Psalm 90:9-12 "For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. (10) The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (11) Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. (12) So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."
I can tell these verses are going to demand more than one day, so bear with me
the next few days as I try to share my thoughts.
There is so much to consider while reading these four verses. "All our
days are passed away in thy wrath." Before I say anything about this, I
remind myself of the inspired Word of God written by the Apostle Paul:
"... being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him." (Romans 5:9) I think of his further thoughts in Romans
8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." God's wrath
has been taken away from us who have been bought by the blood of Jesus and born
of the Spirit of God. But there are remaining consequences of Adam's sin that
abides on us and in us as we go through this life. I cannot read what I am
writing without my glasses. It takes me several minutes each morning
before I can take steps without these joints hurting. Sickness and disease are
direct results of the frailty of our flesh, but take heart... ultimately, we
have been "... saved from wrath through him." We have a lively hope
that we have a home in heaven awaiting us at the end of our days when we
"fly away."
While we wait for that heavenly home, "we spend our years as a tale that
is told." These thoughts are not original with me and I know I have used
them before, but I will write this one more time. On every tombstone, there are
two dates with a hyphen in between. There is the date of birth and the date of
passing. Those dates are important, but quite honestly the hypen between them
is the most important. You see, that hyphen represents the days that we live on
this earth. That hyphen has a "tale that is told." That hyphen
represents the story of our lives that are left in the memories of our loved
ones. That hyphen tells if we were a giver or a taker, a thoughtful person or a
selfish person. It tells how we treated others. It tells if we walked by faith,
trusting our heavenly Father. As I write these words, I realize that my life
has been one of "hills and valleys." I've had good days and I've had
rough days. I've had times when I didn't even have to reach out to touch the
hand of God. His hand was on me. There have been other times when I felt so far
away from Him that I thought I was walking alone on this path called life.
Today, I want to spend more time in fellowship with my Father in heaven. I want
the "tale" of my life to be one that causes others to look toward
heaven with a smile. I want others to see that my hope is only Christ in me. I
want to be that "... wise man, which built his house upon a rock"
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.