Living in the Spirit

October 24, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

Turn, O Lord! How long?
   Have compassion on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
   so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
   and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be manifest to your servants,
   and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
   and prosper for us the work of our hands—
   O prosper the work of our hands! –Psalm 90:13-17

My Bible heads Psalm 90 with the phrase, God’s Eternity and Human Frailty–A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. I was first impressed that the oral tradition of a prayer of Moses was apparently passed down through the centuries. When I was a child, we had to memorize many thoughts. Today, we just Google whatever we need to know. Our internet world has opened doors to a much broader understanding of the world, but I wonder how we carry the wisdom from that in our living as humans.

This scripture deals with our humanity and our dependence on our relationship with God to do what is right in a world full of evil. I particularly love the final phrase of this prayer. I like that it ends with an exclamation mark, indicating how important our relationship with God intertwines with the success of our works.

Prayer:
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
   and prosper for us the work of our hands—
   O prosper the work of our hands!  Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.