If the last two years have emphasized nothing else, they have reminded us that life is fragile and fleeting. We have watched as disease and death have taken those we love, and we have sorrowed and, at times, despaired.

This truth is not a new truth, however. Life on this Earth has always been temporary. We try to hide from the reality of death, but it remains a constant.

Moses knew this. When he wrote Psalm 90, probably the first Psalm written, he spoke of the brevity of life. He did not speak from despair, however, because he also knew that God is everlasting. While this life may pass, God will not.

As I read through this Psalm again recently, I was struck by some truths.

• God IS my dwelling place. He is my home, so my home is everlasting.  (Verse 1)
• God formed the world, and He has always been and always will be. Moses uses the phrase ‘from everlasting to everlasting’. I like that. (Verse 2)
• God is not bound by the parameters of man’s time. I chafe at this because I want things done when I want them done. God sees the big picture, though. He is not stressed by the passing of minutes or days. (Verses 4, 5)
• Our days on this Earth are fleeting. (Verses 6 – 10)
• No sin is hidden from God, no matter how secret I believe it may be. (Verse 8)
• God has appointed a limit to my time on Earth; He has planned my days. (Verse 10)
• Satisfaction, rejoicing, and gladness are rooted in the mercy of God. (Verse 14)
• Even when the trials and troubles of this life surround, I can find gladness in God. (Verse 15)
• God alone can establish or prove the work that I do. He is beautiful, and He makes all things beautiful in His time. (Verse 17; Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Moses’ prayer in verse 12 is a good one for today:

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.”

Life is short. Do what matters.

Psalm 39:4 Lord, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. ⁵Behold, Thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and my age is as nothing before Thee:

Psalm 90:4 For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Photo: Aged Oak, Beth Mims