Day 9: Psalm 90

The Psalms, probably more than any other book, show us the overlap between God’s time and our time.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts, and the Psalmist seems to remind us that God’s time is not our time. It’s probably good to pause and remind ourselves that if we try to cram an infinite God into our finite heads, we are going to go crazy. Notice this passage from Psalm 90:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
   throughout all generations.

Before the mountains were born
   or you brought forth the whole world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

You turn people back to dust,
   saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”

A thousand years in your sight
   are like a day that has just gone by,
   or like a watch in the night.

Psalm 90:1-4

At one level, there is something wonderful about declaring the vastness of God. He is not subject to the laws of the space time continuum. At the same time, it would be nice to know what His timing is. Have you ever been frustrated with the timing of God? Are you currently frustrated with the timing of God? Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that the arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. The Psalmist seems to say the same. The problem is, sometimes we aren’t so sure where we are in the arc.  

A month ago, everyone you talked to was busy all the time. We were all rushing between activities, fueling up with coffee to have the energy to keep going. Right now, the days of the calendar have blurred into each other, time is slowly ticking, and we are waiting eagerly for life to return. In quarantine, one may say that a day feels like a thousand years. Let us remember God’s timing. A thousand years to Him is like a day.

The Psalms invite our eyes to see beyond our world and our time, to slow down and remember Who holds it all together. The Psalms are offering us words when life is beyond our control. Let these words from Psalm 90 bring us comfort. While we may not understand God, we can trust that He is working the world towards His purposes in His time.  

Jared