Psalm 90: Steward Time

​Key verse
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!
 
Meditation
Worship of God includes stewarding time for the glory of God. Every moment matters in service to King Jesus. Rather than scrolling or carried away in currents of streaming content, Jesus’ finished work awakens us to seek His work in every moment of time.
 
In 1 Corinthians 15:58, Paul encourages the Church to “know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” God’s sovereign grace transforms the frustration of work into fruitfulness for His glory.
 
God’s covenant name, “the Lord” (vv. 1, 17), frames today’s reading. Moses worships the Lord for His eternal, sovereign rule over history and time (vv. 1-2) and acknowledges finite humanity can lose time like sand in a hour glass or dust in the wind (vv. 3-4). God’s judgement is real, and the consequences of our sin and waste of time will be inescapable (vv. 5-10). Petition for God to renew life by establishing the work of our hands (vv. 13-17) is fear of the Lord gaining wisdom by learning to number our days (vv. 11-12).
 
Wisdom compels believers to see time as something to steward (v. 12), giving urgency to daily life and compelling us to drench our days in God’s steadfast love (v. 14). Gratitude grows from this satisfaction (v. 15) and God’s work is pushed to the front as the focus and fruit of our labor (v. 16). Stewardship of time is why Jonathan Edwards had 13 resolutions on how he wanted to redeem time and why we pray, “Lord, establish the work of our hands!”
 
Let us worship the Lord by faithfully stewarding the time He has entrusted to us.
 
Today’s Reading
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You return man to dust
    and say, “Return, O children of man!”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night.
 
5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
    like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
    in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
    by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
    we bring our years to an end like a sigh.

10 The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
    and your wrath according to the fear of you?
12 So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
    Have pity on your servants!

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the idea of stewarding time?
 
-Where do you struggle in stewarding time for the glory of God?
 
-Jesus entered time to redeem those of us who struggle to steward time for His glory. How can you repent and return to God’s steadfast love to steward time for His glory? Be specific in what you need to both stop and start.
 
Key verse
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!