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So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
Psalms 90:12 NASB
We’ve all heard stories of those who receive a heart-breaking terminal diagnosis, and are only given a short time to live. It’s in those moments that they often reflect back to what’s really important in life. Time with family and friends becomes a top priority. There is a scrambling to get “things in order” with a living will, insurance, and funeral arrangements. Those who have gone astray may feel compelled to make things right with people they have wronged.
I had a conversation last week with a friend who has a father that was pretty terrible. Actually, he was nonexistent. This “father” recently received a terminal diagnosis which progressed quicker than expected. He began reaching out to his kids one by one to try and make things right as he knew his time here in this life was coming to a close. My friend initially refused a meeting with his dad, but then decided otherwise.
By the time he made up his mind, his father was not able to speak anymore. My friend called him on the phone and spoke to him while someone held the receiver to his ear. “I don’t hate you, dad. I just want you to know that.” Within the hour, his father died.
The truth of the matter is that we all take advantage of this life we are given. We skew our priorities and selfishly choose to serve ourselves. When death becomes a reality, suddenly, we sober to the truth – we wasted our life. It’s not just that we wasted it on serving ourselves, but we neglected the lives of others in a way that brings outrageous collateral damage. This is the heart of Psalm 90 verse 12.
“Teach us to number our days” is a call to face up to the reality before us. Our days are numbered. Not only that, we don’t know when our time will come! To “present to God a heart of wisdom” is another way of placing our priorities on what really matters in this life – to know Jesus and make Him known.
If we are not pouring our lives out for this truth, we become fools who only leave this earth with regrets about who we should have been or what we should have done. The irony is that those who sober in order to make things right before they die have known all along that they were living selfishly. The revelation that occurs isn’t new information, it just becomes real.
How are you living currently? If God were to call your number tomorrow, what would be the legacy of your life? In Revelation, Jesus boldly challenges those with ears to hear what the Spirit is speaking. Is that you?