Sermon draft: Teach Us to Number Our Days
Main passage: Psalm 90:1–12
Big idea: Because God is our eternal dwelling place and our days are brief before him, we should ask him for wisdom and live them in the hope of his mercy.
Introduction
As one year ends and another begins, we find ourselves at a threshold. Behind us are days we remember clearly, days that passed in a blur, and perhaps days we wish we could relive or change. Ahead of us is a year we cannot see. We may have plans, hopes, and worries, but none of us knows all that the coming year will hold.
Psalm 90 is a fitting prayer for this moment. Its heading connects it with Moses, the man of God. Moses knew something about long years and uncertain journeys. He had seen generations come and go. He had led God’s people through a wilderness where their lives depended not on comfort or control, but on the Lord’s presence.
So this psalm does not begin with our calendars or resolutions. It begins with God: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1, ESV). Before we count the days ahead, Moses teaches us to look to the God who holds all our days.
1. God is our home in every generation
Moses prays, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” A dwelling place is more than a building. It is somewhere to belong, somewhere to be sheltered. Israel knew what it was to live in tents and move from place to place. Yet even when they had no permanent home, God himself was their home.
Then Moses looks further back than Israel’s history: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2, ESV). Mountains seem permanent to us. The earth feels solid beneath our feet. But they had a beginning. God did not. He is not one more part of the world, growing older as the world grows older. He is the everlasting Creator.
The calendar changes tonight. The year printed on our documents will change. Children will grow, parents and grandparents will age, and our circumstances may shift in ways we cannot predict. But God will not become less faithful when the year changes. He remains the dwelling place of his people in every generation.
Think of a family traveling through the night. The road changes, the scenery changes, and the travelers may be tired or unsure how much farther they have to go. But if they are safely held in the care of someone trustworthy, they are not without shelter. Our circumstances are not always secure, but the Lord himself is a secure home for those who trust him.
So as we enter a new year, we do not need to pretend we know what lies ahead. We need to know the One who goes with his people. If you are young, the Lord is your dwelling place. If you are raising children, grieving, working, studying, or facing retirement, he is your dwelling place. Our hope is not that everything around us will stay the same. Our hope is that God remains God.
2. Our days are brief, and our lives are accountable to God
The psalm turns from God’s eternity to our human frailty: “You return man to dust and say, ‘Return, O children of man!’” (Psalm 90:3, ESV). The words echo the truth that human beings are creatures. We do not possess endless life in ourselves. Our days come from God, and our lives return to him.
Moses compares God’s time with ours: “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4, ESV). A thousand years may seem almost beyond imagining to us, but they do not stretch God’s perspective. We experience time one day at a time. God is not hurried, surprised, or overwhelmed by it.
For us, though, life passes quickly. Moses says we are like grass: it flourishes in the morning and withers by evening (Psalm 90:5–6). The image is vivid: what looks fresh and strong at the start of the day can be dry by night. That does not mean life is worthless. Grass matters because God made it and gives it life. But it does mean we should not mistake a brief life for an unlimited one.
Our calendars and phones can help us keep track of appointments, but they cannot make the days last longer. A birthday reminds us that a year has passed. A school year ends. Children grow. Friends move. People we love die. These realities can make us sad, and the Bible does not ask us to pretend otherwise. But they also invite us to ask: What are we doing with the life God has given us?
Psalm 90 also tells us that our lives are accountable to God. Moses speaks of God’s anger and judgment: “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence” (Psalm 90:8, ESV). The brevity of life is not the only hard truth in this psalm. We are not merely mortal; we are sinners before a holy God. Even what we hide from other people is open before him.
That is a sobering truth as one year ends. We may remember failures, selfishness, harsh words, neglected duties, or choices we wish we could undo. We may be tempted either to excuse them or to be crushed by them. This psalm does neither. It tells the truth about sin and brings us before God.
And here the good news of the gospel meets us. God does not tell us that sin is harmless. At the cross, Jesus bore the judgment sinners deserve. He died and rose again so that everyone who trusts in him may be forgiven and have life with God. We cannot make ourselves eternal by living well, and we cannot erase our past by turning a calendar page. But by grace, through faith in Christ, we can be reconciled to God.
So number your days honestly. Do not treat life as endless. Do not treat sin as unimportant. And do not imagine that your failures place you beyond the reach of Christ. Bring them into the light, confess them, and trust the Savior who welcomes all who come to him.
3. Ask God for a wise heart
After reflecting on God’s eternity, human frailty, and sin, Moses prays: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, ESV).
To number our days is not simply to count them or become anxious about how few may remain. It is to live with a truthful sense of our limits. We are not God. We do not control the future. Our time is a gift, and we want to use it in a way that honors the Giver.
Wisdom is more than knowing many facts or making a detailed plan. A wise heart learns to live rightly before God. It knows what matters most. It seeks forgiveness rather than hiding sin, loves people rather than merely keeping busy, and obeys God in the ordinary opportunities of today.
Imagine standing at the beginning of a year with a blank calendar. It may soon fill with work, appointments, school, family commitments, church, and rest. Planning can be useful, but a full calendar is not the same as a wise life. The question is not only, “What will I accomplish?” It is also, “Will I trust God? Will I love my neighbor? Will I make room for his Word and prayer? Will I use the days he gives me to serve?”
For children and young people, numbering your days may mean learning to honor God now, not waiting until you are older. For adults, it may mean seeking Christ’s priorities amid responsibilities and pressures. For those who have lived many years, it may mean continuing to pray, encourage, forgive, and bear witness. No age group is too young to follow Jesus or too old to serve him.
And this prayer is not a demand that we become wise by sheer willpower. Moses asks God to teach us. We need the Lord to show us how to live. We need his Word to correct our priorities, his Spirit to strengthen obedience, and his mercy when we fail. A new year does not make us new by itself. God is the one who renews and guides his people.
Conclusion
Tonight, the year turns, but God does not. He has been the dwelling place of his people through every generation, and he will remain faithful in the year ahead. Our days are brief. Our sin is real. Our future is not in our hands. But the Lord invites us to seek wisdom from him and offers forgiveness and life through Jesus Christ.
So let us not enter the new year trusting in our own strength or assuming we have endless time. Let us enter it trusting the eternal God, receiving his mercy, and asking him to teach us how to live each day.
Call to response
If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ, do not put off turning to him. Your life is a gift, and you do not know how many days you have. Confess your sin, believe that Jesus died and rose again for sinners, and come to him for forgiveness and life.
If you already belong to Christ, ask him to show you where you need to repent, whom you need to forgive, whom you can serve, and how you can make his Word and prayer a deeper part of your life. Then take the next faithful step, not because you can control the year, but because your days are held by God.
Let us pray.
Closing prayer
Eternal God, you have been the dwelling place of your people in every generation. Teach us to number our days and give us wise hearts. Forgive our sins through Jesus Christ, and help us trust him with what lies ahead. Guide us to love and serve others faithfully in the days you give us. Keep us in your mercy, and make our lives honor you. In Jesus’ name, amen.