Psalm 90:1-17
Teach Us to Number Our Days
1A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.
2Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
3You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”
4For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.
5You sweep them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—
6in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it fades and withers.
7For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath.
8You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
9For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.
10The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11Who knows the power of Your anger? Your wrath matches the fear You are due.
12So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.
13Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.
14Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.
16May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children.
17May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!
Berean Standard Bible
Moses calls God the dwelling place of His people through all generations. Before mountains were born and before the earth was formed, God was God. Human life returns to dust, and a thousand years are like yesterday or a watch in the night.
The psalm does not make mortality sentimental. God's anger and hidden sins are placed in His light; our days pass under His wrath like a sigh. Yet the prayer asks God to teach us to number our days so we may gain a heart of wisdom. Awareness of limits can make life more faithful rather than merely more anxious.
Moses asks for compassion in the morning, joy to balance the years of affliction, and God's work to appear to His servants and children. He asks that the favor of the LORD rest on them and that He establish the work of their hands.
Questions
1 What is God for His people?
AnswerHe is their dwelling place through every generation, existing before creation itself.
2 How does the psalm describe human life?
AnswerIt is brief, returning to dust and passing like a watch in the night.
3 What does numbering our days produce?
AnswerIt can produce a heart of wisdom that uses limited time faithfully.
4 What does Moses ask God to establish?
AnswerHe asks God to establish the work of His servants' hands.
What This Means for Us
Mortality is not a reason to panic or waste the day proving ourselves. It is a reason to love people now, repent promptly, and give today's work its proper attention.
Ask God to establish work that serves beyond our own brief lifetime. A faithful task can matter even when we will not see its full result.
Prayer
Eternal God, be the dwelling place of people who feel time slipping away. Teach us to number our days wisely, give joy after affliction, and establish work that serves others beyond our own lifetime. Amen.