Psalm 90
Reflection Written by Jo Oughton
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 to you.
12 So teach us to count our days
that we may gain a wise heart.
The theologian Tom Wright speaks of this Psalm as standing at the threshold of God’s time.
It reminds us that God’s time is different from ours; he exists outside our concept of time.
However, we are reminded of our finite existence. In contrast, we might see our lifespan as a tiny speck. But the psalm goes on to remind us that even this short time when lived through God, is worthy.
As life goes on, the time seems to go faster and faster, as a child I remember waiting for Christmas to come and the days went so slowly.
We know that every day has the same number of hours and a countdown of minutes, yet they can feel different lengths.
In this psalm, we see God sitting outside of time, ‘from everlasting to everlasting you are God’
These days, life seems to rush past each day faster than the next. How will I use these precious hours? With family or friends, on my own in Bible study, or with people worshipping.
I will spend a large chunk of it sleeping, many hours in front of the TV, and sometimes staring blankly into space, trying to catch my thoughts.
This psalm reminds us to take those hours and allow God to make them worthy. Will I still sleep, watch television, or stare off into space? Yes, however I will do those things and knowing that my time is limited, but God’s time is endless, and we will be given the opportunity to live his eternal life.
God’s time is different
He can sit outside of our understanding, as Peter says:
“ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
If we turn to him, we will share in God’s eternal life; these mortal years will pass away.
However the psalmist asks us to count our days so we will gain a wise heart.
Tom `Wright sums this up in a way I never could in his book Finding God in the Psalms
Make us, in other words, to be the people who know how to stand at the threshold of human time and God's time. And there to learn both humility and hope. Our time is not worthless, but any worth it may possess would come from God's goodness, and not our control of our circumstances.