Praying with Moses

When Moses penned Psalm 90, he must have been at that age where he felt wistful about dying yet hopeful that the Lord would leave future generations with the same deep faith and blessing that he had experienced. He wrote acknowledging the power and presence of God, but also how he felt about the brevity of life . . .

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

Because God is God, He has every right to do whatever He wishes with His creation, including me. He created us and He can save us, or . . .

You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. You carry them away like a flood; they are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: in the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers.

Life is very short. I began to die the moment I was born. In the sight of God, this is but a blink. The older I get, the days become even more a blink—so very short. I look back over my life and wonder how I managed to get to this place in such a brief moment. Then I think of God’s mercy. My son once said, “Mom, aging isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.” I could be like those of whom Moses included in the next few verses . . .

For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; we finish our years like a sigh.

I can relate to this in that I know my sins are known by God, and that my body wears out because of sin. This is the way life is for all humanity. Sin slowly destroys us. Yet I am no longer terrified by the wrath of God. I also know His mercy, and even though I sometimes sigh about “the things I wish I’d done” I know that God loves me and my sins are forgiven. Yet still, life is short . . .

The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

The norm for life in Canada is 77 years for men, 84 for women. That gives me a bit more that what Moses considered hopeful. I could live another 15-10 years. At the same time, the last 15-20 swished past so quickly that I really need to be aware of God. I need to consider His anger against sin and avoid it. I need to remember His power to do great things and pray for it. I also need to fear Him and listen to His voice.

I’ve always been conscious that I must manage my time well, and now even more than ever, but this verse says that time management is not a skill to learn so that I might be more productive. Instead, it is for being more conscious of God’s authority in my life. He wants me to listen to Him and obey, for it is only by doing His will that the rest of my days and my doings will have eternal value. For that, I need His grace and mercy, lest sin and selfishness govern my actions . . .

Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil.

Though my short years, God has shown me that true joy is in doing His will. When I am living obediently in His mercy, what I do will have eternal value. The Bible defines eternal value as those things that go into the presence of God forever. My worldly achievements will not matter. I cannot take any money or possessions with me. My best hope is that God will bless my family and others around me so that they will see His glory and follow Him, and wind up in eternity with Him and with me. For that, I pray along with Moses . . .

Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.

Most of all, I want the work of God made visible in me. He has done great things, and I want people to see that. He has worked in my life and I want people to seek and know Him because of that, particularly my family. That is why I am thinking about the years that are left in terms of what God wants from me. If He makes the work of my hands significant in some way so that His glory is made visible, then I will not finish my years with a sigh, but with a joyful Hallelujah!