Outlive: A Walk With Moses (Psalm 90)Sample

How do we deal with our fallenness? We need the favor of the Lord. Toward that end, Moses leads us in five short communal prayers of lament, which we will review over the next few days. (Remember, all of Psalm 90 is a prayer.)

For Old Testament believers, God’s wrath had not yet been objectively and permanently addressed. (That indeed is the argument of the book of Hebrews.) For us, on this side of the cross, we know that the anger of the Lord toward the human race has been appeased, the wrath of God has been propitiated, and all our sins have been covered, paid for, expiated, and atoned. Everything pertaining to God’s favor is already ours in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3–8).

So we can confidently pray these requests, which Moses calls us to pray.

The first request: the favor of instruction in view of our ignorance.

So teach us to number our days,

That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Who does not wish to live a wise life? Who has not desired God’s instruction? The verse is a favorite prayer of many a believer since we don’t know how many days we have on this earth.

Since we can’t number our days that remain, Moses is asking for divine instruction to seize each day as an urgent opportunity to live wisely before God. To value each day and not squander it in foolishness. To make the most of the time (Ephesians 3:16–17).