Recently, I completed a Bible study on Psalm 90. This Psalm is a prayer from Moses to God. Moses prays about the eternal nature of God; the fragile nature of humanity; mankind’s sinful nature; the shortness of life; and God’s grace.
Moses starts his prayer, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.” Moses knows God has been with every generation, providing a place for all to dwell. God is our refuge. We can rest in God’s love and grace.
Moses acknowledges God’s everlasting nature, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” Then, Moses recognizes God’s judgment, “You turn man to destruction, and say ‘Return, O children of men.’” God exercises his holy judgment.
Moses then speaks of God’s perception of time and our perception of time. God is outside of time as we know it. We struggle with wanting prayers answered within our understanding of time. God’s timing remains a mystery to us.
Moses recognizes God’s anger against our iniquities and our secret sins. We are frail and our bodies are temporary. Moses says our days are numbered and then “we fly away.” Yet, Moses prays for God “to teach us to number our days so we can gain a heart of wisdom.” Moses is asking for the wisdom to understand the shortness of life.
Moses’ asking God to teach us means we can learn to live with an awareness that our days are numbered. Moses is seeking wisdom of the heart, not head smarts but heart smarts — essentially, emotional intelligence.
Moses prays for God’s presence, compassion and mercy. Moses asks God how long it will be; he does not want God to delay in His presence, compassion and mercy. Moses closes his prayer wanting God’s favor and asking God to guide the work of our hands.
Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90 is thought to be written after God calls him to lead the Israelites and before Moses dies 40 years later.
At the age of 80, Moses answers, “Here I am.” when he hears God’s call from the burning bush. Moses is reluctant when God asks him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses knows the Pharaoh wants him dead because Moses killed an Egyptian before fleeing Egypt. Moses does not know if the Israelites will accept him as a leader as they rejected him previously. Moses stammers in his speech and doubts his abilities to lead. He also has a family in Midian.
Yet, God’s response to Moses’ reluctance is to say, “What is that in your hand?” Moses’ staff is in his hand. God turns the staff into a snake and back again into a staff, now known as the Staff of God. The staff becomes a snake once again to devour the snakes the Egyptian magicians bring forth during the first meeting with the Pharaoh.
God uses Moses’ staff to command the plagues — specifically, water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, and locusts — that convince the Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Moses holds his staff high to split the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to flee the pursuing Egyptians. Moses also uses his staff to strike a rock for water and to beat back the Amalekites.
God uses what Moses already has in his hand. Moses has what he needs to accomplish what God is asking him to do. Collectively and individually, we are called to ask, “What is in our hands?” “What can God do with what is in our hands?” It is easy for us to not know what is in our hands because we can take such items, skills or abilities for granted. May we pray for God’s guidance to know what is in our hands and use it for God’s purposes. Amen.
— Judy Holmes is elder and lay pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Litchfield.
