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Hear the devotional read here: https://bit.ly/35lKwxV
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You turn us back to dust, and say, "Turn back, you mortals." 4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night. 5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning; 6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers. 7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed. 8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance. 9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh. 10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. 11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. 12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. 13 Turn, O Lord! How long? Have compassion on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil. 16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands— O prosper the work of our hands! (Psalm 90 NRSV)
Happy Thursday to you, dear Friend! I received word that Mr. Larry Ehrig's surgery went well, and on Friday undergoes another. Please keep Larry and Norma in your prayers.
When Dean Joseph D. Quillian, Jr., retired as dean of Perkins School of Theology, of Southern Methodist University (SMU), the first thing he said he was going to do, was throw away his wristwatch. At that time, I was still in preparation for my calling and I thought about what the Dean was saying with that statement. I can now relate to the captivity he must have felt during his busiest days as Dean of one of Methodism's leading seminaries and one which was very much a part of the university's overall mission and ministry. He had a boss, the President of SMU, and he served on his cabinet. And he retired just as personal computers were the glint in the eyes of those who came to champion information and communications in one device. There were no cell phones, and this was just about the height of the CB radio craze. I know that the dean was chained to paper letters (snail mail), phone calls, meetings, and traveling to speaking and fundraising events all over the country. And all coordinated by that small time keeping piece with a big hand a little hand that revolved around 12 numbers.
The way you and I keep time is so different from the way God views time. We have finite minds that say everything has a start and an end. Infinity seems an alien concept for many. We think of places and the number of people who can fit inside them; to think of God's realm, a heaven with room for God and all who serve Him seems to be beyond our real comprehension. Even the biblical writer set a limit on those who could fit in heaven at 144,000, and those seats are already called as theirs by the Jehovah's Witnesses; all others will have to find room inside of the new earth. If you divide that number by 12 you can see it is a representative number of Israel. And the longer this explanation gets, the farther we get from understanding the truth behind this psalm; God is God, and we are not, nor will we ever be. To me, this is just the beginning of trying to understand and appreciate the awesomeness of God. God is our Creator, and in Him we find our hiding place, meaning that we find our meaning and purpose for life.
We also see God as a God of mercy and love. While God does have a wrath, it is reserved for those who totally reject Him; the rest of us have received forgiveness of our iniquities and sins. And this is what the psalmist is celebrating. He is also instructing us on how to make the most of each day. We tend to be captives to calendars, but some of us still do a pretty good job of missing doctor's appointments, or arriving too soon for events. If you can't see me, I'm holding up my hand as among chief of those who with a digital watch, cell phone, email, a digital calendar on all my devices and I still mark the wrong day for seeing my doctor and getting needed blood work almost a month early. Yet, God still loves me and while He may laugh at some of my failings, I can read this psalm as a guide to better living each day.
Here's what I read in this passage; new every day are the opportunities to fulfill God's call upon our lives. All of our yesterday's ended at midnight; God has swept them out and has given us a clean slate on which to write our joint stories with God. We pray God's favor upon us and the work that we do, and blessed by God we can accomplish all that is before us. May I suggest that we read this psalm again later today, and again first thing tomorrow? Let the words be your words of praise, prayer, and purpose.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, anoint us with Your peace, and may these words of the psalmist be our words that guide us to a deeper understanding of You and Your world. May we be tied to You and not to our watches, phones, computers, calendars, schedules. Give us the peace that comes with Your pace, so that we truly enjoy each day as a gift and blessing from You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Bless someone who's tied to a busy schedule in a way that God will show you!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio
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