January 3: Perspective

Scripture
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom… May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”
– Psalm 90:12,17 NIV

Psalm 90 is unique. It is the only psalm written by Moses, and it carries the weight of a man who had seen both the faithfulness of God and the frailty of human life. In this psalm Moses asks the Lord for something we do not naturally possess, perspective. “Teach us to number our days,” he prays, not so that we would live in fear, but so that we might gain a heart of wisdom. Life is a gift, but it is also brief, and Moses wants us to live with that truth in view.

Most of us know, at least intellectually, that our days are limited. Yet the world has a way of keeping us distracted from that reality. Busyness, noise, and endless demands can dull our awareness of how precious each day truly is. Moses understands that when we forget the brevity of life, we tend to waste it. But when we remember it, our priorities begin to shift. We become more attentive to what truly matters and less consumed by what does not.

This awareness does not lead Moses into despair, but into prayer. He asks for God’s favor and for the work of our hands to be established. That request reminds us that it is not wrong to ask God to bless what we do. When our hearts are aligned with Him, asking for His blessing is not selfish, it is faithful stewardship. We are acknowledging that our work, our time, and our energy are ultimately His, and we want them to count.

Moses’ prayer invites us to live wisely and intentionally and invest our limited days in things that carry eternal value. As A.W. Tozer once wrote, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”¹ When God establishes the work of our hands, it is not merely for personal success, but so that our lives might bless others. As we number our days, we are not meant to live smaller lives, but fuller ones, shaped by wisdom, marked by gratitude, and spent on what truly lasts.

Reflection
1. What distractions most often keep you from remembering how precious and limited your days truly are?

2. How might your priorities change if you lived with a deeper awareness of the brevity of life?

3. Where are you currently asking God to establish the work of your hands so that it would have lasting impact?

Prayer
Ask God to teach you to number your days and to give you a heart of wisdom. Invite Him to help you see your time as a gift and to guide you toward what truly matters. Pray for His favor over the work of your hands, that your life would be spent in ways that honor Him and bless others.

Footnote
¹ A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1948), Chapter 10.