A Prayer of Hope for Life
This is an audio recording of A Prayer of Hope for Life the Day 17 entry in Today for Seafarers (Vol. 1) devotional by Jason Zuidema.
Listen to the audio by Sheila Margerrison or read the text below:
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.
. . . Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength
endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they
quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.”
For many seafarers—and for the families they leave at home— life is often very difficult. Even though some seafarers think the future will be a great adventure, many others see the problems and tensions in life at sea. How can we have hope for the future? Psalm 90 gives us some ideas.
This song written for God’s people many years ago is not talking simply about the contrast between the shortness of life and the eternity of God. It also forms a prayer in which the psalmist asks God not to forget him in spite of the shortness of this life. This psalm is fundamentally a prayer of hope instead of hopelessness.
In contrast to almighty God, the writer describes the mortality of human beings. The psalmist shows clearly that God is the creator and we are his creatures; he has control of us. And human life passes quickly, like a brief time of sleep.
In the final section, the psalmist turns to God for help—not despite what he said earlier, but because of what he said. The author asks a number of things of the Lord, but the first really characterizes them all. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” This does not simply mean “doing the math” to count up our days. The psalmist asks that we may have the ability to know we are living in the presence of God every day.
For Further Thought
In what ways is God a “dwelling place” or a safe harbor for you?
How do we learn to live in God’s presence every day?
What wisdom are you learning from God for your spiritual life?
Prayer
Lord, help me to set my priorities so that there is room for me to grow nearer to you. Amen.
