Passage: Psalm 90
The Big Idea
Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, the oldest psalm. Against the backdrop of the everlasting God, human life is short: like grass that grows in the morning and withers by evening, seventy or eighty years that fly away. Our sins are open before Him. So Moses prays for wisdom and mercy: Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom… Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days!
Reflections
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations (v. 1). Before we ever had a home, God was our home.
From everlasting to everlasting, You are God (v. 2). Before the mountains, before the world, God was. He doesn’t change.
A thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past (vv. 3-6). Our lives are like grass: flourishing in the morning, cut down by evening.
You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance (vv. 7-11). Nothing is hidden from Him. Without His mercy, our days pass away under His wrath, and we finish our years like a sigh. That’s why the cross is such good news: in Jesus, the wrath our sins deserved has been fully borne.
So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (v. 12). Life is short. Make every day count for what lasts.
Return, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on Your servants (v. 13). Help.
Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! (vv. 14-15). Satisfy us early, in the morning, at the start of the day and the start of life. Make us glad for as many days as we’ve been afflicted.
Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children (v. 16). Amen. Let the next generation see Your glory.
Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands (v. 17). Only You can do it. Our work lasts only if You establish it.
Grace Takeaway
Your days are few, but your dwelling place is eternal. Let Him satisfy you with His mercy first thing each morning, and trust Him to establish the work of your hands.
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