Psalm 90

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, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalms 90:1‭-‬17

This psalm! I absolutely love everything about this psalm. Did you know that it is the oldest of the psalms? And that is was the only one written by Moses? I mean you should. The first line says, “a prayer of Moses, the man of God.”

You know, I think Moses might have written this psalm as a way to teach everyone the lesson he failed to realize before it was too late. Because psalm 90 is about God’s eternal nature contrasted with our frailty.

Time is not on our side. It’s not. I know you’ve read before that I have said, “all we have is time, it’s just how we use it.” But I say that as a means for us to really think about what we find important right in the moment. Are we going to put a report that’s due a week from now before a distraught friend that needs us now? I do not mean to put my saying in the context of, “I’m going to live for years, therefore I will work on ‘this’ later.” Because, honestly, we could die in a car crash tomorrow for all we know.

Our time here is limited. There’s no guarantee for tomorrow. This is why it is important to use our time wisely. Let’s use our time with eternity in mind. I think that’s why Moses wrote this psalm.

The beautiful thing is, is God is not limited like us. Time doesn’t effect him. He is eternal. He is constant at all times. Our past, present, and future is God’s current. Because of this we can depend on him and his plans.

And you know what? Because all time is God’s current, he knows all. Our sins we think are secret? Yeah, they are not. God knows. He sees. Nothing escapes his sight. But honestly, this shouldn’t scare us.

Because God knows, and yet he still loves us. He knows what we went through, what we are going through, and what we’ll face. And yet, he still sent his son for you. He still wants to use you to spread his love. He still wants his light to shine in you.

Don’t let your sins hold you back. Don’t let what others may think of you stop you. Because our time is limited and God loves you.

Every person has a life story. Early failures and past sins may still haunt some. Some may even go through pain from relationships or situations that rob them of God’s joy. But that joy can return. God can rebuild, replace, and utilize the bad in your life and make it good for you and his purpose. With God you can obtain a better end to your story.

Our days are numbered. We want our work for Christ to count, to be fruitful. Let’s apply ourselves to loving and following God and serving others. This is why I love how Psalm 90 ends:

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. – Psalms 90:17

This last verse of the Psalm always reminds me of another verse. That verse is Ecclesiastes 3:11.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. – Ecclesiastes 3:11

Because we are created in God’s image, we have spiritual thirst. We have eternal value. Nothing but God can truly satisfy us.

We can use our time wisely. It doesn’t matter what our past holds, what sins we have committed, because we were forgiven by the One who sees all and he has made us new. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. Our time is limited, and God loves you anyway. He rebuilds, replaces, and utilizes the bad in your life and makes it good for you and his purpose. You will have a better end to your story. You are beautiful and created in His image. Remember that. and use it to love and follow God, as well as serve others.