Psalm 90:12-15

In Jesus’ name. This is Pastor Michael Lilienthal of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Albert Lea. Together, let us meditate on and wrestle with God’s Word: Psalm 90:12-15: So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. The exercise of the Christian life and of faith is simply more and more to decrease in ourselves, to see how little we are, and to see how great God is, and to trust hispromises, rather than to make ourselves lords and rulers and deciders of what is right. In the book of Numbers, the people of Israel stood on the doorstep of the Promised Land, but the report of the spies was pessimistic. They did not think they were strong enough to enter. So the people complained and rebelled, and God became angry. Moses, who wrote this psalm, stepped in to intercede: “And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now” (Num. 14:17-19). This is how much greater God is than we are: not only does he know better, but even when we fail, he forgives. For as hard as things have gone for us, God promises twice as much blessing. In a sermon on forgiveness, Jesus put down all the pride of his disciples by saying, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3, 4). It’s a glorious reversal, that we sinners, we lowly, are given the crown of Jesus’ life, the Son of God who himself became a humble child to earn our forgiveness. Amen. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.