Wednesday Words of Encouragement

Psalm 90:1-12 ~

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.

Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You turn people back to dust,
saying, "Return to dust, you mortals."

A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night.

Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
they are like the new grass of the morning:

In the morning it springs up new,
but by evening it is dry and withered.

We are consumed by your anger
and terrified by your indignation.

You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.

All our days pass away under your wrath;
we finish our years with a moan.

Our days may come to seventy years,
or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

If only we knew the power of your anger!
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.

Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Do you find that as you get older time seems to speed up? I remember as a child and teen feeling like the days and months were just dragging by. Now, time seems to fly by. It's hard to believe that it's February 1st today!

I love this Psalm and it's a good reminder of how fleeting our lives really are. The average lifespan is 70 or 80 years old. Yet, to the Lord, it's as if just a day went by. We need to make sure that we have the proper perspective of our lives.

Verse 12 tells us to number our days aright so that we can gain wisdom. How are you numbering your days? Do you spend much of your time on wasteful things? Are you deliberate in the choices you make? Do you think through on how a decision will impact not only your life, but the lives of those around you? Do you go through your life doing your own thing because "I'll have time to get my act together"?

Our lives will pass by in the blink of an eye. Let's use our lives to gain wisdom. Let's live to glorify the Lord. Be proactive in your life, not reactive. Use your time, don't let it use you.

I know that I can waste so much time on the computer, watching mindless movies or television shows, worrying about things I have no control over, or just reacting to my circumstances.

God placed us here so we can live full and productive lives for Him. Let's work at numbering our days the right way so we can gain a heart full of wisdom that will actually make a difference not only in our lives, but in the lives of others!