Jehovah Show Us How To Count Our Days

Jehovah God is our Creator and Life-Giver. (Psalm 36:9; Revelation 4:11) No one else could therefore be in a better postion to show us how to use our years of life in a wise way. Appropriately, then, the psalmist petitioned God: "Show us just how to count our days in such a way that we may bring a heart of wisdom in." (Psalm 90:12) The 90th psalm, where we find that plea, certainly merits our careful consideration. First, though, let us get a brief overview of this divinely inspired song.

The superscritption of Psalm 90 calls it " prayer of Moses, the man of true God." Since this psalm emphasizes the transitoriness of human life, it was likely composed after the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian bondage and during their 40-year trek in the wilderness, when thousands of deaths brought a faithless generation to its end. (Numbers 32:9-13) In any case, Psalm 90 shows that the life of imperfect humans is short. Clearly, then, we should use our precious days wisely.

In Psalm 90, Verses 1to6 identify Jehovah as our eternal dwelling place. Verses 7-12 show that we need in order to use our fleeting years of life in a manner acceptable to him. And as expressed in verses 13 to 17, we earnestly desire to be recipients of Jehovah's loving-kindness and blessing. Of course, this psalm does not foretell our individual experiences as Jehovah's servants. nevertheless, we should personally take its prayerful sentiments to heart. Let us therefore look closely at Psalm 90 through the eyes of those dedicated to God.

Next time: Jehovah - OUr "Real Dwelling"