Day 59 · Following Christ in All of Life · (NET2)
This prayer holds our brief lives before the everlasting God. It acknowledges sin, grief, and the passing years, then asks for wisdom, compassion, joy, and lasting work. Numbering our days is not an invitation to panic about productivity. It is a call to live dependently and purposefully, asking God to establish what we cannot make permanent on our own.
Request
Everlasting Father, teach me to use this day wisely and rest in your faithful love. Amen.
Read
1 O Lord, you have been our protector through all generations.
2 Even before the mountains came into existence,
or you brought the world into being,
you were the eternal God.
3 You make mankind return to the dust,
and say, “Return, O people.”
4 Yes, in your eyes a thousand years
are like yesterday that quickly passes,
or like one of the divisions of the nighttime.
5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.”
In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up:
6 In the morning it glistens and sprouts up;
at evening time it withers and dries up.
7 Yes, we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
8 You are aware of our sins;
you even know about our hidden sins.
9 Yes, throughout all our days we experience your raging fury;
the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.
10 The days of our lives add up to 70 years,
or 80, if one is especially strong.
But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression.
Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away.
11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger?
Your raging fury causes people to fear you.
12 So teach us to consider our mortality,
so that we might live wisely.
13 Turn back toward us, O Lord.
How long must this suffering last?
Have pity on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your loyal love.
Then we will shout for joy and be happy all our days.
15 Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us,
in proportion to the years we have experienced trouble.
16 May your servants see your work.
May their sons see your majesty.
17 May our Sovereign God extend his favor to us.
Make our endeavors successful.
Yes, make them successful.
Scripture: NET Bible, Second Edition (NET2).
Reflect
- What requests follow the psalm’s reflections on human frailty?
- What deserves attention today in light of life’s brevity?
Restate
Explain how numbering your days can lead to wisdom rather than fear.
Respond
Let the passage guide your prayer. Use these prompts in your own words:
- Praise: Praise God who is our dwelling place across generations.
- Thanksgiving: Thank him for the gift of this day.
- Confession: Confess treating time as though it were unlimited.
- Intercession: Pray for someone grieving or facing illness.
- Petition: Ask him to establish the work of your hands.
Carry it into today: Give deliberate attention to one relationship or responsibility you have been postponing.