Live Wisely As Our Days Are Numbered
BRD REFLECTIONS
2 Corinthians 13 and Psalm 90 (NIV)
(Aw Choon Hui, Lay Leader)
READ:
Psalm 90 (NIV)
These verses caught my attention:
v1: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.”
v4: “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”
v12: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
v14: “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days”.
OBSERVE:
This Psalm by Moses sketches time from God’s perspective. If a thousand years to God are just like a day, it is humbling to know that an average person’s life time – measuring maybe 85 years (life expectancy in Singapore) is about the length of 2 hours to an everlasting God. And then I am gone!
I am reminded of the brevity and fragility of life:
– “You turn people back to dust” (v3)
– “they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered” (vv5-6)
APPLY:
This is a very humbling Psalm for me. To what and to whom do I apply my days?
Busyness seems to be a badge of honour for many Singaporeans. And I am not immune as there are always many demands on my time. And it is natural to just do what seems urgent and to delay what is important.
This plea of Moses is for me to number my days, keeping in view the finite number of days left before I return to being dust. Thus, living each day with the possibility that it could be my last, should prompt me to spend my time with a view to eternity. For example, taking time to deepen my relationship with God, and spending time with people important to me are never wasted moments.
May it be my constant prayer that whether I am working in my job, caring for others, or in a myriad of other activities, I may always be seeking to honour Him.
DO:
This Psalm exhorts me to do 3 things:
1. Whether in good or bad times, I need to remember that God is my dwelling place and refuge FOREVER!
2. I want to ask God to refresh me each morning with His unfailing love.
3. As my days are numbered, I pray that God will lead me in spending my minutes and hours in ways that count for eternity and which please Him.
May God grant us all His favour and establish the work of all that we do for Him!
PRAY:
Father, remind me always that my times are in your hands. So, help me to live each day for you. May your favour rest on me and establish the work of my hands. Please help me, for I ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
