Joel M Bradshaw

12So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.–Psalm 90

Here is a psalm from Moses. Before our selected verse, he had been talking about how we are but ‘dust’ that lives a short life. This psalm says that many make it to 70, or maybe even 80. Deuteronomy 34 tells us that Moses made 120. Just saying.

Today’s devotion speaks of the great lesson and I will end with a nice reminder. Moses asked God to teach us all to number our days. This means we do three things.

1. REMEMBER BACKWARDS. Always keep stock of the great faithfulness of God. The seasons he brought you through. His blessings. His provisions. The accomplishments in your life that only he could accomplish. How he has maintained you and presented you to your current season. It’s always good to remember God. When you number your days, you keep stock of the good things of God.
2. LONG FORWARDS. When you long for the past, you miss the present and cheapen the future. Long for what’s next with God. Your future hope that only God can provide. As you get older, you naturally ponder the end. You might even begin to long for what comes next. Make that longing centered in God and being with him forever. When you number your days, you look forward to the eternity which has no number.
3. BE INTENTIONAL NOW. When you number your days, you realize that you may not have many opportunities left to do the right things. Be intentional with moments. Invest well with relationships. Maximize your influence for God’s glory.

If you do these three things and pass that legacy to the next generation, you will have a heart of wisdom. The great reminder is this: we are to number our days, but we simply don’t know their number. Only God knows that number. So to have a heart of wisdom, we center our days in Him. Psalm 139…

16Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Remember backwards. Long forwards. Be intentional now. These perspectives appropriately number your days and maintain a heart of wisdom centered in God’s sovereign care. We are to number our days regarding our attitudes, but God numbers them regarding an official count. So our lives must find their meaning in him. Great wisdom this morning from Moses, the man of God.

I think of my dear friend Terry. I have memories of Terry recalling this psalm and reminding me to indeed number my days. Terry just made 80 years, so according to Psalm 90, Moses considers him strong. I can’t wait to have him read this blog post when I have coffee with him this week. Terry has been one of the men in my life that has increased me. He has helped me to number my days. Be a Terry, my friends.–JMB