A Moment With Pastor Fred

At the age of 88, Billy Graham was asked what surprised him most in life. His answer?  “It’s brevity.”  We number our years, but Moses said it is wiser to number our days. Of all the mathematical disciplines this is the hardest. In Ps 90 Moses speaks of life’s brevity contrasted with God’s eternality. He’s instructing us on how to spend our time wisely. “So teach us to number our days  that we may get a heart of wisdom,” v. 12.

Psalm 90 is the oldest of the psalms. It was penned by Moses as God’s people were about to cross into the Promise Land. For 40 years they had killed time. They marched without point or purpose. God wants to teach us about our time here on this earth. Do we have a teachable spirit?  

As we begin a new year let me make several suggestions. First, begin each day with prayer. Second, give to God the  circumstances of the day. Ask him to help in those daily             interruptions. He’s in the details. Read God’s Word. “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love.” God is the oasis for weary pilgrims. Moses found what Augustine wrote of centuries later. “You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.” The regular discipline of reading the Bible is absolutely necessary for spiritual growth and getting wisdom.

 Based on Ps 90 Isaac Watts wrote, “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come; Our shelter from the stormy blast and our eternal home. Under the shadow of Thy throne still may we dwell secure; Sufficient is Thine arm alone; And our defense is sure.”