Daily Dose of the Word of God - Psalm 90: 12

Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor

Transcript

Gregg DeMey  0:09 

Good morning and welcome to Elmhurst CRC's Daily Dose of the Word of God. It's Thursday, January 30, and this is Gregg DeMey, Lead Pastor at the church. God is inviting us to get more of his word into our hearts and lives, to eat his book (the Bible!). Today's reading takes us to one of the books of wisdom and poetry, the book of Psalms - Psalm 90, verse 12.

Gregg DeMey 0:33 

"Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Once again, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Gregg DeMey  0:45 

I interpret this verse in two very significant but different ways. First off, numbering our days means that we need to keep in view that we're not going to live forever. We are wise to live with eternity in mind - eternal values with patience, delayed gratification, being unhurried, waiting on God's perfect timing. Now, the second way I interpreted this verse is a little more difficult: it's to pattern and organize our days right here and now in our lives. I'm going to share four phrases with you that are linked to practices that have helped me pattern my life - I was so bad at this as a younger person.

Gregg DeMey  1:32 

First phrase: silence and solitude. A lengthy moment every day where I am purposefully undistracted by phone, email, technology and even the company of other humans in order to recognize that this very day is the day that the Lord has made. Second phrase: Sabbath. It really helps us number our days. The Bible's way of counting goes like this, 1-2-3-4-5-6-STOP.  Number seven in the Hebrew language is the word Shabbat, or Sabbath, which literally means both stop and the number seven. It's a day that God has given us from the creation of the world for worship, rest and delight. A real Sabbath should be like a snow day - a day where the calendar is clear and you simply enjoy God and his goodness. Third phrase: simplicity. This one is the discipline of having and possibly acquiring less stuff. It's not a normal word for North American simplicity, but teach us to number our days. How many shirts do I need? How many shirts can I fit in a dresser drawer? How many shirts can I hang in a closet? I have truly found that a smaller number is better and keeps me happier and more joyful. Last word: slowing. Can you imagine enjoying the ebb and flow of your life at a more unhurried pace or rate? Most of us are rushing around to drop off kids or get through the checkout line at the Jewel as fast as we can so we can rush to our cars and get to that next thing on time. I frequently feel the pressure to hurry to respond to texts, emails or phone messages, and then I'm struck by how Jesus - when he was ministering and at the height of busyness as Messiah and Savior - always had time to be present with those that he was with. He paused a trip to heal a dying girl because someone touched his robe. He showed up a little late for his friend, Lazarus, and it turns out, it all worked out for the good with God's perfect timing. Always having room and time to accommodate what is truly needful. Can we trust God enough not to hard push our agenda today, but to trust that Jesus will really show up?

Gregg DeMey 4:06  

Teach us Lord to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. For Jesus sake, Amen.