Read: Psalm 90
Bible in a Year: 2 Kings 4–6; Luke 24:36–53
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
Over the last few years, two members of my family have faced
life-threatening diagnoses. For me, the hardest part of supporting them
through their treatments has been the constant uncertainty. I am always
desperate for a definitive word from a doctor, but things are rarely
that straightforward. Instead of being given clarity, we are often asked
to wait.
It’s hard to bear the burden of uncertainty, always wondering
what the next test will reveal. Will we have weeks, months, years, or
decades before death separates us? But regardless of disease and
diagnosis, each of us will die one day—things like cancer just bring our
mortality to the forefront instead of letting it hide in the recesses
of our minds.
Faced with sobering reminders of our
mortality, I find myself praying words that Moses once prayed. Psalm 90
tells us that though our lives are like grass that withers and fades
(vv. 5–6), we have an eternal home with God (v. 1). Like Moses, we can
ask God to teach us to number our days so we can make wise decisions (v.
12), and to make our brief lives fruitful by making what we do for Him
count (v. 17). Ultimately, the psalm reminds us that our hope is not in a
doctor’s diagnosis, but in a God who is “from everlasting to
everlasting.”
How can we best spend the time we’ve been given?Share your thoughts with us at odb.org.
We can face the reality of our own mortality because we trust in God.
© 2017 Our Daily Bread Ministries
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