Today I broke a personal record. I woke up alive for the 24,122nd consecutive
day. I know that one day the streak will
be broken but for now I am trying to push the consecutive days of being alive
for a new record each morning. It may
not be a world record but it is an important accomplishment for me. I know that others have set greater records
for consecutive days waking up alive. My
grandmother’s record was over 36,000.
That is a family record also as far as I can ascertain. Of course the all-time record was 353,685. That is probably a record that will not be broken. You may remember the name of the record
holder, Methuselah, the Old Testament patriarch whose life span as recorded in
Genesis (5:27) was 969 years. However
there are no great achievements listed from this long life. In fact, if you do the math, you will see
that he died in the year of the great flood.
More than likely he drowned along with the rest of those who lived ‘according
to their desires with their hearts set on evil’ unlike his grandson Noah; who was
a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked
faithfully with God. Noah did not live as long as his grandfather (346,750
days) but he accomplished much more as he is credited with the continued
existence of life on this planet.
Compare that with Jesus who lived less than 13,000 consecutive days
alive on this planet but He managed to be the greatest teacher, healer, miracle
worker and provided eternal salvation for whoever believes in Him. So it seems that the length of life is not as
important as what one does with each day of life on this planet.
But it is important to number our days. We learn this from a man who accomplished a
great deal in his 43,800 days; if you count freeing the Hebrew slaves from
Egypt, leading them for 40 years to the promised land, climbing a mountain to
speak directly with God, coming down the mountain with God’s commandments
carved in stone and in addition to all that Moses wrote a Psalm saying, “Teach
us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”(Psalm 90:12) What does it mean to number our days? And how
will numbering our days bring us wisdom?
Learning to number
our days means recognizing the unnumbered days of God. Moses
begins the Psalm acknowledging that God is the Creator; we are created. God is
eternal; our lives are passing. God’s days are without end; but our days are
numbered! This immediately puts us in
position to be wise because it teaches us the true source of wisdom. There is a being far greater than us, far
greater than any other human, and certainly greater than any other idea or
philosophy in all of creation. Therefore, this eternal being must be the source
of all wisdom. So a heart of wisdom
comes from seeking Him more than anything or anyone else on earth…that also
have numbered days.
Learning to number
our days means remembering that our lives are fleeting. Verses 3-6 tell us that, “Our
lives are like dust, like a watch in the night, like a sweeping flood, and like
a passing dream. Our lives are like the grass, renewed in the morning, and
withered by night.” OK I get the
point! Life is fragile and it goes by
quickly. Grasping this truth is a giant
step in gaining a heart of wisdom. No
matter the age, life for all of us is fleeting.
Even though today is a record breaking day of 24,123 consecutive days of
being alive, I am continually amazed at how quickly these days have seemed to
pass. I don’t know how many days I have
left but I am at the age where I know there are more in the rearview mirror
than the windshield so I know I don’t need to waste a day. No matter how old or young one may be when we
realize that we need to make the most of each day we begin to develop a heart
of wisdom. I am amazed at how some
people with spend so much time being angry, pouting, holding a grudge or just
waste the day doing something stupid with no eternal significance (like
watching hours of TV). I want to say, “Don’t you realize that each day passes
quickly and you don’t get them back, is this really what you want to do with
your precious fleeting time here?”
Moses follows the importance of realizing how fleeting and
fragile life can be with a reminder that God is not pleased if/when we waste
His precious gift of life (verse 12).
Another writer who was known as having more wisdom than any other man,
Solomon, elaborated on Moses’ point at the conclusion of his book where he
chronicled his search for purpose and meaning in life saying; “Now
all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his
commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every
deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes
12:13-14)
Learning to number
our days and developing a heart of wisdom means we realize that everything we
do matters to God. Even if no
one else sees what we do at a certain moment it matters to God. Every moment we are granted life is not a
moment to waste but a time to receive and share the joy of this fleeting moment
God has given us. So if my streak of
waking alive for ends at 24,122 consecutive days or if I go for my
grandmother’s record of over 36,000, a heart of wisdom teaches me that whatever
I do with the next consecutive day I wake alive or that last day of my life, I
need to live each day seeking to follow the prayer of Moses at the conclusion of
his Psalm where he asks that God will grant His blessing and approval on what we
do with our life. Number your days, seek
a heart of wisdom and make each day a record breaker!
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our
hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
