Happy Sunday friends!
I am writing to you today on this beautiful and calm Sunday morning. I know my writing here isn’t as frequent as I would have hoped and I am often tempted to just write something for the sake of ensuring there’s a recent post. But that was never the intention of this blog. I only want to write when the Lord has given me something clear to write. I don’t want me influence but HIS. I don’t want my words bu HIS. I don’t want my opinions but HIS truth. I don’t want my preferences but HIS purpose.
So even if that means I write every 2-3 weeks, then I write every 2-3 weeks. If there is a week He gives me several things to share, then okay!
This morning I felt the nudge to make the time and share some truths I have been learning with you as I continue studying the Psalms. In case you haven’t read my previous posts, May of 2020 the Lord called me into a deep dive study of the Psalms and I must say, it has been the most eye opening and growth journey with Jesus in my last 12 years of walking with Him.
After reading Psalm 90 a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to sense the Holy Spirit asking me to now go backwards. My type A personality was a bit thrown off. I was finally getting close to the 100s…and now we are going BACK?! Why didn’t He just show me when He needed to show me in the past psalms while I was reading them before?
Today’s first truth: God’s way is perfect and accomplishes His perfect purpose. I can either choose to follow His perfect way or my preferred way.
So, I went backwards. First to psalm 81 and then to Psalm 88. Both are psalms about darkness, wilderness, suffering and the valley. To be honest, I struggled a little more with those psalms. I read them, I studied them, I meditated on them, but I also was uncomfortable reading them.
Psalm 81 is all about how Israel refused to listen to God’s voice in the wilderness and failed test after test.
Psalm 88 is unique in that its one of the only two psalms in the book of the psalms that ends on a dark and hopeless note.
Why am I going back to those? And why did I need to press on to 89 and 90 before going back?
Just giving you a peek into my fun conversations with the Holy Spirit! I would like to say I obeyed right away with no hesitation, but there was definitely a moment of “whyyyyyy?!”
It’s safe to say that this blog post will be written in parts or else this will be a VERY long post (let’s be real, usually what I write is pretty long as is but I am saying even LONGER).
Let me start with Psalm 90 because, after completing my study in it, that was when I heard Him say “Go back.” Now I understand why I needed to read Psalm 90 first. We will start there and then we will dig into how to walk with God and look to Him, rely on Him and trust Him in the wilderness and darkest of valleys in the next posts.
KEY VERSES:
Vs. 1-2: Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Vs. 4-A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
Vs .10-Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Vs. 12-Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Vs. 14-Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Vs. 17-May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
This psalm of Moses is powerful. You have to really know Moses’ life and have read Exodus and Deuteronomy to understand the depths of this Psalm.
Vs. 1-2: Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
First, Moses acknowledges God as their dwelling place—their HOME. This is coming from a man and a people (the Israelites) who wandered the desert for 40 years. They moved from place to place never putting roots down anywhere. Nothing was constant. But God. God is constant. They could put their roots in Him. He was their HOME.
From everlasting to everlasting He is God-God is eternal. We have a choice. We can either invest our time living for eternity or spend our time wastefully living for the things of this world. Invest or spend. The choice is ours.
Vs. 4-A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
Vs .10-Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
It should be no surprise that time passes quickly. But in case we need that sobering reminder today, our life here WILL pass quickly. There’s a quote I heard once that says “The greatest tragedy in life isn’t that life is too short but that we wait so long to begin it.” So are we coasting through life? Or are we…
Vs. 12-Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
In another translation this verse starts with the word “So.” Now that we’ve established that God is our HOME, that He is ETERNAL and that time passes quickly…SO teach us, Lord.
Knowing how to number our days is something that requires divine wisdom. We can’t do this well without God and understanding His purpose for us. Because to number our days means to count our days and set them apart for a PURPOSE. Another way to understand this is to basically budget your life.
Look at the time you’ve been given and budget it with purpose and for a purpose. Use each moment wisely. Redeem it. Invest it. And yes, you can budget in fun and pleasure…we just don’t live for those things! When we live our lives with wisdom, it’s full of joy and meaning.
Vs. 14-Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Moses has seen God miraculously provide for them in the desert over and over again. Manna for food. Water from the rock. And now he’s saying to satisfy their souls with His unfailing love. Another translation , unfailing love is also known as His loving kindness. It represents God‘s continuous and unchanging love. It’s a love that satisfies. His love does not depend on whether we are good or bad but is ready to receive, forgive and get us back on our feet. It’s an unqualified love. And with that same satisfied soul, we can sing for joy and be glad all our days. Even when the storm is raging. Even when circumstances aren’t easy. Even if the valley is long and dark. Even if questions are still unanswered. Even in the waiting. Even in the pain. We sing. Why? Because we are loved by Him. Because He understands us. Because He sees us. Because He is our comforter. Because He is good. Because He is faithful. Because we are forgiven. Because He is our true Home...our dwelling place where we have REAL rest.
Vs. 17-May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
You know, I am not sure when Moses wrote this. But one of the things I wondered is if he wrote this after he struck the rock the second time without full obedience and therefore the consequence was given that he would not enter the promise land but would only see it. Could you imagine? 40 years that may have felt like they’ve been wasted? But here Moses says, establish the work of our hands. Basically: Make it count. Make what we do count. May it have an impact here and in heaven. Make it matter, Lord! Moses could have given up on redeeming his time well after the consequence he was given. But I don’t believe he wasted any time. God DID establish the work of his hands. After all, Moses did write Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Leviticus!
Moses’ work was established because he was alert, available and willing. God did the rest. Our life is not done yet, so how will we invest and redeem our time?
This psalm convinced me, awakened me, and reminded me that I am on mission here. It was from this moment that I then heard the Lord say to go back. He needed me to first humbly receive the conviction that I have not always redeemed my time well and that it was time to put my roots down in Christ alone, to live my life for Him because HE is eternal, to remember the fragility of this life, to number my days that I may live with wisdom, to only search for soul satisfaction from Him and His love, and to partner with God to make my life count for HIS glory and the good of others.
This was the foundation I needed before studying the wilderness and the dark times.
Until then!
