Vita brevis!
“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” (Ps 90:12 NLT)
This is from Psalm 90 which many translations describe as ‘a prayer of Moses, man of God‘. Here we read that Moses, this man of God, did not live life with an ‘oh well, I have all eternity’ attitude to things; his attitude to life said, ‘I have such a brief time, so I want to make the most of it – to burn bright not burn out’.
Another translation of this verse goes like this:
“Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!” (Ps 90:12 MSG)
This reminds me of a short film I saw recently which was themed on the last sermon preached by Kyle Lake, the late pastor of UBC. His last words implored us, like Moses, to ‘… live, and live well.’
Unlike Kyle Lake, Moses was not a young man when he prayed this. In his prime he was well educated and strong, but rather than place him in a position of influence God took him off to work a hard solitary existence for 40 years herding sheep. It was this more than his education that shaped him ready for God’s calling. Moses was in his eighties that God called him to shape the history of a nation and sculpt the foundation of our faith. You see this prayer was uttered by a man who could see that he was nearing the end of his days, but his focus was not on the legacy he was leaving, thinking ‘I did my best, what’s been done can’t be undone’. Instead he was consumed with this desire: ‘In what life I have left I want to live well!’
No matter how you find yourself today – in your prime or last days, fit and healthy or laid up on a sick bed, bottom of the pile or top of the tree – let Moses’ prayer be the desire of your heart; Lord, I want to live, and live well [for you]!
This is from Psalm 90 which many translations describe as ‘a prayer of Moses, man of God‘. Here we read that Moses, this man of God, did not live life with an ‘oh well, I have all eternity’ attitude to things; his attitude to life said, ‘I have such a brief time, so I want to make the most of it – to burn bright not burn out’.
Another translation of this verse goes like this:
“Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!” (Ps 90:12 MSG)
This reminds me of a short film I saw recently which was themed on the last sermon preached by Kyle Lake, the late pastor of UBC. His last words implored us, like Moses, to ‘… live, and live well.’
Unlike Kyle Lake, Moses was not a young man when he prayed this. In his prime he was well educated and strong, but rather than place him in a position of influence God took him off to work a hard solitary existence for 40 years herding sheep. It was this more than his education that shaped him ready for God’s calling. Moses was in his eighties that God called him to shape the history of a nation and sculpt the foundation of our faith. You see this prayer was uttered by a man who could see that he was nearing the end of his days, but his focus was not on the legacy he was leaving, thinking ‘I did my best, what’s been done can’t be undone’. Instead he was consumed with this desire: ‘In what life I have left I want to live well!’
No matter how you find yourself today – in your prime or last days, fit and healthy or laid up on a sick bed, bottom of the pile or top of the tree – let Moses’ prayer be the desire of your heart; Lord, I want to live, and live well [for you]!
- Andrew Carey
posted by Andrew at 8:21 am
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