Mindy Lee Hopman

Hope from Generation to Generation  

…He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. Revelation 21:3-4 (NASB)  

Oh, according to Scripture we have so much to look forward to and according to Moses so much to remember, submit, and commit to right now. 

Psalm 90

Last week I began the series of the Summer in the Psalms with Psalm 1 which commentators believe to be the most recently written psalm. Today we are traveling back to what is believed to be the oldest Psalm, Psalm 90, which was probably written at approximately 1489 B.C by Moses after the Exodus while he was leading the tribes in the desert. Let us talk about Moses, for just a moment. Moses was one of 40 authors of the Bible. 

Moses was peculiarly a man of God and God’s man; chosen of God, inspired of God, honored of God, and faithful to God in all his house, he well deserved the name which is here given him. -Charles Spurgeon

Moses wrote the first five books known as the Torah or the Pentateuch and Psalm 90 and is referred to many times throughout the Bible into the last book of Revelation. 

Psalm 90 (NASB) 
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
You turn man back into dust
And say, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it passes by,
Or as a watch in the night.
You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep;
In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.
In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew;
Toward evening it fades and withers away.
For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath, we have been dismayed.
You have placed our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence.
For all our days have declined in Your fury;
We have finished our years like a sigh.
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow;
For soon it is gone and we fly away.
Who understands the power of Your anger
And Your fury, according to the fear that is due You?
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom
Do return, O LORD; how long will it be?
And be sorry for Your servants.
O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness
That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have seen evil.
Let Your work appear to Your servants
And Your majesty to their children
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

Number My Days 

Moses wrote Psalm 90 while He was in the wilderness! Line one says, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.” Those who dwell or live in God understand our physical locations are temporary when compared to our eternal destination. When we believe, we are always home because He dwells in us and we dwell with Him. He is the Creator of all things created and His presence is from everlasting to everlasting.

The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you… Deuteronomy 33:27a

You were created in love to love and His love is everlasting. 

Moses contrasts the frailty of Man who is created out of dust and who will return to dust with God’s eternal, everlasting being. The passing of 1,000 years is like the passing of one night to Him. He compares humans to the grass that withers.  

All sin is visible to God and able to incur His wrath. Verse 12 displays the humble heart of Moses, to which I adore, “So teach us to number our days,” May we use the precious time allotted to us wisely, “That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Moses asks God to draw him near so he may hear from Him and obtain a heart of wisdom. Wisdom comes from God. We cannot obtain wisdom unless we spend time with God. We cannot spend time with God unless we eliminate distractions. Eliminate distractions. Lord, teach us to number our days. 

Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once. -Tony Evans

Deep soul satisfaction arises when we dwell in Him. Moses understands this and asks God in verse 14 to “satisfy us in the morning with your lovingkindness,” so “that we may sing for joy and be glad all of our days.” Moses pleads with God for the years of adversity they had faced to be matched with years of rejoicing! 

Moses declares that God’s people should lead meaningful lives that discern God’s work. While we can do many things, we want to make sure the work we are doing is what God has created us to do. 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ (‭NLT‬‬)

I don’t want to waste any time! I want to walk in God’s will for my life and follow His majestic plan. As God’s majesty has appeared to him, Moses pleads for God’s majesty to appear to their children. This is the plea of every parent who loves God. Every parent who knows God, desires for his or her children to see God’s majesty

A Heart of Wisdom 

Moses desires to obtain a heart of wisdom.
From Psalm 90, this is what we know:

1. Remember: Moses reminds God’s people, God is the Creator of all things created from everlasting to everlasting. You are planned for, loved, and adored by the Father who sees all, knows all, and is always present with you and for you. 
2. Submit to obtaining as much wisdom as you can by making the most of each day. Wisdom comes from spending time in His presence: reading, praying, worshiping, serving, loving, being. What distractions do you need to eliminate today? 
3. Commit to using the gifts and talents He has given to you to bring Him honor and glory. 
4. Stand in awe of His majesty. Bask in His Light and find His favor. 

Oh, Moses knew, from generation to generation, we have so much to walk in with confidence today and to look forward to tomorrow. He was so wise, yet he knew he was a mere human. Everything he knew came from God and he wanted to know Him more. The same God who taught Moses in the wilderness teaches us today. His word lets us see His presence and experience His presence from generation to generation! He is our eternal dwelling place, from everlasting to everlasting, and in His presence is fullness of JOY! 

Students, friends, family, teachers, coaches, administrators, you’ve got this today, because He has you. 
These words come from God’s word. 
These words are true. 
These words are enough. 
You are so loved. 
Happy Monday! 

To watch the video version of this devotional, click here!