August 21 - Living under God’s Wrath

The theme of Moses’ prayer is not only about the brevity of life but also the quality of life that we live. It begins with our being born under a curse of Adam’s sin so that all must die, returning to dust (Gen. 3:19). Even if one may live for a thousand years, this life is just like three to four hours in God’s sight, like a watch in the night. No matter how long our lives may be, we must face our own deaths that come to us like a sudden flood, a dream or like grass that withers.

Have you been thinking lately about your own mortality, about your own expiration day? We are all under God’s sentence of death and you know that it is because of our iniquities and our secret sins. Because we are born sinners, we live our lives under God’s wrath no matter how long or short our lives are. Sin makes our lives miserable by bringing in toil and trouble. How are you going to face life but to recognize the reality of sin in all that you do in life.

Asking God to teach you how to number your days is one sure way of getting in touch with His wrath towards sin and to live your life in the fear of God. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and when you fear God, you have the wisdom to live your life. Before God, none of us can stand due to our sinfulness. All of us need to give accounts of our lives before God one day when we go before His throne. The only way to relate to God is to plead for His mercy and love.

Moses’ prayer to God is: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Only God may restore the joy of our lives to counter those bad and afflicted days. We all have good and bad days and if the sum totals of them are equal, we then could have a good life. Moses realizes that one cannot have only good days and not bad ones due to our sinfulness and the sinfulness of others around us. Then he asks God to reveal His deeds to him so that he might behold His glory. When God manifests Himself in our lives, it would be our good day. When God is absent, it would be a bad day. Only when God bestows His favor on us can the works of our hands be established.

Many of us pray for our life’s achievements, the work of our hands to be established so that our lives would not be wasted. Moses sees beyond that. For our lives to be meaningful, we must realize our sinful state and go before the Lord for mercy. Only in our fear of Him can we operate in this life. Go to God for His steadfast love and mercy, relate to Him through His many favors. Our good day is always a day with His presence. Do not worry about how you spend your life or the successes or failures you may have. Live your life in God and under His wrath and you would be wise in making all your decisions in life.