Teach us to number our days

It was my birthday yesterday, and even though I am not one to make an elaborate fuss of such a day (more so being married to a man who’s just as apathetic about such, maybe a tad more even), it provided a good opportunity for me to pause for some reflective review.

Looking back, I am deeply grateful for God’s gracious gift of life and sustenance – physical and spiritual, and the additional blessings of family and friends who make it all the more worthwhile. Looking ahead, I am confident, not of a clearly mapped out, foolproof blueprint, but of a Father who is faithful to lead and guide me precisely to the destination he intends for me. Between then and now, he calls me to redeem the time, diligently stewarding my moments and my days.

Bought with a price

God requires good stewardship of our time, and lives really. Indeed, as believers, we are not our own, having been bought with a price of another’s death. The Bible does not live us in the dark as to the implication of that truth, but instead gives us a single, yet all-encompassing life purpose to live for – the glory of God.

We must not fall for the mistaken idea that it’s possible to keep our spiritual lives separate from our secular lives. What genuine faith requires is more than a tangential commitment to Christ, for “unless he is Lord of all, he is not Lord at all”¹. Eating and drinking are by no stretch of the imagination extraordinary activities, I very much doubt that they are the stuff of To-do lists, yet the Bible commands that they be done to the glory of God ( 1 Cor. 10:31), how much more so the more significant endeavours.

Living for the glory of God is not less than what we say and do, but more; it has a lot to do with why and how we do and say the things we do and say. It is very likely that our motivations will fly under the radar of a spectating audience, especially in the sea of carefully curated social media content, but such motivations are uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Numbering our days

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

The goal of numbering our days is not so that we may wallow in shame and regret at opportunities squandered, nor is it that we may revel in past successes and achievements, but it is that we may gain a heart of wisdom. A heart of wisdom is one that is committed to learning and applying the truth. There’s not much use of knowledge gained but not applied. To be sure, there is knowledge that puffs up, but that is not the kind that ought to characterise our lives.

Numbering our days is an invitation to attend to things temporal with eyes fixed on the eternal. It means being present in our callings, seeking to do wholeheartedly what we have been called to do, resisting the temptation to succumb to the many legitimate distractions that line the path of 21^st Century living.

Numbering our days involves looking carefully how we walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil (Eph. 5:15&16).

Life is short, the days are evil, and we have an enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour. Oh that we would fervently cry out with Moses, the man of God – “Teach us to number our days!”

On my part, as the strands of grey hair continue to jostle for undeniable prominence, my prayerful desire is that I will, with wisdom, walk daily in the good works prepared beforehand for me (Eph. 2:10).

Thanks for reading!

Sike Osinuga.

¹ Dr. S.M Zwemer, The Solitary Throne.