Read
BOOK IV
(Psalms 90–106)
(A prayer by Moses, the man of God.)
God Is Eternal
1Our Lord, in all generations
you have been our home.
2You have always been God—
long before the birth
of the mountains,
even before you created
the earth and the world.
3At your command we die
and turn back to dust,
4 but a thousand years
mean nothing to you!
They are merely a day gone by
or a few hours in the night.
5You bring our lives to an end
just like a dream.
We are merely tender grass
6that sprouts and grows
in the morning,
but dries up by evening.
7Your furious anger frightens
and destroys us,
8and you know all our sins,
even those we do in secret.
9Your anger is a burden
each day we live,
then life ends like a sigh.
10 We can expect seventy years,
or maybe eighty,
if we are healthy,
but even our best years
bring trouble and sorrow.
Suddenly our time is up,
and we disappear.
11No one knows the full power
of your furious anger,
but it is as great as the fear
that we owe to you.
12Teach us to use wisely
all the time we have.
13Help us, Lord! Don't wait!
Pity your servants.
14When morning comes,
let your love satisfy
all our needs.
Then we can celebrate
and be glad for what time
we have left.
15Make us happy for as long
as you caused us trouble
and sorrow.
16Do wonderful things for us,
your servants,
and show your mighty power
to our children.
17Our Lord and our God,
treat us with kindness
and let all go well for us.
Please let all go well!
Reflect
The book of Psalms contains 150 separate songs, poems and prayers. It composed the prayer book of ancient Israel, and was used in the formal, public worship of the nation. While other books of the Bible recount words that God speaks, in this book, it is the people of God who speak. God listens.
The Psalmists were people who spoke to God out of covenant relationship with him. Their words ring with authenticity, reaching us across vast distances of time and culture, touching our minds, our emotions and our spirits.
Moses was a man who knew God intimately, and Psalm 90 – a prayer attributed to Moses – displays that intimacy, even though the prayer voices the petition of a group of people.
It begins with a reflection on the eternal nature of God who “has always been God,” the God who is “our home,” then contrasts his eternal presence with the fleeting nature of our existence.
“We are merely tender grass that sprouts and grows in the morning, but dries up by evening,” says the prayer, quickly placing our own lives in perspective. What are we, in relation to our God? It is a humbling thought, one with the power to quickly realign priorities that may have become skewed in the busyness of life.
The prayer interprets the suffering and sorrow that are part and parcel of the human experience as being caused by God’s wrath. But it also recognizes that God is merciful, for verse 12 begins a plea that continues through the rest of the psalm.
“Teach us!”, “Help us!” cry God’s people, and the implication is that they know God will. “Please let all go well!”
Our God is eternal, holy and merciful. He is also able. Happy are those who allow His love to satisfy their needs.
Respond
God our home, you are holy and eternal. You created us in your image, but we fall short of your holiness. Help us to walk with you in right relationship, so that we might find joy for the trouble each day brings. For we ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Patricia Paddey
Patricia Paddey has worked with Canada’s mainstream media in positions at the CBC, CTV and The CNW Group. Since 1998, she has managed a thriving freelance business, creating print, broadcast and online content for Christian media and non-profit organizations. An award-winning writer, she has been published in a wide array of Canadian publications. With an undergraduate degree in Radio and Television Arts, she is pursuing an Master of Theological Studies part-time, and works as Director of Communications for Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto.