Back when I was a young child I thought that time went by so slowly. Waiting for recess time in grade school seemed to take all day. And then waiting for summer vacation to start or Christmas to come seemed to take forever. However now that I am an adult, actually getting up in years, time seems to just fly by, weeks, months, and years are gone in the blink of an eye. As I look back, it has been many years since those days, but it seems like yesterday. Our psalm for this week speaks of how quickly time goes by, and asks us whether we are spending that time wisely.
Psalm 90 was written by Moses, the great man of God, chosen by Him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness up to the shores of the Jordan River for forty years. Moses lived a long life, 120 years, which could be divided into three groups of forty years each. The first forty were spent living as a prince of Egypt in the courts of Pharaoh. The second forty were spent as a shepherd in Midian, where he had fled for his life. The final forty were spent leading the people of Israel in the wilderness, right prior to their entering the Promised Land. Moses probably wrote this psalm during his final years as he looked back upon his life and how it was spent.
As Moses looked back on his life, was he satisfied with how it was spent? Was he feeling that he could have done more for the Lord, perhaps during those years in Midian, or while he was a prince? He knew that time was fleeting, and how important it is to be living for the Lord and for ourselves or in sin.
Think about the time that has elapsed in our own lives. Have we been wise with those years? I am a senior citizen now, and I know that I could have done way more for the Lord during those years that have passed. Knowing that, I want to focus the remaining time I have in life on the things God would want me to be doing. As Moses records, and we all know, time goes by swiftly. We must not miss the opportunities that God sends.
When writing this psalm, Moses could look back at well over 100 years. He knew from experience that God would protect and carry him through whatever he would face (vs. 1). I can also look back over my life and know that God has been my help. He has been my strength. He is our sanctuary for protection, sustenance, and stability. Whenever we face uncertainty, we can trust that with God we can find courage and strength. We can have confidence to face the future because our hope for eternal life is found in Jesus, our Savior.
120 years is a good, long life. Few people ever come even close to that. Yet Moses knew that was nothing in the sight of the Lord. God is without beginning or end and He dwells outside of time (vs. 2-4). A thousand years is like a day to God (II Peter 3:8). He is not limited by time, and because He is eternal, we can depend upon Him. In this psalm, God’s eternal nature is contrasted with man’s frailty. Our time on earth is limited, and we should use it wisely, not living for the moment, but instead with our eternal home in view.
Knowing how brief a life is, and how quickly it is passed, are we following the world’s wisdom or God’s? The world says to think of ourselves, that whole “me first” mentality, make money, seek after power and material things. People and institutions act as if they will be around forever, but that is not so, as Jesus taught (Luke 12:19-20). All of those things will be useless when our life is over, but those who know Jesus as their Savior will have eternal life (John 10:28).
Sometimes when people have been told, because of sickness, that they have only so many days or weeks left, they change what they want to be spending those days doing. As Christians, we should number our days accordingly (vs. 12). Instead of living them solely for ourselves, a wise believer will live them for the Lord and His kingdom. When we do, we can hope to hear Jesus say when we stand before Him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
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