I wrote an
article here on the brevity of life that evoked 2 kindly comments that I don’t
really deserve.
https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=brevity+of+human
Encouraged by
the kind words of caring readers, let me share my simple and humble extended feeling for my gentle readers on how we need to live
with wisdom during our short stay in this world.
I remember when I was just around 15 - 17 years old I used to attend gospel meetings where we - ritually like in some religions - sang this hymn -
"Teach Us,
Lord, to Number Our Days"
I did not have much understanding then what I sang.
Today, I am much more matured to enable me to pour out the spiritual small voice within me - for this essay to be written what this means to my life - perhaps (maybe) also to some.
A Meditation
on Time, Wisdom, and Eternal Purpose
“Teach us to
number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
— Psalm 90:12
This quiet but
profound prayer from Psalm 90 captures one of the deepest truths of human
existence: our lives are brief, yet our choices carry eternal weight. To
“number our days” does not mean simply counting how many years we have lived,
but learning to live with awareness, humility, and spiritual clarity. It is a
prayer for perspective, for the grace to see life as it truly is, not as we
wish it to be.
Psalm 90,
traditionally attributed to Moses, sets before us a striking contrast between
the eternity of God and the fragility of man. God is described as existing from
everlasting to everlasting, while human life is portrayed as fleeting, like
grass that flourishes in the morning and withers by evening. In these verses,
Moses gently but firmly reminds us that time is not on our side, and that even
our longest years pass quickly and quietly:
“Oh, the days
of all our years are seventy,
Or, if due to strength, they eighty be;
Yet what’s their pride and boast?
Toil and sorrow and woe.
All soon will fade;
And we, too, fly away.”
There is a sobering honesty in these words. They strip away the illusion that we are in control or that we have endless opportunities ahead of us. Life, even at its best, is short. And yet most of us live as though it will never end. I lost my son in July last year (2025) at the age of 46 while enjoying his hobby cycling up a hill with his group of friends.
We plan as
if time is unlimited, pursue wealth as if it can satisfy the soul, and chase
reputation as if it can outlive death. But the moment we enter the grave; all
these things are instantly released. They remain behind, while we move on alone
into eternity.
To number our
days, therefore, is first to accept life’s brevity and moral seriousness. The
psalmist does not shy away from acknowledging human sin and weakness:
“Thou hast set
our iniquities,
Lord, before Thy face;
E’en our secret hidden sins,
Light of Thy countenance traced.
For in Thine o’erflowing wrath
Have our days wholly gone by;
And our years come to an end
Like a whispered sigh.”
These lines
remind us that nothing is hidden from God. Our lives unfold under His gaze, and
time itself is shaped by both our actions and His mercy. Yet this awareness is
not meant to drive us into fear or despair, but into wisdom. When we truly
realize how fragile we are, how temporary our achievements, and how limited our
time, we begin to ask deeper questions. Not how much we can accumulate, but how
faithfully we are living. Not how admired we are by others, but how we are with
God.
This is where
the biblical idea of wisdom becomes central. Wisdom in Scripture is not the
same as knowledge. Knowledge is information we acquire; wisdom is truth that
transforms the way we live. The story of King Solomon illustrates this
beautifully. When God invited him to ask for anything, Solomon did not request
wealth, power, long life, or fame. He asked for wisdom. And because he chose
wisely, God granted him not only wisdom, but also knowledge, understanding, and
prosperity as added gifts.
This teaches
us something deeply relevant to modern life. We invest enormous effort in
education, professional titles, and intellectual universities accomplishments. These are
valuable in their place, but they cannot teach us how to die peacefully, how to
forgive sincerely, how to suffer meaningfully, or how to live humbly.
University knowledge can sharpen the mind, but only divine wisdom can shape the
soul. When we seek wisdom first, all other forms of knowledge become secondary
blessings rather than life’s central pursuit.
To number our
days also means learning to live intentionally. It calls us away from mindless
busyness and empty striving and invites us into purposeful living. Every day
becomes a gift to be stewarded, not wasted. Time is no longer something to
kill, but something to consecrate. We begin to see life not merely as something
to enjoy or endure, but as something to offer back to God.
This is why
the psalmist prays, “Teach us then to number our days, heart of wisdom to
obtain.” Wisdom does not come, or may not come automatically with age. Many grow older but not
wiser. Wisdom grows only through daily dependence on God, through the quiet
recognition that our strength is limited, our plans uncertain, and our future
ultimately in His hands.
Such
dependence reshapes even our understanding of satisfaction. We stop seeking fulfilment
primarily in possessions, achievements, or applause, and begin to seek it in
God Himself:
“Satisfy us,
Lord, in the morn
With lovingkindness outpoured,
That a joyful ringing shout may arise
All the days of our life.”
This is a
remarkable prayer. It does not ask for abundance of wealth, but for abundance
of love. It does not seek external success, but internal peace. And even in
suffering, the prayer does not collapse into bitterness:
“Lord,
according to all the days
That we afflictions have faced,
And to the years wherein evil we’ve seen,
Make us glad in Thee.”
Here we find
the deepest expression of spiritual maturity , not the absence of pain, but joy rooted in God
despite pain. A life that is numbered wisely does not escape hardship, but it
finds meaning within it.
Ultimately, to
gain a heart of wisdom is to realize that life is not an end in itself, but a
preparation for eternity. Success is no longer measured by fame or fortune, but
by faithfulness. What we become matters more than what we possess. Time becomes
sacred, not disposable. God becomes central, not peripheral.
“Teach us to
number our days” is therefore not a morbid request, but a liberating one. It
frees us from the illusion of permanence and invites us into a deeper way of
living. It teaches us to live ready to die, and in doing so, to finally learn
how to live well.
When we reach
the final day of our lives, what will matter is not how much we earned, how
many titles we held, or how admired we were. What will matter is whether we
walked with God, loved sincerely, lived wisely, and prepared our souls.
To number our
days is, in the end, to exchange the shallow security of this world for the
quiet confidence of eternity.
On this note, kindly grant me this wish to you and all kind readers - A Very Blessed
Chinese New Year – Tuesday, 17, 2026
Take Care!
jb lim
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