Psalm 90:1-8
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust
and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when it is past
or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger;
by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
We’re told that we proceed from the heart of God and return to the heart of God. Everything that takes place in between is the span of our life in this world, which is but a fleeting breath in God’s time.
Psalm 90 could easily be considered a killjoy, or a downer, but it doesn’t have to be. If we understand ourselves, and our life here in this world to be our ultimate concern, this psalm will fill us with grief and dread. If, however, we recognize that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, we’ll see the psalm as a description of the cycle of life.
Here, in this life, we live by faith in the One who has created, redeemed, and sanctified us. God, who formed us from the dust of the earth, will receive us back into God’s-self when we return to the dust from which we were made. So, whether we live or whether we die, we belong to God.
As we approach the end of the Church Year, our lessons turn our attention to eternity. It can be disorienting to realize that this wonderful, rich, full life is only a brief foretaste of the life to come. It can also be liberating to learn that what we see dimly now in faith will one day be fully revealed.
Prayer: Lord Jesus: Thank you for the sure and certain promise of the Resurrection that sustains us in this life even as it prepares us for the next. AMEN