Give me a stayer every time. I like a man or a horse who just gets in there and keeps on going.”
–Louis L’Amour (Down the Long Hills)
“Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.”
“Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.”
–Job 14:5 (NKJV)
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This portion of Psalm 90 is cause for great reflection upon one’s life–both the past, present, and hopefully the future. It is a psalm that should be taken to heart by those alive on earth today. No one rightly fears the Lord; few are there who comprehend His power. What would happen if the Lord decided to turn His wrath upon sin? We think of Him as a loving God, and His is, but there is also that attribute of His wrath. In the near future, I believe, the inhabitants of the earth, those who have rejected the offer of grace given through the death of Jesus on the cross, will see part of His wrath.
10 — 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.
11 — Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 — So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 — Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants.
14 — Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 — Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil.
16 — Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children.
17 — 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. (NKJV)
Verse 10, seems like it belongs in Ecclesiastes. We work, struggle and toil for seventy years, perhaps eighty. Human life is short-lived because it is spent under God’s judgment upon man’s sin. The NIV Study Bible states, “All their health, joys, riches and honor are soured by trouble and sorrow, or emptiness.” (Solomon might say it is “vanity.”) Then verses 11-12 hit us, “But everyone ought to know the measure of his few days or he will play the arrogant fool, with not thought of his mortality or of his accountability to God.” (NIV Study Bible)
Many times we read in the writings of Paul to be good stewards, to redeem the time. James tells us that our life is but a vapor. Since God has numbered our days, we should do likewise. We should take account of our responsibilities and see that they are fulfilled to the best of our ability each day. We are to be good stewards, not hirelings. We are to be stewards not only of the talents and blessings the Lord has given us, and the blessings of meeting our needs and abundantly so, but also with our time and lives. “Man must be careful not to waste his life in temporal frivolities but to invest it for eternity.” (Steven Lawson)
Notice the psalmist cries for the Lord to satisfy us with His mercy. When we know and recognize that it is by the mercies of the Lord that we are given each day then we will rejoice and be glad. Our deeds should reflect His mercy, our lives should reflect what He has done for us. Pray for His mercy and that He will establish the work of our hands–the work that has been done for His glory and for the eternal kingdom of God. Oh, Lord, establish the works of our hands making them effective and enduring. Let us be good and faithful stewards of our time and our lives. Help us to realize that we must live “strategically in light of eternity.” (Lawson) Let us have purpose, let us live every day for Your approval.
It has been said, “Aim at nothing, and you will hit it every time.” Life is like that. A misdirected life is a wasted life. Let me pass on some words from Steven Lawson, “Wisely investing one’s life requires living in light of eternity. It necessitates living with an eternal outlook on all of life… In order to hit the target of God’s will, one must live for what is truly important and will stand the test of time… One must live for God and His eternal kingdom today. Only a life lived for God will be a truly satisfied life.”
Remember, you have only so much time–invest it wisely. That amount of time is determined by God and is given to you. Now, redeem the time. Now choose wisely what you will do with your life. Now accept the mercy of God or live in His wrath. “One must pour his or her life wisely into these eternal realities.” (Lawson)
“O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!”
–Isaac Watts
————————————-
This portion of Psalm 90 is cause for great reflection upon one’s life–both the past, present, and hopefully the future. It is a psalm that should be taken to heart by those alive on earth today. No one rightly fears the Lord; few are there who comprehend His power. What would happen if the Lord decided to turn His wrath upon sin? We think of Him as a loving God, and His is, but there is also that attribute of His wrath. In the near future, I believe, the inhabitants of the earth, those who have rejected the offer of grace given through the death of Jesus on the cross, will see part of His wrath.
10 — 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.
11 — Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
12 — So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 — Return, O LORD! How long? And have compassion on Your servants.
14 — Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
15 — Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil.
16 — Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children.
17 — 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. (NKJV)
Verse 10, seems like it belongs in Ecclesiastes. We work, struggle and toil for seventy years, perhaps eighty. Human life is short-lived because it is spent under God’s judgment upon man’s sin. The NIV Study Bible states, “All their health, joys, riches and honor are soured by trouble and sorrow, or emptiness.” (Solomon might say it is “vanity.”) Then verses 11-12 hit us, “But everyone ought to know the measure of his few days or he will play the arrogant fool, with not thought of his mortality or of his accountability to God.” (NIV Study Bible)
Many times we read in the writings of Paul to be good stewards, to redeem the time. James tells us that our life is but a vapor. Since God has numbered our days, we should do likewise. We should take account of our responsibilities and see that they are fulfilled to the best of our ability each day. We are to be good stewards, not hirelings. We are to be stewards not only of the talents and blessings the Lord has given us, and the blessings of meeting our needs and abundantly so, but also with our time and lives. “Man must be careful not to waste his life in temporal frivolities but to invest it for eternity.” (Steven Lawson)
Notice the psalmist cries for the Lord to satisfy us with His mercy. When we know and recognize that it is by the mercies of the Lord that we are given each day then we will rejoice and be glad. Our deeds should reflect His mercy, our lives should reflect what He has done for us. Pray for His mercy and that He will establish the work of our hands–the work that has been done for His glory and for the eternal kingdom of God. Oh, Lord, establish the works of our hands making them effective and enduring. Let us be good and faithful stewards of our time and our lives. Help us to realize that we must live “strategically in light of eternity.” (Lawson) Let us have purpose, let us live every day for Your approval.
It has been said, “Aim at nothing, and you will hit it every time.” Life is like that. A misdirected life is a wasted life. Let me pass on some words from Steven Lawson, “Wisely investing one’s life requires living in light of eternity. It necessitates living with an eternal outlook on all of life… In order to hit the target of God’s will, one must live for what is truly important and will stand the test of time… One must live for God and His eternal kingdom today. Only a life lived for God will be a truly satisfied life.”
Remember, you have only so much time–invest it wisely. That amount of time is determined by God and is given to you. Now, redeem the time. Now choose wisely what you will do with your life. Now accept the mercy of God or live in His wrath. “One must pour his or her life wisely into these eternal realities.” (Lawson)
“O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!”
–Isaac Watts