Teach us to count our days\u00a0that we may gain a wise heart.<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/i><\/b>Psalm 90:12\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/b>
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\nArthur Jackson writes, \u201cPsalm 90 is a worshipful conversation Moses has with God. The superscription reads, \u2018A prayer of Moses, the man of God.\u2019 But even if we weren\u2019t alerted that this psalm is a prayer, the language and tone clearly indicate the psalmist was talking to God. This prayer was spoken during a rough period in Israel\u2019s history. It appears the people of God had experienced discipline (vv. 7\u201311, 15), which prompted Moses to talk to God about the brevity and fragility of human life in view of God\u2019s eternal nature (vv. 1\u20136).\u201d The psalmist makes several references to time, such as generations, years, days, morning and evening. For Jackson, \u201c\u2026tough times can compel us to talk to the Lord about our brief time on earth and appeal to Him for His help. They can also cause us to ask who may need the gift of our time.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is an African proverb that says, \u201cWesterners have watches. Africans have time.\u201d How many times have we said, \u2018I don\u2019t have time\u2019 or \u2018I can\u2019t find the time\u2019? It seems as if our very busy schedules and many deadlines to meet is dominating our lives. We seem to not even have time for ourselves. In the midst of all this, Moses prays in today\u2019s Watchword, \u2018Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.\u2019 Paul writes, \u2018Be very careful, then, how you live . . . making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil\u2019 (Ephesians 5:15\u201316).<\/p>\n
Bill Crowder shares that he suspects that Paul and Moses would agree that our wise use of time isn\u2019t just a matter of clock-watching. For Crowder, \u2018The situation may call for us to keep a tight schedule\u2014or it may compel us to give someone an extended gift of our time. We have but a brief moment to make a difference for Christ in our world, and we need to maximize that opportunity. That may mean ignoring our watches and planners for a while as we show Christ\u2019s patient love to those He brings into our lives. As we live in the strength and grace of the timeless Christ, we impact our time for eternity.\u2019<\/p>\n
We are urged to be mindful that our time is limited so we have to make use of every time we have. Yet, we are challenged to recognize that what some people desire most from us is not our money or other physical possessions, but our time. Our time to give them a listening ear, our time to empathize with them, our time to extend a word of encouragement. This may be our greatest gift to others. God has given us all the time we need to fulfill all that he has given us to do.<\/p>\n
Till next week, let\u2019s remember that time management is not about clock-watching, it\u2019s about making the most of the time we have.<\/p>\n
Jermaine Gibson<\/p>\n
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