Psalm 90 is the oldest of the 150 Psalms. It was written by Moses in the midst of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. The Psalm begins with a contrast of God’s infinite eternal nature and man’s finite nature. “Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. You turn people back to dust, saying ‘Return to dust, you mortals'”.
In light of the contrast between God’s infinite nature and man’s finite nature, Moses writes about three important reminders for each one of us:
(1) Remember how fleeting life is! vs. 10 “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass away.” James reminds us of the same truth when he writes that life is but a vapor that appears for a while then vanishes away!
(2) Because life is brief, we are reminded to live wisely. vs. 12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”. Someone paraphrased this verse with this reminder… Teach us to count our days so we can make our days count.
Are we living for our kingdom or God’s kingdom?
(3) Moses concludes this Psalm with a prayer request. vs. 17 “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us, establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands”. Moses realizes that if our days are to count for eternity, we need God’s grace, mercy and favor… for apart from Him, we can do NOTHING of eternal value.
May you live today in light of eternal values and make today count for the Kingdom!
~Pastor Ron