Numbering our Days

Psalm 90:9-12

 For all our days pass away under your wrath;

    we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 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.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
    and your wrath according to the fear of you?

12 So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.

What does it mean to number our days?

I've been pondering this verse over the course of the day.  The devotional I read with this basically said we need to be thoughtful about our days, reminiscing over the day spent and thinking through how you can make improvements.  Through doing that, you gain wisdom.  I can see the value in this viewpoint.  Learning from your mistakes is an excellent way to gain wisdom. 

But I think about the whole wisdom aspect from the book of Proverbs, about how wisdom is gained through a relationship with God and understanding his word.  

So then I'm thinking about how our lives are like a sigh.  A bit of a breath and then we are gone, and God himself wants us to make the most of them.

So shouldn't numbering our days mean more than just being reflective and trying to change based on our history?   Shouldn't numbering our days mean we should be intentional about what we do?  What we learn?  How we act?  Looking forward to a longer-term picture? Being intentional about spending actual time with God? 

It's so easy to just let things slide you know?  To forget to pray before a meal, to promise to pray for a friend and then forgetting, and to watch TV, or youtube, or whatever and not follow up with family and friends.  To think that volunteering somewhere covers for all the slights that you do in life.   So just perhaps we need to be deliberate about looking at what we do with our days.  Deliberate about not wasting our moment of breath. 

I'm listening to a book right now about a young man with a goal... he wants to save his brother.  To do so he'll have to meet a number of challenges... none of them easy, so he's taking time to think about what his next move should be.  Who should he get to know who can help him in his quest?  What books and course of study does he need to take?  

So when I read these words from Psalms I can see this young man clearly in my mind.  Carefully planning out his days even though he knows there will be blips in his journey.  Can he work hard enough to overcome those blips?

What about me?  Do I look to the future?  I know my end goal is glory with Christ in heaven.  I know that.  And sometimes I am too complacent about it...and at others a bit of a doubting Thomas... but really, I know that's my goal.  So maybe I should be more deliberate about working out my faith eh?   To spend more time with God and to read so more books like Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund. Perhaps I need to do something more... and that will require some thought... deliberate thought, a planning out of my days. 

Can't say I'm feeling up for the challenge today.  Tired and all that after a busy day.  But tomorrow.... that I can plan out.  Time for a verse or four in the morning.  A chance to ponder and write.   Time with my fellow and boy.   It's enough for a start eh?