This Day
AM Psalm 87, 90 • PM Psalm 136
2 Kings 11:1-20a • 1 Cor. 7:10-24 • Matt. 6:19-24
I’m having a hard time with my reflection this time around. It may be the season. My thoughts keep flitting between the prayer of Moses (in Psalm 90) and the teaching of Jesus (in Matthew 6).
The United States just commemorated the 20th anniversary of September 11th when 2,977 Americans died. Our country is ending a 20-year war in Afghanistan during which 2,461 Americans died. And as of this writing, because of Covid-19, every two days 3,260 Americans die. Of course, other people died on 9/11, as well. During the War in Afghanistan many people who are not American died, too. And every day there are many more people in countries not our own who are dying in this pandemic. It’s hard for me to stop and actually think about that. Or pray about it.
In the prayer of Moses I read:
You sweep us away like a dream;
We fade away suddenly like the grass...
We bring our years to an end with a moan,
The sum of them is but labor and sorrow,
For they pass away quickly and we are gone.
Human lives. Swept away. Gone.
And Moses prays for us:
Teach us to number our days
That we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
I’ve lived almost 19,000 days. If Moses’ estimates on life expectancy are true for me, I may get another 10,000 days. Of course, I may not even get another ten. But I don’t think that’s really what Moses is getting at. No matter what, a day is coming when I, too, will “return to dust” and then be gone.
I believe all this has something to do with what Jesus is trying to teach when he says:
...where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Each day I get after this day right here, right now, is one more day I get to value what I have right here, right now. That is, to be satisfied.
So if I do get more days, I want to keep praying like Moses prayed:
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
So shall we sing for joy and be glad all the days of our life.
Amen.
Written by Troy Schremmer
Troy works with children between 365 and 1900 days old as an enrichment teacher in music and movement. He and his wife Jonny have a teenager who is about 6,000 days old and a dog that’s just over 3,000 days old.