Teach Us to Number Our Days (Psalm 90)

Psalm 90 is a prayer that holds together two truths we often keep apart: God is eternal, and our lives are short. “For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past” (v. 4), yet our days “are soon gone, and we fly away” (v. 10). In Lent, this psalm invites us to face our limits honestly—not to frighten us, but to lead us into wisdom. It names the reality of sin and the weight of time. And yet, it also offers hope—a plea for wisdom, mercy, and the beauty of God’s favor resting on our lives.

The psalm begins with an affirmation: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (v. 1). Before anything else existed, God was. That means we are never alone. Even when life feels uncertain or fleeting, God remains our home.

Moses, the identified author of this psalm, doesn’t shy away from hard truths. He speaks of human frailty: “You turn us back to dust… our years come to an end like a sigh” (vv. 3, 9). He names the consequences of sin and the reality of divine judgment. This is not meant to crush us—it’s meant to awaken us. God’s justice calls us to repentance, and God’s grace invites us to renewal.

One of the most powerful lines comes in verse 12: “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” Lent is a season for this kind of prayer. We ask God to help us live wisely—not just efficiently or successfully, but faithfully. We want our lives to reflect God’s love, even in small and quiet ways.

We do not like to think about how brief life is. We stay busy, distracted, always moving. But Psalm 90 gently calls us to stop and notice: our time is a gift, not a guarantee. When we remember this, our hearts begin to change. We become more careful with our words, more generous with our love, and more attentive to God’s presence.

The psalm ends with a plea for joy and purpose: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and prosper for us the work of our hands” (v. 17). That’s a beautiful prayer for any season, but especially for Lent. We ask God to take our limited lives and make them part of something lasting and good. Our lives may be brief, but they are not meaningless. What we do in love, in faith, and in obedience to Christ matters. God can take even our small acts and give them lasting significance.

Lent is a good time to ask: how am I spending the days I have been given? Where is God calling me to live more wisely, more faithfully, more fully?

Lenten Invitations
During Lent, Psalm 90 calls us to three overlapping movements:
     (1) honest self-examination (consider Wesley’s 22 Questions),
     (2) renewed dependence on God’s love, and
     (3) practical reorientation of our days toward God’s purposes.
We do not face our mortality alone; we face it with the God who is from everlasting to everlasting and whose steadfast love gives meaning to our efforts.

Practical Steps

• Morning reminder: Each day this week read verse 12 aloud: “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.” Let it set a single daily intention—one way you will show love today.
• A brief inventory: Spend ten minutes listing how you spend a typical day. Identify one small shift that would align your time with what you truly value.
• Pray for your work: Before starting your main task each day, offer a short prayer: “Lord, prosper the work of my hands for your mercy and justice.” Let it orient your actions toward service.
• Comfort and act: Reach out to someone facing loss or illness this week with a call, a visit, or practical help. Let God’s steadfast love be present through you.

Questions for reflection and action

1.      If you had to say why you do what you do each day, what would you answer? How does that align with counting your days?

2.     What one habit or worry could you let go of, so you have more time for what matters?

3.     Where do you most need God’s steadfast love to satisfy and steady you right now?

4.    How can the work of your hands—paid or unpaid—be offered as an act of worship this week?

5.     Choose someone this week to share God’s presence with—someone who is lonely, grieving, or in need.

Let us pray...

Everlasting God, you are our dwelling place and our hope. Teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. Turn us away from what is shallow and fleeting, and lead us toward what is lasting and true. Grant us the courage to name what is passing and the wisdom to cling to what endures: mercy, faithfulness, and love. Satisfy us each morning with your steadfast love, and prosper the work of our hands for the good of our neighbors and the glory of your name. In our brief days, make us channels of your grace, and lead us with patience and peace until we rest in you. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.