Psalm 90
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
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!
Sermon quotes and references
God alone is self-existent. He is the only One who can say, “I am who I am.” The grand difference between a human being & an eternal being is precisely this: apart from God, I cannot exist. Apart from me, God does exist. God does not need me in order for Him to be, but I most certainly need God in order for me to be. This is the difference! We are dependent. We are fragile. We cannot live without air, without water, without food. No human being has the power of being within himself. Life for us is lived between two hospitals. We need a support system from birth to death to sustain life. We are like flowers that bloom & then wither & then fade. This is how we differ from God. God does not wither. God does not fade. God is not fragile. – RC Sproul, One Holy Passion
Though we are aware of the fleetingness of life with respect to others, we remain unmoved & unimpressed, and in our stupidity think we can the reality of the grave for as long as we will. The minds of those who imagine they are guaranteed a long life are in a state of stupefaction until meditation on the eternity of God rids them of their foolish fancy. Consider, a watch in the night lasted 3-4 hours. Therefore 1000 years to God is comparable to that brief period when a man scarcely knows whether he is awake or asleep. – John Calvin, Commentary on the Psalms