~Ami Schmidtke
“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom” – Psalm 90:12
When I begin to contemplate the deeper things of God – His nature, His character, His purposes, even the breadth of His promises – often the first phrase that comes to mind is from Psalm 139: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it” (v6). It is incomprehensible and inaccessible to us in the natural, because our ability to fully understand is limited; God Himself tells us: “…My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” (Isaiah 55:8). Truly, we must rely on the Spirit of God to give us revelation and understanding.
Eternity can be a difficult concept for us to really grasp hold of because it is so vast; the reality though is we serve El ‘Olam – the Everlasting God – who is without beginning and without end.
The author of Psalm 90 puts this into perspective in how he addresses God: “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (v1-2).
He emphasizes this vastness with a comparison, describing 40 generations as akin to a single day in the eyes of our God: “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night” (v4). Our God’s plans and purposes span well beyond our grasp of time, certainly beyond our own lifetimes.
With this in mind, it is key that we take care to cultivate an eternal perspective.
When we are confronted by folks who are hard to love, or circumstances that cause us grief, our response is a marker of what we deem important. Responding in a God honouring way, that can serve to advance the Kingdom, is only possible when we are firmly grounded in what is genuinely important. An eternal perspective allows us to discern what is truly worth our focus; it also allows us to align ourselves with what we know about God’s character and His purposes, even when we don’t fully understand why something has happened.
If we can “number our days,” – weighing them out and recognizing the brevity of our lives in relation to God’s broader purposes – the fruit will be wisdom, enabling us to live with trust and faith, in a way that pleases God.
Master, please give us a greater understanding of what it means to be seated in the heavenlies with Christ; help us to view the people and situations around us with eternity in mind.