A Whole Lot of 'Wrought-ing' Going On!

Look what Wednesday has wrought. The gospel song has this thought: “One day at a time Lord, One day at a time.” When we really think about it, that’s how we have to take this life; one second, one minute, one hour, and one day at a time. Time is one of those fascinating functional tools that we use to mark our progress. While God exists outside of time He certainly is very conscious of time and He encourages us to seek and find Him while we still have time. In one of the most interesting of all the songs recorded in the songbook of Israel, the Psalms, is the 90th Division which is attributed to Moses. This unique prayer song from Israel’s deliverer speaks about making use of the time God gives to us.

Moses is recorded as having said this: “12) So teach us to number our days, that we gain a heart of wisdom.” I find this very interesting in that it came from a man who lived 120 years. We know that all of God’s Word is inspired and in this instance the writer God chose certainly knew something about time. In this 90th Psalm, he utilized a variety of time sensitive words, phrases and metaphors. Here’s some of them: generations; everlasting to everlasting; a thousand years; yesterday; watch in the night; morning; evening; days; seventy years; eighty years; number our days; be glad all our days; and according to the days.

These are the words of Moses, that man who was called the servant of the LORD by God Himself. Moses knew what it meant to pass time in different phases of his life. He spent his first 40 years being raised up as a part of Pharaoh’s royal family after being born as a child who was miraculously spared through God’s provision. After an attempt to bring about God’s plan by his own power, Moses had to flee Egypt and ended up spending the next 40 years as a nomad shepherd out on the backside of the dessert. Having reconnected to the God of Israel, Moses, at 80, became the one chosen by God to lead his people out of Egyptian bondage. This was a huge undertaking that consumed his last 40 years. When it came time for Moses to die, he went up on the mountain and God Himself buried him. That thought alone sends chills up my spine just thinking about the closeness of his relationship with God.

Therefore, when we read this preserved prayer, (read all of it, it is great) and as we think about all we know about the life of Moses, it should cause us to lean forward and listen carefully to his inspired thoughts. No doubt he would have had some great insights on how he might have used that first 80 years differently. But what a great last 40, and what a tremendous finish as he did in fact gain that heart of wisdom before God! I love the thoughts expressed as his prayer ended, verses 16-17, “Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. And 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.”

I don’t know about you but for me this is a mighty and powerful encouragement for us to take seriously the time God has given to us to get busy spending it in serving Him and His purpose. I know I can recommend this to us all and in doing so I’m in pretty good company, as Moses would totally agree. I must tell you that some days these blogs jump up from what seems to be nowhere and most likely it’s because I need to pay attention to them as much as anyone. Have a great day and may God help us as we make choices about how we live and what we do with the time He gives to us. Amen. …….More later.