At a recent meeting my friend said something surprising. …something that most people just do not say. We were unpacking the details of his ministry, and his off handed comment drew my attention.
He shared, “You know, I really am a half empty kind of guy.” As he said it, he was slightly embarrassed almost sheepish as he shared. Generally, folks are not that transparent.
Think about how we share about our life. …things like, “All’s good!” or “Great!” or “Living the dream!” Sometimes more than we like to admit it our life not close to those comments.
I bumped into a Psalm recently that speaks to this half-empty sense we can have in life. The shocking thing is that Moses in Psalm 90 is not even half-empty. He brutally honest about the very real challenges life brings. It seems like his glass is not half-empty but empty.
He begins the Psalm with the cavernous distinction between us and God. “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations…from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” v1, 2 ESV Here’s the contrast in the following verse, “You turn men back to dust, saying, ‘return to dust.’”
Wow that’s a devastating difference. Moses even adds later, “We finish our years with a moan.” Those are hard words to read. They are brutal words about our finiteness.
So, what does this Psalm tell us in view of the depressing condition we find ourselves? Sulk, curl up in a ball or sink into a complete emotional breakdown?
To counter our state of mind Moses offers six petitions in the face of our end. Six prayers to strengthen us in the midst emptiness.
Prayer 1: “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” v12 ESV
Instead of pushing us to depression our mortality can be a benefit by gaining wisdom. There are morsels of truth knowing we won’t always be here. It can correct our heart to do the right thing. Knowing our days are short can make us more intentional, humble and kind. We start down the path to hope, despite our mortality with asking the Lord to teach us.
Prayer 2: “How long O Lord.” v13 ESV Life is not instantaneous. Delayed gratification is part of life. And God is not our butler. Life comes as He desires in his infinite wisdom. He is working out his grand scheme for the whole world and we must learn to adjust. In our daily challenges it is good for us to ask our gracious Father to come quickly.
Prayer 3: “Satisfy us with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” v14 ESV. We have so many delights, interests, and distractions that do not truly satisfy. We prefer quick sugar fixes as opposed a piece of fruit. Yet the deepest need of the human soul is to know and to give love. God’s steadfast love is the very best for our soul. It is the only thing that will fill us.
Prayer 4: “Make us glad for as many years as you have afflicted us.” v15 ESV Moses sounds bitter in this verse. Perhaps he needs to sit down with a counselor. Moses completely honest with his struggle makes this petition. The beauty here is that right in the middle of pain and difficulty he begs the Lord to be glad. Moses is not asking to be taken out of the situation but to be able to rise above it. He desires endurance and patience with joy though life brings pain.
Prayer 5: “May your work be shown to your servant.” v16 ESV The work Moses and the Israelites had seen was epic. They saw plagues come down on their enemies, God opened a door for them to leave bondage, manna every morning and water from a rock. Moses is asking the Lord to move again. Perhaps in the wilderness Moses realized more acutely that he could not accomplish anything for this great task he had before him. He knew the battle alone was the Lord’s.
Prayer 6: “May the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands.” v17 ESV This petition might seem to counter the previous one. Is not God’s work of building his Kingdom solely his? Yes, it is. However, in a mystery he still calls us to be his ambassador, his proxies here on earth. After all the Great Commission and Great Command are things he asked us to do. Anyone every intimidated to get these done or fearful to move ahead in any endeavor? Well, I certainly am. These six prayers will bolster us to take the steps he is asking you, other and me.
When you wake up tomorrow morning and just don’t want to get into your day. Pray one of these six. When you get a bad email that something at work blew up, pray these. When family news is going a bad way, pray.
When we pray, we tap into the Father’s unlimited power and wisdom. When we pray, we get ourselves out of being the solution. We can rest in his work in the people and the world around us. We can allow him to empower us.
The Lord will shepherd you in this life. We cling to him in prayer then we can walk ahead.
