Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You return man to dust
and say, “Return, O children of man!”
For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.
You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
This psalm provides us with a sobering yet encouraging look at life. As always we who have faith in Jesus look at life from God’s perspective, not that of man, the media, or the government. When we look at life from God’s perspective or worldview, we can be greatly encouraged in the midst of the violence, terrorism, and hatred that surrounds us. This is because we act angels think with the wisdom of the Lord.
Such was the intention of Moses who wrote these words sometime during the 40 years the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness. His desire was to contrast the eternal nature and almighty power of the Lord with the weakness of man and the brevity of human life. Moses acknowledged that from God’s eternal perspective 1,000 years are as a day. God is not bound by our perspective of time, which is the instrument we use to mark the progression of our lives. The years seem to pass by so quickly for us. They are filled with trouble and sin. Death is the inevitable end for us all.
In the light of such a perspective, we need the wisdom of God, wisdom we cannot find in the vanity of human endeavors or teachings. Moses asked the Lord for wisdom for his people so that they may not waste their lives in pursuit of sin or vain things and goals, so that their lives would be fruitful and righteous. Moses also asked the Lord to bless His people with compassion and forgiveness for their sins, that their lives might be filled with joy and gladness, that they would know that their lives exalted the Kingdom of God.
In the world success is determined by the amount of fame, money, and power one has amassed. Those who fail to achieve the world’s ideals often feel empty and unhappy even though the things of the world never bring lasting joy or peace. But as we believers contemplate our lives and look back at what we have done, even if we have accomplished little and our names are not known, we can such joy in the knowledge that we have accomplished the eternal work of the Lord. All else will not survive.