Encouragement for Today

May 18, 2023 Numbering Our Days With Hope RUTH CHOU SIMONS Lee en español

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (ESV)

Do you ever get bogged down in the everyday mundane? I sure do.

Do you sometimes feel as if the right-now, never-ending emails, to-dos, laundry, homework, conflict resolution, dirty dishes, and carpool lines are always pressing in, always swirling, but never quite getting you anywhere?

Me too.

One of the encouragements I find myself repeating again and again — to myself and the women around me — is not to let the mundane, everyday tasks of life or the busyness of any particular season rob us of rhythms and priorities that help us know and love Jesus more. We always need the reminder to keep our eyes on our eternal hope in Him.

Maybe it’s my age (let’s just say I’m in my mid-late 40s, shall we?), or maybe it’s the season I’m in (preparing to graduate my oldest child from college and see him off to grad school in another state), but Psalm 90 and its implications have resonated in my heart and mind over the last several months.

The psalmist, often presumed to be Moses, asks God to “teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12). Perhaps what’s most encouraging to me in this passage is the use of the word “teach” — because that means it’s normal not to automatically have wisdom for how to live our days purposefully, wisely and rightly motivated. This is something to be learned over time.

Numbering our days means pausing for regular consideration of our days in light of God’s ways — recognizing the finite gift of our lives here on earth and gaining “a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12) as we steward what God has given us. This framework gives us permission to live with both courage and caution, simultaneously constrained and carefree. In the big, life-altering decisions and in the everyday mundane.

The eternal hope of Christ gives purpose to our days. There is a destination we’re headed to — a hope not yet fully realized — and this world is not it.

So numbering our days isn’t about mustering up fervor to “live life to the fullest” or to “carpe diem” our way through life. No, life’s meaning has already been secured by the image of God we carry in us (Genesis 1:27) and the finished work of redemption purchased for us by Jesus (Ephesians 1:7).

What does it mean to number our days, then? It means rejoicing in our eternal hope and allowing it to shape the choices we make — how we spend our time, where we look for encouragement, how we spend money, what entertainment we seek out, and the people we choose to invest in and listen to.

If we consider every day as part of God’s plan to teach us to take our eyes off of our immediate circumstances, we can set our minds on the God who has purposefully placed us in the midst of our current season so that we might live for Him. When we remember that God has numbered our days, we treasure everything that reminds us we already have everything we need in Him.

Father, thank You for the eternal hope we have in Christ. Thank You that it makes a difference for every mundane day. Help us to truly number our days well for Your glory and our good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Want more encouragement from Ruth Chou Simons? Come meet her at She Speaks: A Conference for Christian Communicators, happening from July 13-14, 2023, in Charlotte, NC, and online! Alongside other leading Bible teachers and speakers, Ruth will share a keynote message to help women find, own and use their voices to make an eternal impact. Whether you want to launch a podcast or grow your social media account, write a book or craft a message … you need to know how to take the next step. At She Speaks, we’ve got the tools to help you actually do it. Click here to register now!

No circumstance is too ordinary or too forgotten for God to meet you there. That's why Ruth Chou Simons wrote Beholding and Becoming to invite you on a journey of elevating your gaze to the One who created all things. Get your copy today!

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

1 Peter 1:3b-6, “According to his great mercy, [God] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials …” (ESV).

How does this eternal perspective help you number your days and gain a heart of wisdom? Spend some time in prayer, talking to God about the trials you’re enduring and thanking Him for your living hope. And don’t forget to share with us in the comments!

© 2023 by Ruth Chou Simons. All rights reserved.