Numbering the Days

Transcript

Hello, my friend… so glad you're with me today. This is By God's Call — day 188, Numbering the Days.

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12.

This psalm was written by Moses, and he doesn't soften the reality. He speaks openly about the brevity of life — that we are like grass that springs up in the morning and by evening is already withered. He speaks of death with an honesty most of us normally avoid. And it is by looking that reality full in the face, without looking away, that this request is born: teach us to number our days.

Notice the word Moses chooses: teach us. He isn't only asking to know the number — he already knows life is short, that's no surprise to anyone. He asks to be taught to count. There is a huge difference between intellectually knowing your days are few and actually learning to live inside that truth. Wisdom doesn't come from information; it comes from a kind of learning that changes how you live each morning.

And look at what Moses says this counting produces: a heart that gains wisdom. This isn't about developing anxiety over time remaining, as if every day were a frightening countdown. It's about a heart that learns to choose well, precisely because it understands time is not infinite. When you know your days are numbered, you stop postponing what actually matters.

And this request gains even more weight when you look at the opening of the psalm. Moses begins by affirming that God is the same, from generation to generation, even before the mountains existed. He places God's eternity right beside the brevity of human life. And it is exactly that contrast that makes the request for wisdom make sense. Standing before an eternal God, our numbered days are not cause for despair — they are cause for attention. For care about what we do with them.

Because, at the end of the day, facing numbered days, the right question is never "what more can I accumulate?" The right question is: what actually matters to do with the time I have? Who do I need to forgive while there is still time? What word do I need to say to someone I love? What habit do I need to change, because it is stealing days I will never get back?

So today, my friend, before you go to sleep, I want you to ask yourself out loud, alone, honestly: "If this were one of my last days, what would I have done differently today?" You don't need to answer it perfectly. You just need to answer it honestly. And tomorrow, adjust one thing — just one — based on what that answer showed you.

Stay close to God. Pray — then act. I'll see you tomorrow, my friend.