Psalm 90:12 – “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
At funerals, I’ve often used that verse to preface the recounting of the life events of the deceased. In those cases I would count the number of days the person had lived, extolling the importance of a single day. For the record, as I write this I am 19,943 days old.
Interestingly, Psalm 90 was written by Moses. As far as we know, this is the oldest of the psalms in the inspired collection we have in our Bible. Psalm 90 is a Psalm about the length, breadth, and depth of life.
I believe that Moses’ challenge to “number our days” is more than a mathematical challenge. More than an accounting of the quantity of days, this challenge is to mark the quality of our days.
Count Our Days
First, in numbering our days, we look back at the days we have lived. We trace the hand of God guiding us through our lives thus far. What can we learn from the ups and downs of our lives? Have we gained insight from our mistakes? Grown through our pain? Have we given thanks for both the victories and defeats of our lives?
Taking time out every so often to reflect back gives us perspective on where we are and where are going.
Additionally, numbering our days means we look ahead to recognize we are finite. We have a limited number of days on Earth. We must ask ourselves the question, “what does God want to accomplish with the remainder of me life?”
Do you live your life on purpose? Are you on a mission, and is your mission Christ-centered? Or conversely, do you intend to live out the remaining string of days “playing by ear”? Do you plan to take each day as it comes and go with the flow?
Let me challenge to you live INTENTIONALLY. Ask God how you can use your remaining days for HIS purposes. Then start taking steps in that direction.
Make Our Days Count
Finally, numbering our days reminds us to make the most of today. A life consists of individual days continuously strung together. We build a strong life by living strong days.
Do you have unfinished business in your life? Then what are you waiting for? Get on it. Take a step toward fulfillment today. Make today count! You cannot change what HAS BEEN and in the immediate you may not be able to change what IS. However, you can begin today to change what WILL BE.
Be grateful instead of grumpy.
Encourage rather than discourage.
Yield instead of demand.
Give much more than you take.
Put others before yourself; and make sure to put Jesus FIRST.
Gaining Wisdom
Moses’ goal in his challenge to number our days is that we would grow in wisdom. Knowledge is knowing stuff. Understanding is knowing why what you know is so. But wisdom. Wisdom is know what to DO with what you know.
Numbering our days will help us to see what God has been doing all along. We will also see what He will do with us beginning today and for the rest of our days.
It’s not so much about counting the days as it is making the days count.
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