Psalm 90 -- The Oldest Psalm

I imagined Moses having a conversation with God, with someone else writing down what was being said, as I read this chapter this morning.  He’d had 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in Midian as a shepherd, and 40 years taking the Israelites through the wilderness.  They weren’t in the Promised Land yet, but Moses says, “Lord, You have been our home since the beginning.”  No matter where they were geographically, they’d always been home.  And I love the quote that says, “Our hearts will not rest until they find rest in Thee.”  You are my home, too, Father.

“You are God.  You have always been, and You will always be.”  God had guided Moses’ parents to protect him in a basket in the Nile.  When Moses failed by killing an Egyptian, God guided him in Midian.  And God had regularly spoken with him in the wilderness.  God is God of the past, the present, and the future.

He knew that God is all-knowing:  “You have put the evil we have done right in front of You; You clearly see our secret sins.”  We can’t hide anything from Him.

“Your anger is as great as our fear of You should be.  Teach us how short our lives really are so that we may be wise.”  If we think we know it all – if we dare to say, “I’ve got this!” – then we don’t know how short our lives really are.

Moses also asked specifically for several things:  For God to show kindness to him, to fill us with His love every morning, to give us as much joy as He’d given us sorrow, to show us the wonderful things He does, to show His greatness to our children, to treat us well, and to give us success in what we do.  How much better it is to pray that than to simply pray, “God, be with us.”  After all, He already is with us.

Father, my commentary spoke of Your compensations – making up for the hard times, whether in this life or the next.  I guess that fulfills our sense of fairness or justice, but just getting to see Your face will make this old life totally worth it!  Thank You for loving me!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford