Teach Us to Number Our Days
VBC Albuquerque · Oct 15, 2023
Based on Psalm 90:12-15, this sermon encourages believers to number their days to gain wisdom. Moses, a great leader, asked God to teach him and the people to count their days in order to understand the brevity of life and God's sovereignty over our existence.
The opening section presents the main theme of the sermon: numbering our days to gain wisdom. Moses, a great and outstanding leader of the people of Israel, asked God to teach him to count his days. If such a leader needed to learn this, then believers today need it even more, especially in the current age when unexpected events can happen at any moment. Counting days differs from counting other things in life because we cannot know how many days remain until death.
The second section develops the first main point: counting days to remember the shortness and limitation of life. Scripture reminds us that before God a thousand years are like a day that has passed, and human life lasts only 70 or 80 years, filled with toil and sorrow. The author uses historical events such as 9/11, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent Hamas attack to demonstrate that the future does not rest in human hands. A parable about a man finding a magic lamp shows that no one can know what the next five or ten years will bring, because our life could end at any moment.
The third section emphasizes the second point: counting days to remember that God alone holds sovereignty over life. Those who do not think of God live with pride and arrogance, treating themselves as masters of their own lives and arranging everything according to their wishes without considering God's will. The author shows that being forgotten is painful in any relationship, and when God's people forget Him it is a form of unfaithfulness. This forgetfulness is more dangerous than outright opposition because it is a subtle attitude with no place for God in daily thoughts or plans.
The fourth section presents the third point: counting days to gain wisdom. Wisdom means understanding that we are only stewards of God's possessions, not owners. Moses' prayer "If the Lord wills and I live" is not a casual phrase but the attitude of a wise person. Our relationship with God is built day by day through Scripture, faith, and recognition of His grace, making it easier to entrust our whole lives to Him.
The fifth section applies the message to real life: God's sovereignty and will are not chains binding us like slaves, but rather bring hope and freedom. God desires that we have abundant and overflowing life, not to destroy us but to redeem us. Believers are encouraged to strengthen their relationship with God each day, building trust so they can commit their entire lives to Him.