Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days,
    that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

The first two lines of verse 10 are famous, referring to 70 or 80 years as a normal lifespan, but the point of it all is in this verse. Indeed, my grandmother Garrott died at 80, essentially because she decided that was enough, precisely because of verse 10. However, medicine has advanced to the point that the average lifespan in the US has passed 70, and in Japan, 80, which means there are many people who exceed those ages. Japan has a “Respect for the Aged Day” every September, and this year it was reported that Omura had well over 100 centenarians, out of a population of under 100,000. That said, an equal number of people die under the average age, so the question is always, what are we doing with the years we have? That is the point of this verse, and an awareness of our mortality is indeed an important part of wisdom. Some people don’t keep pets, because, unless you choose a turtle or a parrot, pets will almost certainly die before you do, and parents want to shield their children from such sorrow. That actually is very unkind to the children! Death is very much part of life, and those who don’t understand and accept that are not wise. For the Christian, that is part of the “glorious hope” we have of eternity with Christ, but many Christians don’t act like it, instead dreading death and mourning extravagantly when a loved one dies. That is truly sad! We have an instinctive understanding that death isn’t the final answer. As Solomon noted, God has set eternity in our hearts. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) However, our respective eternities are governed by what we do in this life, starting with whether we acknowledge and submit to our Creator or conversely, rebel against Him. That God would make it possible for us to spend eternity with Him is the absolutely amazing part of the Gospel, but God having provided salvation doesn’t guarantee that we all receive it, because repentance and faith are required. That’s where the wisdom mentioned in this verse comes in. It is the height of foolishness to act like we will live forever, with no accountability, when everyone is mortal and we are all accountable to our Creator. We are indeed to “number our days,” even though we don’t know what the total will be, so that we may fulfill the purposes for which we were created, for our blessing and God’s glory.

Having gotten to 76, right between the numbers mentioned in verse 10, this feels very pertinent to me. I have a close friend who, at 81, seems to have decided that he is old, and so lives a super-cautious life. I don’t want to be foolish, to waste the physical life and health I have been given, but I do want to live life fully, as a good steward before my Lord. I’ve already outlived both my parents by a good margin, so I recognize that every day is an expression of God’s grace toward me. I am reminded that not everything in my body works as it used to, but it’s still pretty useful, and I know that God has prepared things for me to do. (Ephesians 2:10) I am to be generous with what God has poured out on me materially and spiritually, and rejoice to be available to God for however He wants to use me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Help me indeed operate in Your wisdom all the days that You keep me here, so that as many as possible may be drawn to repentance and faith for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!