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27th June 2025
ThursdayReflection
Jamie Trunnel
"a writer, poet, and photographer"
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"Teach us to Number our
Days"
Psalm 90:12
"Teach us to number our days" is a prayer for increased awareness about the brevity of life.
It is not a mathematical count of how many days we have left to live, but rather a request for help in using our time wisely.
Understanding life's short nature is important because many of the decisions we make now have lasting consequences.
God provides wisdom to help us live each day with eternity in mind.
Written by Moses, this psalm encourages us to seek several types of wisdom.
Psalm 90 begins by praising God's eternal nature and comparing it with our own mortal limitations.
In verse 4, Moses says,
"A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night."
God's timing and ways surpass our own.
Focusing too much on our current struggles and temporary goals can easily lead to worry, frustration, and disappointment.
Although giving the present situation our full attention seems more natural, let's consider God's perspective.
God focuses on developing our eternal character and achieving his everlasting purposes.
Unlike us, he is not restricted by time or resources as he works for our good.
If we search for his worthy objectives in our circumstances, then we are better able to persevere with courage and peace.
Our earthly lives are full of limitations, but God's power is boundless, his timeline is infinite, and his purposes are everlasting.
In the next several verses of the Psalm, Moses goes on to express how nothing is hidden from God.
He knows everything about us.
The good and the bad. What we show and what we try to hide.
"You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence."
(verse 8)
Although sin is not something we like to examine within ourselves, it exists.
Sin is a part of all of us.
And, Moses tells us how much God despises it by saying,
"Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve." (verse 11)
There are no secrets kept from God.
He hates sin, but he does not hate us.
The repeated message of the Bible is the enormity of his love for us.
God wants us to search our hearts for sin, talk with him about it, and seek his forgiveness.
Through his mercy and grace, our lives can change for the better.
God does not want sin to taint our days.
Through belief and the power of the Holy Spirit, God desires to transform our character to the likeness of his son, Jesus.
Moses concludes by praying for fruitful work in the eyes of the Lord.
He writes,
"May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands." (verse 17)
Numbering our days encourages us to think more about our goals and using our time effectively to accomplish them.
We want to succeed at the things God places on our hearts.
Out of love for God, we strive to forgive and make amends, do things that matter, improve the world, and help others see his goodness.
God made us for a purpose, and he gives us the desire needed to fulfill that purpose.
Certainly, our hope is to see good results from our efforts while we are here.
But again, we need to keep God's perspective in mind.
Because we were made with eternal aspirations, our hearts will only be completely satisfied when we reach our heavenly destination.
If we plan our days with the objective of loving God, then he will teach us how to serve him well.
We learn to trust his timing and his process for results.
With God's help, a peaceful rhythm to accomplish his work forms in us.
His rhythm of work embraces rest, not stress.
Did you find more meaning than you anticipated in this short Bible verse?
I did.
At first glance, I thought the verse read like a proverb or a motivational phrase.
I thought it was simply encouragement to make the most of each day.
But, as I studied the context of the entire psalm, a deeper meaning became clear.
God teaches us to be more mindful of the present by reminding us what is important in the future.
God's Word offers infinite wisdom about his eternal nature, sin, forgiveness, and the purposes he has for us.
As we enter each new day and make the choices required of us, I am praying we seek his timeless advice.
Let's strive to live in the light of eternity!
Press on in faith my friends! ~Jamie
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article is avaiable on request
'Hi, I'm Jamie'
Thanks for stopping by 'A Scriptured Life'.
I'm a writer, poet, and photographer helping others become more mindful of gratitude and encouraged in the Christian faith.
You can visit "About this Blog" to read more about why I write.
I hope you will take a long look around, ponder things, and enjoy your time spent here.
https://ascripturedlife.com/2020/11/19/teach-us-to-number-our-days-psalm-9012/
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