DAYS

So teach us to number our DAYS, that we may gain a heart of wisdom – Psalm 90:12

It is wise to reflect on TIME, that seemingly abstract, but very real asset, and on DAYS, the constituents of Time. Psalm 90 is a perfect psalm for the end of the year, and verse 12 is particularly important to me, today being my Birthday! For one thing, this psalm includes the word “year” more than any other psalm. In the Hebrew text of Psalm 90, the word translated as “year” (shena) appears seven times. No other psalm includes shena more than twice. But, apart from the frequency of the word “year” in this psalm, its themes are relevant in concluding another calendar year. It begins by noting that God has been “our dwelling place in all generations” from year to year to year (v.1). Even “before the mountains were brought forth,” “from everlasting to everlasting” God is God (v. 2). Our Creator-Redeemer – is always there for us. He sees all of time in a single moment. Years are like seconds to Him. His wisdom and majesty exceed all imagination. He precedes and transcends Time. He fills the entirety of eternity!

From our limited human stance, we often make a big deal out of turning of years, but from God’s perspective, “a thousand years are like yesterday when it is past” (v. 4). A millennium is like “a watch in the night.” As major as time is to us humans, it is like a drop in the ocean of eternity! This reminds us of God’s unmatched majesty. It also suggests that much of the hype surrounding New Year revelries hardly matters in the long run, especially where the spiritual essence of life is lost. Psalm 90 acknowledges the brevity and vicissitudes of life: “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” (v.10). This truth should not depress but caution us. Even when life is fine for us, some others are suffering. We may have plenty to eat, but millions on the globe are without food today. We might feel as if we’re going to live here forever, but our days on earth are numbered.

The Psalmist then offered this prayer to the Lord: “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (v.12). How does acknowledging the brevity of life or learning to count our days help us to be wise? About two decades ago, I decided to apply this verse literally, and was dazed to discover that 70 years of life on earth equals 25,550 plus days only! I definitely became wiser. When we realize that we have finite days and hours on earth, we’ll be eager to use them effectively, rather than squander them away in frivolities and vanities. Acknowledging the brevity of time and the limits of our lives will help us to use well every minute God gives us. This truth underscores the fact that fulfilment in life isn’t a matter of material accumulations or temporal accomplishments. Rather, what gives life purpose and meaning is an active, living relationship with our Father-God: “Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives” (v.14).

With a heart of gratitude, I rejoice greatly in the Lord, for the graceful opportunity to end another year and begin a new one. I choose to live each day in the satisfaction of God’s love, trusting to be empowered to live for Him and love Him the more. As I rejoice, I also reflect on the transitions of time: Have I lived this year to the fullest? In what areas of life do I need more of God’s wisdom? Am I maximizing or merely maintaining or managing life? Am I cautious enough to avoid destroying eternity with the things of time? Do I try to make each day count for eternity? Though the signs of climbing age are obvious, I refuse to fret about the fleeting years, but accept the gift of each day as a new opportunity for faith, love, service, and impact.