I remembered the closing statements of the prayers of my Grandpa Lacquement well. I didn’t understand it completely as a young child—but I listened and thought I knew what he said!  I loved Grandpa and Grandma. I loved going to the farm to be with them, but I was more interested in being outside.  I tagged behind Grandpa as he did his chores of feeding and caring for the animals.  “They get fed before we do”, he would say.  I still remember watching him call the cows to feed using his family’s native language of French.  Speaking of cows, Grandpa decided one day I was old enough to come out of the truck cab to help guide a bull he had borrowed into his stock truck so he could take it back to its owner!  That was frightening but Grandpa just smiled at my efforts to appear larger than I was to that bull that day!  Together, we got it done!

But it was his prayers, along with Grandma’s that I remember most.  We bowed to thank God at all our meals.  Each night before we went to bed we read the Bible, talked about it, then got down on our knees to pray. Their prayers were reverent, honest, and unforgettable.  However, as a child we seem to hear and process differently.  For a while, I heard this one phrase at the end of the noon meal that I didn’t quite understand but accepted because Grandpa prayed it!  What I heard was; “and may this food be used for your juice”.  I would look around the table—there was no juice.  One day I watched Grandma boil down fruit to make juices and jellies.  Ah, now I get it, that’s what he means when he prays about juice.  But no, after telling them both that I had figured out this phrase on my own, they laughed and said, “No child, I’m praying for God to use this food for His intended use so that His will is done in us as He provides for us.”  Oh, that would be different.

In the next collective book of the Psalms, a prayer of Moses is included to remind people of how God provided a great leader to lead the children of Israel out of bondage and slavery of Egypt—but not without troubles, conflict and hazards on the journey.  God was with them and would never leave them.  But still, even Moses, questioned God in the hard times but would always come back to God in faith knowing He had all the answers and would help him.

Psalm 90, The Message

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

^1-2 God, it seems you’ve been our home forever;
    long before the mountains were born,
Long before you brought earth itself to birth,
    from “once upon a time” to “kingdom come”—you are God.

^3-11 So don’t return us to mud, saying,
    “Back to where you came from!”
Patience! You’ve got all the time in the world—whether
    a thousand years or a day, it’s all the same to you.
Are we no more to you than a wispy dream,
    no more than a blade of grass
That springs up gloriously with the rising sun
    and is cut down without a second thought?
Your anger is far and away too much for us;
    we’re at the end of our rope.
You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed
    since we were children is entered in your books.
All we can remember is that frown on your face.
    Is that all we’re ever going to get?
We live for seventy years or so
    (with luck we might make it to eighty),
And what do we have to show for it? Trouble.
    Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard.
Who can make sense of such rage,
    such anger against the very ones who fear you?

^12-17 Oh! Teach us to live well!
    Teach us to live wisely and well!
Come back, God—how long do we have to wait?—
    and treat your servants with kindness for a change.
Surprise us with love at daybreak;
    then we’ll skip and dance all the day long.
Make up for the bad times with some good times;
    we’ve seen enough evil to last a lifetime.
Let your servants see what you’re best at—
    the ways you rule and bless your children.
And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
    confirming the work that we do.
    Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

This is the oldest “song” in the Book of Psalms.  It was written by Moses, the man of God (Josh. 14:6; Ezra 3:2). It covers mankind from the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, to the return of our Savior. The psalm speaks of an eternal God and frail humans, a holy God and sinful man, life and death, and the meaning of life in a confused and difficult world.  Moses understood God’s purpose for him even though he had to overcome his fear and replace it with faith as he led God’s people out of bondage to a freedom in the land God provided. In Moses’ prayer, saved and recorded in the Psalms, we are able to grasp the faithful love of God, if we listen closely to His Holy Spirit who lead us to all that is truth.

One of my favorite songs…”In Everything, Give Thanks”

In everything give Him thanks, give Him thanks
In everything give Him thanks
In the good times praise His name
In the bad times do the same
In everything give the King of Kings all the thanks!

(Written by Donna Alley, Sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir)

Living, growing, learning, in an imperfect, sinful world while gaining more of God in our pursuit of Him, through bad times as well as good times; we learn to give thanks to God whose love, care, mercy, and grace never changes for us.  As His love never changes; our thanks and praise to God should never change!

Moses remembered his pain over the sins of the people (See Exodus 32). In Moses’ psalm, we are reminded that we are only here for a brief time and that we should ask God to help us wisely make use (not juice) of each day for our good and His glory! (smiling)

Moses knew what it was like to be “strangers in the land” God have given to His people.  This world is not our home, we are merely journeying to our forever home with God some day!  So don’t get too comfy!  “Teach us to number our days,” Moses also prayed, “that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).  Nothing strikes fear in men and women when the end is near and we feel unprepared.

So, what would you like to do before you die? Ask God for wisdom; He loves, even delights, in helping us!

Lord,

Thank you, Holy Spirit for guiding our thoughts, reminding us to praise and thank God in all circumstances.  The ancients gave thanks and so should we who believe in faith that God is real and what He says is Truth.  Lead us, Lord.  Help us to use your provisions for your intended use in all we think, say, and do for your glory!  I thank You for the legacy of all who has gone before us to teach us to walk humbly with You!

In Jesus Name, Amen