Heart of Wisdom

Read Psalm 90. This psalm powerfully captures the awesome greatness of God and the frail mortality of people. What experience gives you a greater sense of the passing of time? How does it make you feel when you have a clearer sense of time passing and our lives being short?

J. R. R. Tolkien writes that good stories depict things we all long for (see list below). In what ways do these aspects capture some of your longing for eternity?

1. Step outside of time 
2. Escape from death 
3. Love without parting – doesn’t end
4. Communicating with non-human beings 
5. Final defeat of evil 

A heart of wisdom prepares us for today, tomorrow, and the everlasting. Verse 14 asks God to satisfy us in the morning with God’s unfailing love. How have you experienced this satisfaction? What practices help or hinder you to seek satisfaction in God in the morning?

The psalmist does not ask God to stop death but to “teach us to number our days” in verse 12. This is a self-awareness that reflects alert patience; urgency without worry. Praying through a daily examen has helped some through church history to grow in self-awareness. What practices help you reflect on each day prayerfully? How can this be a helpful practice? In what ways is it important for us to discern the difference between being self-focused and self-aware?

Consider how Jesus is the fulfillment and answer to our longings for eternity. How does this psalm equip us and encourage us to hope in the reality of heaven?