“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
As we have entered 2026…just…, I have a question for you to consider. How do you determine what your life is worth? We all do it, size ourselves up that is,…otherwise we wouldn’t get so upset when our opinion or our actions are simply discounted by others. We all measure our worth based on our own standard or the standard of the world. If you are productive enough…if you are funny enough…if you are pretty enough…if you are gifted/talented enough…or even savvy enough. The places we go to assure ourselves of our worth are useless at best and destructive at worse. Solomon said it best, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity… I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” (Eccl. 1:1, 14) This is always true when we are only doing things in our own strength and expecting it will get better.
When we judge life (“number our days”) by any other standard than Gods we are NOT judging/numbering our days aright! So is it any wonder that life is so confusing and so depressing and such a struggle? Trying to make it on our own …which we all do…only leads to misery and more struggle, however, God’s standard of numbering our days aright is how we will get a heart of wisdom…God’s wisdom!
So what is God’s standard that we should measure our days by?
1. God (the Godhead) chose us in Him (in Christ) before the foundations of the earth. (Ephesian1)
2. God (the Godhead) determined before time began to save us and then did so by sending a Savior…a Redeemer…His One and Only Son…who came to reveal the Father’s love to us…His children chosen before the foundations of the earth. (Gen 3:15, Is. 7:14, Matt. 1:21) The text and the rest of Scriptures shows us itself that this was His plan all along.
3. The Word throughout speaks of God’s delight in His own…rejoices over us…how His steadfast love never ceases towards His own.
4. God hears our prayers…He bottles up our tears…He delights in answering prayers …of course in His way and in His time, which is always the best way for those He loves.
5. We are justified and adopted into His family as we respond to His call in time and space through the Spirit’s work on behalf of his Elect from all time, from every tribe and every nation…and with that we have the high privilege to call Him “Abba, Father!” (Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 4:6-7) We are His children…and He loves us unconditionally…if He didn’t we would be in a world of hurt. If His love was based on our actions then it wouldn’t be love at all…and certainly not steadfast.
6. As His children we have been given “house rules” to live by. These “house rules” reveal to us the Father that loves us above everything else. They let us know WHO HE is and what He expects of us as His children. This kind of love does not ever want us to go it alone…and determine things based on our own opinion or the opinions of the world because He knows the consequences that comes with rejecting Him and His Word even for the believer.
7. He sent His Son and the Spirit to intercede on our behalf and guarantees that our fellowship/communion continues in spite of our sin when we repent…Rom. 8:26–27– “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
8. I wanted to keep this to 7 (perfect number and all but…) He is our Immanuel…God with us. Always with us…wherever we are …whatever we are doing…He is there…right there… right here besides me…seeing everything me/we think do and say…NOT because He is trying to judge us (catch us in our sins)…He’s already done that through Christ…but because He loves us and delights in us…(See #1-7 above) and always wants our best…and our best is to depend upon Him…trusting Him…leaning on Him and acknowledging Him. And then asking Him, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
God Bless y’all and again Happy New Year!!!
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
