Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days (Psalm 90:12-14).
Many of us have favorite passages of Scripture that encourage us and challenge us in our faith. We reflect on the goodness, mercy, and steadfast love of our Lord and Savior toward us.
The Book of Psalms is rich with reflections on these very truths in the midst of afflictions and trials of life. We have heard these psalms put into modern songs, and Psalm 90 is one I enjoy reading and singing before the Lord.
It has encouraged me in difficult times, and it has challenged me to remember from where my help comes. It has also reminded me of God’s sovereignty and that He holds my days in His hands.
What Is the Content of Psalm 90?
Psalm 90 is not only a song, but it is a prayer of Moses, and it tells of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness due to their sin and disobedience against God. Based on its references to this account, it appears to be the oldest of the Psalms.
Moses begins by contrasting God’s eternality with man’s brevity. Before anything was created, God existed. It is because of Him that we even have a dwelling place, both temporally and eternally. God is preeminent in this psalm, and rightfully so.
Following the first two verses, we read of man’s created state and the reminder of his end, which is sovereignly controlled by God.
The Creator of heaven and earth returns man to dust, and He is the One who justly judges sin and who saves to the uttermost. He is to be our hope and the center of our devotion and satisfaction.
We cannot help but notice the limitations of man’s life in this psalm. Man is compared to a dream and, like the grass that is flourishing one moment and, in the next moment, is withered. It brings pause to read in verse 9 that our life’s end is compared to a sigh.
Think about the length of a sigh. It is short-lived and soon gone. This psalm reinforces the ordained time of man’s life on the earth and how quickly it passes (v. 10).
This author states, “Because of human sin (Romans 5:12), our lives end like a soft, fading puff of breath. The typical human being, on average, seems to live for about 70 to 80 years. Those with especially good circumstances might live to well over 100. Yet even those who outlive their peers will still die.”
It is in light of this that Moses poses the question if people consider the wrath of God and face judgment before God. He recognized the judgment given to them at that time, and he accepted it.
Because of that, he reminded those who read and sing his prayer to number their days and to be wise. He laments in asking God, “How long?” Yet, as many of the Psalms display, he points back to God in being strengthened, finding joy and satisfaction in the Lord (verses 13-17).
How Does This Apply to Us?
Though this psalm has some heavy thoughts and harshness, it brings us to a place of great introspection and understanding of who God is and His divine sovereignty and power. It helps us to understand that we are no different than Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness.
We have sinned against God, and we are in need of His mercy. As believers in Christ, we are reminded that our days are to be spent glorifying Him and finding satisfaction in Him.
Our lives are but a vapor. We are not promised tomorrow, and though that sounds discouraging, it actually encourages us to live each day with eternity in mind.
When reading this psalm, I am ever reminded that nothing is hidden from God. Verse 8 says, “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.”
In our own understanding, we may view sin as what is obvious, or we may forget that no sin is hidden from God because He is omniscient. One thing that has convicted me is worry or being anxious.
I forget that worry is a sin. It is essentially not trusting in God and His ways. Worry is also an acknowledgment of our lack of control in a situation.
Worry distracts my hope in Him in spite of the things of this world and the difficulties endured. It may remain hidden from those around me, but it is not hidden from God. He sees all things, and He knows even the deepest thoughts and fears I may have.
Though we all are tempted to worry and to give in to the cares of this world, God is merciful in reminding us in His Word to return to Him for our hope and anchor. He exhorts us to be anxious for nothing but to come before Him with our petitions and requests (Philippians 4:4-6).
His Word reminds us that we cannot add an hour to our day by worrying (Matthew 6:27). Rather, we are not to worry about tomorrow.
Psalm 90:14 is a favorite verse to ponder, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
Even reading beyond and seeing how Moses asks God to make them glad in their days of affliction brought by God in their disobedience should bring pause to us as believers. How often do we ask God to bring gladness while we suffer or are even being disciplined by God?
My tendency is to ask God to remove the suffering or to avoid discipline. But Moses reminds us to ask God to be satisfied in Him and to rejoice in Him, even in the middle of suffering or discipline from God.
2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.” Like Moses, we want to remember God’s divine ways and our place before Him.
We dare not forget the temporal nature of our lives on this earth and the fact that God has given us mercy that we do not deserve. We want to glorify God with the time we have been given here.
We thank Him that though we may endure hardships here, we are no longer under His wrath. We desire to be satisfied by Him alone, especially in the darkest of times.
It is easy to be satisfied by God when all seems well. It is in those moments of darkness that we bask in His steadfast love and rejoice all our days, no matter how dark those days may appear.
Reflecting on the Lord
As believers, we have the realization of Jesus Christ as our Savior and our refuge. Our dwelling place truly lives, and no matter what we may face, we have great hope in this world and into eternity.
“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children” (Psalm 90:16). May we glorify God with the time we have been given, and may we reverence Him in all our ways. Ponder on Psalm 90 today and spend time studying the depths of God’s Word.
For further reading:
Why Is There a Prayer by Moses in the Book of Psalms?
What Are the Psalms of Praise?
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