When was the last time you thought about how quickly life passes?

Most of us don’t think about it very often. We make plans for next week, next month, or next year. We celebrate birthdays, watch children grow, and before we know it, another decade has gone by.

Moses understood how quickly life can pass.

Psalm 90 is the only psalm attributed to him. Think about everything he witnessed.

• He was rescued as a baby from the Nile.
• He fled Egypt.
• God spoke to him from the burning bush.
• He led Israel through the Red Sea and spent forty years in the wilderness.

If anyone understood both the significance and the brevity of life, it was Moses.

So he prays,

“Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Why spend time thinking about the fact that our days are numbered?

Because we often live as though they aren’t.

We put off reconciliation or postpone time with family. We assume there will always be another opportunity to encourage someone, to serve a neighbor, or to spend time in God’s Word.

Sometimes there is. Sometimes there isn’t.

Moses isn’t encouraging us to become anxious about the future. He’s asking God to give us wisdom to value the time we’ve been given.

For Christians, that wisdom is different from simply trying to fit more into our schedules.

It’s remembering what matters most.

I recently read a quote from a man who had recently retired. He said,

“I spent forty years planning for retirement. I wish I had spent just as much time planning how to use it.”

His comment wasn’t about money. It was about purpose. He had been so focused on reaching one stage of life that he hadn’t thought much about what God might be calling him to do once he got there.

It’s similar to a conversation I had many times with an elderly woman who wasn’t able to move around very much and had pain every day. Every time I’d see her she would ask me, “Why am I still here?”

She looked forward to being with her Lord and leaving her painful body behind, but she had trouble finding purpose. I told her more than once that if she’s still here, God has things for her to do. For someone who couldn’t do much, one thing she absolutely could do is pray. She could become one of the greatest prayer warriors.

Psalm 90 reminds us that every season of life is a gift from God.

Whether you’re young or old, raising children or enjoying grandchildren, working full-time or retired, the Lord has given you this day. He has placed people in your life to love and opportunities to serve Him.

Most importantly, He has given you His Son.

Because of Jesus, we don’t fear the passing of time. Our hope isn’t found in trying to hold on to this life forever. Christ has already secured eternal life through His death and resurrection.

That changes how we live today.

We don’t count our days because we’re afraid they’ll end.

We count them because each one is a gift from the God who has already given us forever. So, we want to live them to the fullest according to His purpose.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Teach me to use the days You have given me wisely. Help me not to waste them chasing things that will not last, but to live each day in faith, loving You and serving my neighbor. Thank You that through Jesus Christ, my future is secure, and eternal life is Your gracious gift.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.