So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
John Gill instructs us that this prayer is not merely about how to actually count our days. There is no need for divine instruction to simply do the math. Even a moderate skill in arithmetic is sufficient to count the years, or even the days that one has lived. Rather, the psalmist petitions Heaven for wisdom to number our days as if the present one were our last.
As another year is consigned to the history books, we do well not only to thank the Lord for having given us another twelve months of life, but to make the most of this day. And the next one. And the next. And the next, and so on.
Every year, day, and even every minute is a gift from God. Heavenly wisdom dictates that we “redeem the time” (Ephesians 5:16) He has been pleased to grant us.
Lord, may my New Year’s resolution be to make the very most of the time You grant me, that when my last day is done I will stand in Your presence forgiven, clothed in the righteousness of the Son or Your love, having been emptied of myself, having nothing in my hands—but Your grace.