Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Jan/65

Contributor - Corstian Klein

Title - An Exercise in Spiritual Arithmetic

Topic - Meditation

"SO TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS THAT WE MAY GET A HEART OF WISDOM." Psalm 90:12

In one way or another, all men have to "number their days". Even the man who has no appreciation of the things of God must take down the old calendar at the end of the year and replace it with a new one. Whether he wishes to do so or not he numbers his days with reference to the coming of Christ, and every time he writes down the figures 1965 he is giving witness to the fact that time is related to the coming of Jesus Christ, God's Son and our Saviour into the world! Yes, unintentionally and without being made aware of it we do number our days. We relate ourselves to God's time and to His Story every time we record a date.

We also number our days intentionally. It is natural that we anticipate another 365 days on New Year's Day. We may even have figured out how many working days we will have in 1965 and how many of the 365 days will represent our much anticipated holidays. And so we might ask ourselves why the Psalmist even makes the suggestion that we number our days. Why should we engage in this exercise in mathematics at all? We do number our days, either intentionally or otherwise.

Ah, but we know that the words of scripture intend more than this! These words, as so many others in the Psalms and other parts of the Word of God, intend to teach us the uncertainties and the brevity of life. They intend to remind us that we are like a cloud of @t that appears but for a time and then disappears never to be Seen again. As one of the titles of our Hymns suggests. "Brief life is here our portion". And it is in terms of the briefness of life that we are to view our responsibilities to God and our neighbor. We have but one life and it passes by so swiftly, even if we are given our alloted three score years and ten or four score years, it pa&es by with amazing swiftness and relentless finality.

We are called upon to do this spiritual exercise in arithmetic so that we do not fritter away all of our lives without making the necessary preparations of meeting our God in the life after death. In view of the uncertainties of life how can anyone presume to be alive at the end of this year? SG many lives are snatched away every day without warning, without time for any further preparations that it is foolish to think that there still is time to 'run to Jesus' during the last moments of life. If anything, these words mean to teach us that we are to earnestly seek God while we still have time. The Bible speaks of the opportune time, and it always says that it is today. Today we have the opportunity to turn our lives over to the Sovereign will of God who ig mighty to save.

And then when we number our days we must also be aware that the time for serving and bringing glory to God is short. This should lead each of us to use this year in His service. Let us remind ourselves that we have not many days to ,serve. Let us ask ourselves how we will use the year 1965. Shall we give our strength and time and means to wage war against one another, be it literal or figurative? Or Will we use this year to fight against the Spiritual powers of darkness that war against the souls of men - against our souls, and the souls of our children and the souls of our neighbors. Lord, teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom!

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