Using Our Days Wisely

“So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Ps. 90:12 ESV)

Birthdays ending in zeroes are warning flags, reminding us time is slipping away.

Forty was the kickoff for my age-centered angst. As my fortieth birthday crept closer, I started listing my unmet goals. I’d never gotten around to writing that children’s book.  It was too late to launch my career as a rockstar (though I’d given up that dream by age twelve.) And I’d never learned to play piano.

So I bought a keyboard and a “Learn to Play Piano” computer program. I connected the keyboard to the computer, and the computer gave me feedback on my emerging piano skills.

But I never got further than a few measures of “Clair de Lune.”  To pass to the next level, I had to play a song perfectly, striking each note precisely on the beat. If I hesitated a fraction of a second, a friendly female voice from inside the computer announced, “You need more work. Press Go and try again.”

I soon tired of the sappy voice and the click-clack of the metronome, so I gave up piano practice. But I couldn’t silence the ticking of the clock reminding me my days on earth are numbered.

Maybe you, too, hear the clock ticking and feel like you can’t quite keep up.

Maybe you have hopes of marriage or motherhood. Career goals. Personal aspirations. Dreams of making the world a better place.

Maybe, like me, you see your days lined up like dominoes, and one by one, they’re falling down.

Moses must have been in this same frame of mind when he wrote Psalm 90. In Psalm 90, Moses begins by acknowledging that God is eternal, but he laments the brevity of life on earth. In verse 12, he asks God to teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

As we cross the days off the calendar, how can we use them wisely?

Moses’ prayer gives us a clue.

 Start the day with God.

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” (Ps. 90:14 ESV)

Spending time with God in the morning helps ensure the rest of the day will be well spent.

Put the past behind you and enjoy the present.

“Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil.” (Ps. 90:15 ESV)

We can’t erase the troubles, failures, or missed opportunities of the past. But God can take the tattered pieces of our past and stich them together into a beautiful display of his goodness. Like Moses did, we can look ahead and ask God to give us gladness.

Keep your eyes open to see how God is working, and make his deeds known, especially to the younger generations.

“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.” (Ps. 90:16 ESV)

Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, said, “Watch to see how God is working, and join him in his work.”

Wise use of our time means getting involved with projects, events, or ministries wherein God is glorified and good is accomplished. As we see God working, we point out God’s power to younger generations.

Continue working and putting your efforts into things that last.

“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Ps. 90:17 ESV)

Besides asking for gladness, Moses asked for purpose. We have a lifelong need to do meaningful labor. Using our time wisely means investing in activities with eternal value.

“Establish” comes from the Hebrew word kuwn, which is translated as “prepare, set up, make stable, or make right or prosperous.” I get a picture of God planning projects and allowing us to participate, then causing those works to succeed and endure.

It’s been years since my ill-fated piano lessons, but I’m still conscious of the ticking clock. I may never learn to play piano, but I’m numbering my days and seeking to make them count.

 Father, teach us to open our hearts to your love every morning, then to open our eyes to recognize the work you’ve prepared for us. Amen.

Scripture for Reflection

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15-16 ESV)

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:13-14 ESV)

Reach for More

What can you change in your morning routine so you’ll begin your day bathed in God’s love?

Are troubles from your past holding you back? Ask God to help you put the past behind you and find joy in your future.

Where do you see God working? How can you become involved?

What “God things” do you see going on around you? Tell someone about the everyday miracles you notice and the prayers God has answered.

Margaret Kemp spends most days teaching a classroom full of lively five-and six-year-olds. She’s attracted to be fragrance of vanilla, the printed word, and all things blue and white. She delights in spending time with her husband and family, singing praises with her church choir peeps, and traveling. Her heart’s desire is to know God better and learn to trust him more.

Photograph © Mpho Mojapelo, used with permission