoing verses. God is “everlasting to everlasting” (v. 2) but humankind “turns back to dust” (v. 3). We are all mortal. We all are going to die, says the Psalmist.
Life itself is precarious. One may start with all the promise of a beautiful spring morning (v. 5) but one can quickly wither away like a tender plant withers against a scorching dry wind (v. 6).
‘Trouble and sorrow’
Life is not easy, the Psalmist continues. Whatever the length of our lives, they will be filled with “trouble and sorrow” (v. 10). Life is not finished with a cheer but with a “moan” (v. 9). So much for the notion that a Christian lives above trouble and sorrow.
As if to drive home his theme the Psalmist declares that one’s days pass quickly, almost flying by (v. 10).
It is because of the nature of human life that it is important to “number our days,” the Psalmist argues. Life is temporary. Life is passing away. Everyday life wobbles on the edge of eternity. One does not have enough time to let it carelessly flitter away.
Seize the day, the Psalmist practically shouts. Life is short and must be wisely spent. Teach us to number our days so we have a heart of wisdom, he pleads.
Psalm 90 is generally attributed to Moses. It may be the only Psalm attributed to the leader from exile. If Moses did write the Psalm then insights from his writings such as Deuteronomy 5:29 may help us know what he meant by “a heart of wisdom.” There Moses quotes God as saying, “Oh that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always.”
A heart of wisdom is a heart that is inclined toward God. It is a heart that obeys God and follows God. On this side of the cross it is a heart that believes “God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
That belief opens one’s heart to God so the process of loving God with heart and soul, mind and strength can transform us into the image of our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ.
Learning to number our days has other implications. Recognizing mortality forces us to concentrate on how we want to invest our lives. Life is short and cannot be wasted. Decisions are important. They open doors of infinite possibilities and they close others, never to be explored. No mortal can go everywhere or do everything. Each one has to choose where to go, what to do, who to be.
The Psalmist prays that learning to number our days will help us make choices that reflect values consistent with the love of God in our lives. When a Christian seizes the day, the day is filled with those things that reflect God’s love and grace. Our days are fleeting. Opportunity cannot be wasted.
Numbering our days also causes us to value “being” as well as “doing.” Genesis 1 describes God’s doing, His creation. Tucked away amid the marvelous verses are two references to God pausing to reflect and appreciate what He had done. In verse 25, God looks over the created order and calls it good. In verse 31, God took time to rest and reflect on creation, this time with living plants, creatures and humankind. God’s conclusion was that it was very good.
If God took time to rest, reflect and evaluate then shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t we take the time to enjoy the beauty of a sunrise, the sound of rolling waves along the shore or the majestic grandeur of a mountain? Shouldn’t we take time to enjoy the company of friends and loved ones, to hug a child, to say I love you? After all they are all gifts from our loving God.
Precisely because our days are numbered we need to number our days. With the realization of our own mortality we seize the day we have. We develop a heart toward God. Our lives demonstrate godly values. Love for God and love for others fills our being.
If you were to receive a terminal diagnosis on your next visit to the doctor, how would it change your life? Would you go back to your job; continue teaching your Sunday School class; take the trip you’ve planned; continue pretty much as normal? If so then maybe you have already learned to number your days. Perhaps you are living in the will of God and doing those things that reflect God’s love and godly values in your choices.
If a terminal diagnosis would cause drastic changes in what you do or who you are, then perhaps you need to hear the prayer of the Psalmist. Learn to number your days because your days are numbered.
Share with others: