Scripture Reading: Psalm 90
Psalm 90 is identified in its title as "A Prayer of Moses, the Man of God." Therefore, we know from the title that it was written by Moses. Some historians suggest that Moses may not have been the actual author, but that early scholars attributed it to him. We do not know the complete history behind it, but the title presents it as a prayer of Moses.
This was likely written during the closing years of Moses' life, when he was about 120 years old and nearing the end of the ministry God had given him. He had been called to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness. By this time, they had reached the Jordan River, looking across into the Promised Land. However, God told Moses that although he could see the land from where he stood, he would not be permitted to enter it.
I do not want to go deeply into that particular subject today, because that is not my main topic. Nevertheless, God told Moses, "Even though you heard My call, answered My call, and faithfully led these people through the difficult liberation from Egypt, and even though you endured forty long years of hardship in the wilderness—traveling through the desert, facing countless challenges, pitching tents year after year—you will not enter the Promised Land. The next generation will."
That must have been heartbreaking. After everything Moses had endured, after all the struggles, the opposition, and the sacrifices, the dream of entering the Promised Land was not granted to him.
Many scholars believe that Moses was reflecting on his life during this time. In Numbers 20, we read that his brother Aaron died, and shortly afterward, his sister Miriam also died. These were the two people who had faithfully stood beside him. Aaron served as the high priest while Moses carried the burden of leadership. Together, they had led God's people through extraordinary circumstances. Suddenly, Moses found himself alone. Aaron, his right-hand man and spiritual partner, was gone. Miriam, who had supported him throughout his life, was also gone. Moses was probably lonely and perhaps even depressed when he wrote this prayer.
Yet instead of complaining, Moses turned his heart toward God.
This prayer is not a prayer of bitterness. It is a prayer filled with grace and praise for the Creator. Moses did not see his own life as the center of everything. Instead, he recognized that his life was only one small piece of God's much greater plan.
When we look at our own lives, we often think everything revolves around us. We want everything to happen according to our plans, our desires, and our expectations. We become consumed with ourselves—our problems, our family, our children, and our concerns.
But Moses saw something much greater.
He declared, "Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."
When Moses found himself lonely and disappointed, his thoughts turned to the greatness of God. He acknowledged, "Lord, even though I struggle with loneliness and helplessness, You are the eternal God. You have been the dwelling place, not just for my generation, but for every generation. Even before the mountains were created, You existed."
God is greater than ourselves, greater than our problems, and greater than anything we can imagine.
Moses then reflects on the brevity of human life. He says that a thousand years in God's sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. God is not limited by time because He created time itself. Human beings are bound by time and space, but God is eternal. He is the Alpha and the Omega. There is no measuring God because He is beyond our understanding. He is the Almighty, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent—always present, all-knowing, and all-powerful.
That is what Moses teaches us. We should not imagine that our own problems are the greatest in the world. Yes, we all have struggles. We have sicknesses, weaknesses, and pain. But there are countless people throughout the world who suffer far more than we do.
Look at the people of Venezuela today. Are we better than they are? I do not think so.It is only because of God's grace that we are preserved. It is not because of who we are, but because of who He is.
Moses praised God even though he carried a disappointed heart. He believed that God's will was better than his own desires. That is something we must also learn. God is good. He desires what is best for us, and He knows what is better for our lives than we ourselves do.
Moses reminds us that our days may reach seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures. Then comes one of the most familiar verses in the Psalm: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
I have mentioned before what it means to number our days. Think about it. If someone expected to live another ten years, that would be only 3,650 days. Suddenly life seems much shorter than we imagine. We really do not know how many days remain. Senator Graham, for example, appeared healthy and was only seventy-one years old. Yet none of us knows when our time will come. Life passes like the wind. It appears and then it is gone.
That is why Moses prayed, "Teach us to number our days." Wisdom comes when we recognize that our remaining days are limited and precious. As I reflected on Moses' situation, I realized he was asking the great philosophical questions that humanity has asked throughout history:
Who am I?, Where did I come from?, Where am I now?, Where am I going?
These are worthwhile questions for every person to consider. Moses knew who he was.
When he was born, Pharaoh had ordered that every Hebrew baby boy be thrown into the Nile River. Yet God preserved Moses. His mother placed him in a small basket, and Pharaoh's daughter discovered him. For forty years he lived in the palace of Egypt. Imagine that—a Hebrew child growing up as the son of Pharaoh.
That was God's providence.
After forty years, Moses saw the suffering of his own people and realized that Egypt was not truly his home. He left the palace and eventually became a shepherd, tending sheep in the wilderness for another forty years.
Compared with palace life, shepherding was difficult and lonely. Yet God was preparing him. In the palace he learned leadership. In the wilderness he learned humility.
Then one day, God spoke through the burning bush. "I have heard the cries of My people. I want you to lead them." Moses immediately began offering excuses. "Lord, I am not the right person. I cannot speak well. I stutter. I become nervous in front of people. How can I go before Pharaoh?"
God already knew all of that. "I know you," God essentially told him. "I know you stutter. I know you are shy. But I am calling you." God is not looking for the most gifted people. He is looking for people who will accept His call and faithfully carry out the work He gives them.
That is the kind of person Moses became. God assured Moses that Aaron would speak on his behalf. Aaron became his spokesman because he was gifted in that area. Moses depended on him throughout much of his ministry, which is one reason Aaron's death affected him so deeply.
By the end of his life, when Aaron and Miriam were gone, Moses discovered that God Himself was his ultimate refuge and dwelling place.
That is one of the greatest lessons of Psalm 90. Our ultimate home is not in this world. Everything here is temporary. Whatever wealth, fame, possessions, or accomplishments we gather here will one day be left behind. Even our loved ones can only accompany us as far as the grave. Sometimes they cannot even do that. Eventually they must leave us, and we leave everything behind.
If we think this world is our permanent home, we have misunderstood life.
Moses understood that his true dwelling place was God Himself.
"Lord, You are my eternal home. Only in Your presence do I truly belong."
Even in our own homes, we sometimes experience loneliness. People leave us. Loved ones die. Relationships change. The longer we live, the more people we miss. In fact, one day we may have more friends in heaven than we have on earth.
Sometimes I visit relatives at weddings or family gatherings, and the younger generation does not even know who I am. I have to introduce myself. If I live much longer, the next generation probably will not know me either. Even if they do, they may not want to talk to me. That is simply part of growing older.
Perhaps that is why we can thank God for the brevity of life. We are not meant to remain here forever.
God asks only one thing of us—to answer His call faithfully.
Whether it is caring for our families, serving our church, blessing our community, or using the gifts He has entrusted to us, God is looking for faithful servants. He is not primarily concerned with our abilities, our eloquence, or our talents. Those things have value, but faithfulness is what God desires most.
Moses regarded this world as temporary. Even though he longed to enter the Promised Land, he ultimately recognized that Canaan itself was not his final destination.
He was looking toward something even greater.
"My true home is eternal. Even if I never enter the earthly Promised Land, I will be with God."
Moses spent forty years in Pharaoh's palace, forty years tending sheep in the wilderness, and forty years leading Israel through the desert. At the end of 120 years, what remained in his heart was gratitude and praise to God.
Let us also be grateful for everything God has given us.
We often think of home as a place of rest and refreshment. Yet the longer we live, the more we realize that even our homes can become places of sorrow and stress. Families separate. Loved ones die. Children move away. Our lives become filled with things we miss.
The longer we live, the more missing pieces we carry.
If we become trapped in those missing pieces, constantly looking backward, we will never find lasting joy.
Instead, we must lift our eyes toward the eternal home God is preparing for us.
Jesus said, "I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with Me."
That is our greatest hope. Our focus should not remain on temporary things but on our eternal home. The Bible tells us, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Even our bodies will one day perish, but our souls will be with God forever.
Paul expresses this hope in 2 Corinthians: "We know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands."
That is why Moses could face death without fear. That is why we, too, can face death without fear.
Our eternal home awaits us. One day all of God's people will gather there together, praising Him forever.
Isn't that the greatest hope we can hold on to?
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