Thought for WednesdY, 29 March 2023

Psalm 90:10&12

Seventy years are given to us!  Some may even reach eighty.  But even

the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear and we are gone.  Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom. 

For those of us who have been blessed to reach, exceed or be close to the lifespans mentioned in today’s passage, it gives us something to contemplate.  Although on a daily basis, we see adverts for special diets, exercise, vitamins etc. does it not make you think that our time on this earth is pre-determined?  For all the people that say if you do this or that it will extend your life expectancy, I’m reasonably sure that we are all aware of instances where a life has ended unexpectedly for folks that have adhered to all the rules for healthy living we hear about on all the media platforms.  I was speaking to a man just the other day who told me he had been diagnosed with lung cancer and also added that he had never smoked a cigarette in his life.  Another person I knew could have been described as a fitness fanatic, yet he died instantly of a heart problem in his mid-fifties while out cycling with his older brother.  Over and above this, we will all know of folks whose life has been cut short due to some form of accident or those who have died whilst just doing their job.    

Our reading tells us that even in the best of the years we have been allocated in this life, they will not be without pain and trouble.  I don’t know of anyone that has not suffered at least one of the following; the pain of bereavement, the pain due to an injury, the pain due to surgery, the pain due to childbirth, the pain due to separation and the pain due to disappointment.  If we ask ourselves the question ‘at what time in our lives were we most troubled?’, I’m sure that none of us would be stuck for an answer. 

The final part of today’s reading is something that is worth remembering and something that we could include in our prayers whenever we talk to God – ‘Teach us to make the most of our time, that we may grow in wisdom’.  This ‘thought’ will presumably reach folks that already have a church connection.  My concern is that children and their parents aren’t hearing the Word and being educated about it.  We need to also include this in our prayers for God to intervene and remedy this situation. 

Prayer –  Heavenly Father, we thank You for each day of our lives and for the opportunities that You have given us to live our lives in ways that would be acceptable in your sight.  Teach us to value each day we are given and grant us hearts of wisdom and understanding.  May we become mature in the faith, grow in grace, and come to a deeper knowledge and understanding of you.  Amen

p.s. (I don’t normally mention football but was I dreaming or did Scotland actually beat Spain last night????  I guess that just goes to prove that anything is possible!)