Today is my birthday. This blog is supposed to be primarily about the Sexual Tsunami and not about Mark Ongley, but allow me to be a bit reflective on this day before Thanksgiving. At the end is a special message for paid subscribers.
Each month, I try to read through the entire book of Psalms. I’m a bit behind schedule, so today on my birthday I was reading Psalm 90. Written by Moses, it addresses the brevity of life and the eternality of God. There’s also a contrast between our toil on this earth (v. 10) with the glorious power of his work (v. 16). Much to chew on.
What we often remember about this psalm is verse 10:
So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. (NRSV)
Other translations word it, “teach us to number our days.” But whether counting or numbering, the Hebrew word is very rare, but it is used in Jonah four times.
Remember the things God sent to Jonah to teach him some lessons? First the fish to teach him about God’s sovereignty. Then as he sat in the desert sun, waiting for God’s judgment to fall on Nineveh, God first sent a plant to shade him, then a worm to eat the plant, and finally a hot wind to scorch him a bit, all to reveal Jonah’s hatred for his enemies and God’s compassion for those very same enemies.
It’s the same Hebrew word as translated count in Psalm 90, only in Jonah it is translated as “prepared” (KJV), “provided” (NIV, NRSV), and “appointed” (ESV). God appointed a fish, plant, worm, and wind to help Jonah gain a heart of wisdom.
Resisting the temptation to reflect too deeply on my 66th birthday, let’s simply say that I believe that I and all Tsunami Surfers have been given 365 days in a year. Just as God prepared, provided, and/or appointed the fish, plant, worm, and wind to reveal his power and compassion, we should live these days purposefully, making each day count, so that those lost in the sexual chaos of our times might know of a Savior who not only saves, but also redeems, restores, mends, and heals.
May it be so for all of us!