Do you remember when you were young how safe you felt at home? Maybe not everyone had that feeling. Maybe your safe place, your refuge, was at your grandmother's house or at your best friend's home. Wherever your refuge was, when you were there, you could breathe easier. You felt loved. You knew that the people in that home were there for you. They would protect you and keep you safe. What a great feeling it was.
God is our Dwelling Place - Our Refuge
As adults we want to feel that also, but sometimes our parents or grandparents are no longer with us, our friends have moved away and we feel such a loss. It seems we have no place to go, no place to run to, where we can feel at ease. Psalm 90:1 says that God is our dwelling place. The word dwelling can also be translated refuge. In this Psalm, Moses is talking about the Israelites, but it applies the same to us today. Moses goes on saying that God is our dwelling place throughout all generations. Our home is with Him. And this is not just now at this present moment but always!
Pour Out Your Hearts
In Psalm 46:1, again, we read:
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."
Just as we could run to our parents for comfort and help so too, we can run to our God. His help will be ever-present. As much as our parents love us, they can't promise that. Only God will always be with us, strengthening us for the difficulties of life. In Psalm 62:8 David tells us to "pour out our hearts to Him". Yes, God knows everything about us, but His desire is for us to want to communicate our deepest needs directly to Him in prayer.
Refuge in Lies
Many times in our lives we are tempted to find our refuge in things of the world. We look to other people, or money, or power, or drink, or drugs; desperately we look for help in places where there truly is none. In Isaiah 28:15 the Lord says the Israelites had taken refuge in lies and falsehoods. Putting your trust in anything other than God is useless. These things aren't true.
He Has Overcome the World
God may ask us to do dangerous things or we may find ourselves in frightening circumstances - facing cancer, witnessing to people who hate us, living through a pandemic - but God is always there, always our refuge, always faithful. In John 16:33 Jesus says that in this world we may have trouble but He says even in those times we can be sure of His peace. Why? Because He tells us He has overcome the world.
Just Judgment
As Psalm 90 continues, Moses talks of the just judgment of God on a sinful man. Yes, God sees our sin, even the ones we keep hidden from everyone. His judgment on our sin can be a terrible thing. The Israelites were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years for their sin and all of the ones from that original generation died (except Joshua and Caleb) without seeing the Promised Land. In verse 9 Moses says, "We finish our years like a sigh." It was a hard life for them, but it didn't have to be.
Numbering Our Days
So, since we know that God punishes sin, what does Moses say we should do? Moses asks God to teach us to number our days so that we can gain a wise heart. What does he mean by "teach us to number our days"? He simply means that he wants God to show people that their life is short and that each and every day matters. We shouldn't squander the time we have on this earth. We shouldn't waste it in sin and disobedience.
All the Time in the World
Young people often think they have all the time in the world. They imagine they will do certain things for God later, when they have time, but that is the point, there may not be time. When we cast God aside in our youth, we may grow to be old and full of regrets. Moses says that this wisdom he desires is in his heart, not just his head. And notice that Moses says it must be taught. It isn't something that we are born automatically knowing.
Mercy of God
In verses 13-17, Moses prays for the mercy of God. In verse 14, Moses acknowledges that nothing can satisfy our soul completely but the mercy of God. Finally Moses prays that God would "establish the work of our hands for us". Meaning that although life is short, it is worth living when we are allowed to be used by God for His purposes.
Now is the Time
So since we know our days are fleeting, like Ecclesiastes 3:20 tells us, "All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return." we should remember the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:2,
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
And from Isaiah 55:6,
"Seek the Lord while He may be found."
God, our refuge, stands with outstretched arms, waiting for us to find the true reason for living in Him.
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