Number Our Days
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
We were created to walk in fellowship with God, discovering the mysteries and delights He has scattered throughout creation, but how often to we sit in that enjoyment? We have a grandson who has taught me the beauty of doing this. He will come in our bedroom early in the morning, turn a chair to a window that looks over the expanse of our yard and the lake leading out to the main channel. In amazement he will say, "Mama Boo! Come look at this bird! Oh, look! The blue heron is on the dock!"
Oh, Father, teach me to number the hours in each day and be sure some are spent simply in amazement of who You are and what you have created. In Jesus name, Amen.
Dr. Leslie Weatherhead calculated the average length of a life by using the hours of one day to illustrate the importance of recognizing the value of time. At 65 years of age, it gave me pause.
"If your age is 15, the time is 10:25 a.m. If your age is 20, the time is 11:34. If your age is 25, the time is 12:42 p.m. If you’re 30, the time is 1:51. If you’re 35, the time is 3:00. If you’re 40 the time is 4:08. At age 45, the time is 5:15. If you’re 50, the time is 6:25. By age 55, the time is 7:24. If you’re 60, the time is 8:42. If you’re 65, the time is 9:51. And if you you’re 70 the time is 11 p.m."
Whew! In Luke 12:19-21 Jesus gave a parable to explain what happened when we don't number our days. He describes a rich man who wanted only to “eat, drink, and be merry” and had no time or thought for God. The rich man believed he had years yet to enjoy his pleasures, but God required his soul that very night. If the rich man had learned to “number his days,” he would have pursued ventures that had eternal significance.
None of us knows the number of our days. Are our pursuits of real value?
Mark Buchanon wrote in The Rest of God that Jesus' days were "a series of zigzags and detours, apparent whims and second thoughts, interruptions and delays, off-the-cuff plans, spur of the moment decisions, leisurely meals, serendipities rounds of storytelling. Who touched me? You give them something to eat. Let's go to the other side. Jesus was available-or not according to some oblique logic all his own. He had an inner ear for the Father's whispers, a third eye for the Spirit's motions."
I want that! Our grandchildren help us to slow down and take notice. Oooo, it's 9;51. The minutes are ticking away and my heart's desire is to make the most of the remaining moments in a way that brings honor and glory to the God I love.
The Song
"Counting the Number of My Days" Tommy Walker and Joni Eareckson Tada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2oul9dn0JU
