For our devotion this week I had the following passages to select from: Psalm 87, Psalm 90, or John 2:13-25 (Newsletter, Daily Bible Readings Section, August 9) Psalm 87 was another dark one. The passage from John is the story of Jesus cleansing the temple. Not a bad choice. But don’t you want to take a deeper dive in the only Psalm attributed to Moses?

This is a Psalm offered as a community petition, one of complaint. The Israelites? Complaining to Moses? Shocker! Their main complaint? God has made them suffer too long. They wanted to know how much longer they would have to suffer. That’s human nature, isn’t it? Wanting to know when our time of trial will end.

Psalm 90 is a community prayer designed to lift the eyes of those suffering from temporary to the eternal. In verse 1 Moses opens up this prayer with a declaration describing how God has been the dwelling place of His people “through all generations.” He adds vivid imagery in vs 2. “Before mountains stood or the earth was formed, or ever you had formed the earth and the world.

It’s something that our human minds struggle to comprehend. God already was. But because this is true, God is not hurried by time, weakened by age, or shaken by change.

In vs 3, Moses presents humans in contrast. Our lives are brief. Our years pass quickly, and even our strongest days are limited. But Psalm 90 isn’t an invitation to despair over this truth; instead, it invites us to wisdom. When we remember that our days are numbered, we begin to value them differently. We become more aware of what matters, more willing to forgive, quicker to obey, and more intentional with the work God has placed in our hands.

“Teach us to number our days that we may gain a wise heart.” Verse 12 is not a request for fear; it’s a directive towards perspective. This prayer asks God to train our hearts to live with eternity in view. Wisdom grows when we see each day as a gift, not a guarantee. Every conversation, every responsibility, every act of kindness, and every moment of worship becomes an opportunity to honor the Lord.

The psalm ends with a beautiful request: “O prosper the work of our hands.” Moses knew that life is short, but he also knew that God can give lasting purpose to ordinary obedience. Our days may be limited, but when they are surrendered to God, they are never wasted.