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Psalm 90:7-12  
We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures, yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

In today’s passage, Moses calls for a time of reflection. Our lives, Moses says, “quickly pass, and we fly away.” He calls us to consider the brevity of our time on earth. The brevity of life is humbling. C. H. Spurgeon wrote that as people “look into the grave which is soon to be their bed, their passions cool in the presence of mortality….”

This solemn reflection about our days on earth allows us to “gain a heart of wisdom.” Foolish living focuses only on today and seeks to satisfy immediate desires with instant pleasures. An understanding that our days are ordained by God with no guarantee of tomorrow, leads us to invest in things that have eternal value…things that will outlive us.

Wise living comes from the wise investment of our time, gifts, and possessions. One day we will leave all these things behind, but if we use them wisely now our investments will continue to pay off. It’s not about leaving an inheritance; it’s all about leaving a legacy. 

Father, I pray with Moses, please teach me to number my days aright. In Jesus’ name. Amen.