Still numbering my days: A birthday celebration

Each morning I begin my day with a  time of prayer and meditation, thinking about the goodness of God and His mercy that have brought me thus far along my journey of faith.  Today, June 17, 2021, is especially significant as I celebrate my 78th birthday. My heart overflows with gratitude to God, my gracious heavenly Father, for all that He has done. Many times on such occasions, I compose a psalm of praise to the Lord as an expression of gratitude in celebration of being alive to see another year and to enjoy the bounty of God’s love. Rejoice and celebrate with me as I am

Still Numbering My Days

The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
¹¹ Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
¹² So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:10-12 (NKJV)

On the brink of the cherished four score years,

If the Lord tarries and if  the Lord will,

I press toward the mark, learning to be still–

Watching, waiting as Christ’s appearing nears,

Yearning to see what Father has in store

Beyond all I could ever think or ask for.

Looking ahead, I cannot hold back the tears.

With more than a portion of health and strength,

I have tasted His boundless love,

Flowing from the heart of the Father above

Beyond the breadth and depth and height and length.

I yearn to hear, “Faithful servant, well done.

Enter in the joy of the Lord, my son,”

On the brink of the cherished four score years.

We close with a musical rendering of the essence of Psalm 90 by Marty Goetz:

Psalm 90: A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God

Found in Psalm 90:2, 4 is the Verse of the Day for June 7, 2017:

Here is the New King James Version:

Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
And like a watch in the night.

Psalm 90, in its entirety, is labeled “A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God.” Described as “the meekest man on the face of the earth,” Moses had this distinction: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” The Psalmist declares that the Lord made known His “acts” unto the Children of Israel, but He made known His “ways” unto Moses. In a similar way as believers we also aspire to have such an intimate relationship with the Lord, as expressed in this way:

The Way You Speak

So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face,
as a man speaks to his friend. . . .
Exodus 33:11a

Open our ears to do more than just hear
Your voice but also teach us to listen.
Though the flow of tears at times may glisten,
Gently teach us to recognize those clear,
Familiar words you whisper in our ears.
As our teacher, help us not to hasten
Each lesson, even the times you chasten,
While reassuring and holding us near.
In seeking to dwell in your hiding place,
Our deepest yearning is to understand,
As we listen to hear each word you say.
Even as Moses knew you face to face,
So we long to know the way you speak and
Not question nor doubt but only obey.

Take a look at this rendering of Psalm 90 in the New Living Translation:

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
4 For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,
as brief as a few night hours.
5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.
They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We wither beneath your anger;
we are overwhelmed by your fury.
8 You spread out our sins before you—
our secret sins—and you see them all.
9 We live our lives beneath your wrath,
ending our years with a groan.
10 Seventy years are given to us!
Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
soon they disappear, and we fly away.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.
12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.
13 O LORD, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.
16 Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.
17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval
and make our efforts successful.
Yes, make our efforts successful!

We conclude with a powerful musical rendition of Psalm 90 (A Thousand Years} by James Block.

“Words of Wisdom”—a daily dose of “words to the wise”–Day 14

This blog entry is another in a series featuring a daily dose of “words to the wise,” poetically expressed from the Book of Proverbs.

In thinking about wisdom this morning, I recognize that wisdom is not a static entity; it is not a trophy to be displayed with pride, but wisdom connotes action, it is something that must be applied. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” and further states, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when will you come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart (Psalm 101:2).

In the Book of Proverbs we find two references to walking in wisdom or to walk as the wise:

Proverbs 13:20

He who walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Proverbs 28:26

He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered.

Two of the most enlightening scriptures regarding walking in wisdom occur in the New Testament:

Ephesians 5:15

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

To walk circumspectly, means to walk carefully, accurately, “to be watchful on all sides.”

Colossians 4:5 instructs believers to

“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.”

Walking in wisdom involves being intentional and making deliberate choices that determine the direction and ultimate fulfillment of one’s purpose in God.

The following poem composed a number of years ago refers to “walking in wisdom” in the context of renewing the mind and maturing in Christ.

A New Song: Changing the Way We Receive the Word

“Praise prepares us for worship.”

 Jimmy Mitchell

 

To change or remain the same is always a choice:

Either to conform to the world or be transformed,

To act to express our lives in the middle voice.

We face each new day, renewing our minds, reformed

To embrace a new way of receiving the Word.

To rise to another level demands a price:

To follow in the footsteps of Jesus, our Lord,

We must renew our minds and a make a sacrifice

And mature in Christ, as we walk forth in wisdom.

Our apostolic model will thrive and abound

To become a major influence for God’s Kingdom.

We bring forth fruit one hundredfold sown on good ground.

Sing a new song, for praise prepares us for worship:

The ultimate expression of our true sonship.

The accompanying video, while not the usual musical selection, shows the amount of time we have and urges us to “redeem the time” which is part of our walking in wisdom.