SERIOUSLY….you don’t want to skip this brainteaser! You WILL be impressed; I promise! 😊 Keep reading….
Pick a number between 1 and 20.
Add 1.
Multiply X2.
Add 4.
Divide by 2.
Subtract your original number.
Your answer is 3!!
It is not magic; it is in the formula. It is in the precision of numbers.
In some respect, numbers make society manageable. Your hospital record, your bank account, your sports jersey, television channels, and the list goes on….everything even if named is also associated with a number.
Numbers can judge the quantity of something:
o The King James Version of the Bible has 789, 712 words.
o The New International Version of the Bible has 707, 810 words.
o You can buy 1 dozen eggs at the store, or a purchase a six pack of soda.
o When training kids, you might say, “you have until I count to 3!”
o 24 hours in a day…
o 186 days in a school year...
Numbers can judge the quality of something:
o On a scale of 1 to 10….
o I am your number one fan!
o You scored 100% on your test.
o First love…
o The 2nd runner up…
o The #1 institution for heart care….
Even those with little knowledge of the Bible recount that God displayed his miracle of creation in 7 days. Jesus rose from the dead in 3 days. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
Numbers provide us details that otherwise would be unnoticed. They help us to understand the value we have assigned to something. Sometimes, numbers can help us identify the miraculous.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 NIV
Although King David’s Psalm does not reflect the melancholy of Ecclesiastes where King Solomon (David’s son) refers to life as meaningless, it does provide us with an important reminder. Nothing is forever. That includes our earthly existence.
So, King David inserts this prayer in the middle of his meanderings about life, the sovereignty of God, and how we interact with His mercy. Is he referring to the quantity of our days? Or is he referring to the quality of our days? I suggest that he is referring to neither.
"Help us to remember that our days are numbered, and help us to interpret our lives correctly. Set your wisdom deeply in our hearts so that we may accept your correction." Psalm 90:12 TPT
I suggest that King David is reminding us that it is neither the quantity or the quality of our days that warrant our attention. Have you ever heard that time heals all pain? I disagree. It is what we do with time that heals all pain. So, King David asks God to teach him....you....me...us....what to do with our time. That is the numbering of our days that he refers to.
TEACH US
The very word "teach" indicates that there is something to be learned. God, teach us, because we forget what is important when we are left to our own whims. Too often, we react to the immediate instead of responding to the future.
We need God's help to choose the direction of our lives. Often, stress or life's circumstances (the good, the bad, and the ugly) guide our decisions.
So God, teach us, and may we have a heart that is pliable and easily moved by you.
I hear the Lord saying, “I will stay close to you, instructing and guiding you along the pathway for your life. I will advise you along the way and lead you forth with my eyes as your guide. So don’t make it difficult; don’t be stubborn when I take you where you’ve not been before. Don’t make me tug you and pull you along. Just come with me!” Psalm 32:8-9
Teach us to NUMBER OUR DAYS
Again, God is not telling us to count our days. I have been alive for approximately 17,915 days! That might mean that I only have about 20,000 days left to live. Do you see how that could distract me from the God-purpose of my life? The number OF our days has already been established, and worrying will not add or take away from that total. (Matthew 6:27)
You saw who you created me to be before I became me! Before I’d ever seen the light of day, the number of days you planned for me were already recorded in your book. Psalm 139:16 TPT
He is telling us to appoint, to reckon, to allot, to divide out, to weigh properly, or to prepare our days. We are responsible for what we do with the days God gives us on earth. How much of life do we miss simply because we are so busy evaluating the quantity and quality of our days instead of reflecting on the purpose of each day gifted to us? We share stories on Snapchat, post pictures on Instagram, or swap opinions on Facebook. We use the number of likes, the angry faced emojis, or media interactions to evaluate our existence.
Do you think that is what Paul meant when he called us God's workmanship?
I love how it reads in The Passion Translation (TPT)!
“We have become his poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny he has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!" Ephesians 2:10 TPT
As we number our days, it produces action! Action is the fun stuff; it is where the plan for our lives comes together! It is the unfolding of God’s purpose in our lives. And no worries, my friend, if you belong to Jesus in your WALK and your TALK, then the Lord promises that He “will fulfill His purpose for you! “ And....if you do not belong to Him in your walk and your talk, then I encourage you to take care of that right now. Don't let another day go without it being numbered!
Take a minute and respond to the Holy Spirit.
Lord, you are my secure shelter. Don’t ever let me down! Let your justice be my breakthrough.
Bend low to my whispered cry and save me from all my enemies!
You’re the only place of protection for me. I keep coming back to hide myself in you,
for you are like a mountain-cliff fortress where I’m kept safe.
For you are my only hope, Lord! I’ve hung on to you, trusting in you all my life.
It was you who supported me from the day I was born, loving me, helping me through my life’s journey. You’ve made me into a miracle; no wonder I trust you and praise you forever!
Many marvel at my success, but I know it is all because of you, my mighty protector!
I’m overflowing with your praise for all you’ve done, and your splendor thrills me all day long.
Now that I’m old, don’t set me aside. Don’t let go of me when my strength is spent.
O God, stay close to me! Don’t just watch from a distance! Hurry to help me, my God!
No matter what, I’ll trust in you to help me. Nothing will stop me from praising you to magnify your glory! I couldn’t begin to count the times you’ve been there for me.
With the skill of a poet I’ll never run out of things to say of how you faithfully kept me from danger.
I will come forth in your mighty strength, O my Lord God. I’ll tell everyone that you alone are the perfect one. From my childhood you’ve been my teacher, and I’m still telling everyone of your miracle-wonders!
Teach me God to number my days.
Amen.
Psalm 71 TPT excerpts
As always, let me know how I can pray for you or with you. I am so encouraged when I receive responses from my readers! God uses those notes to propel me forward into His purpose for my own numbered days. Always Living to Love Him, Angie
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