“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).

 “Where did time go?” You ask. “The day just started and I had many things planned to do.”

Have you been there before? You went to bed last night with great plans for today. You woke up in the morning fired up with a well-manicured plan, but activities became complicated, and the day became challenging. All of a sudden, the evening shadows creep in, leaving a pile of things undone. Unfortunately, this is your last day with a dear one before another long separation begins, and so you’re robbed of great expectation. How fleeting time is!

            Time is one precious gift from God many usually don’t impute proper value to. Sometimes, we act as if we have eternity on our side. Like a great party that we don’t want to end, obsession with our accomplishments and wealth, sometimes, cloud the timeline until shock and regret kick in. But until we begin to appreciate the brevity of time, we will never be wise at heart; hence, the wisdom of evaluation at the end of each day.

            We live in a fast-paced world with dazzling innovations in information technology (IT). Computers have made things easy to organize, follow up, and evaluate. Personal files can be easily and timely   accessed anywhere around the world, freeing people from their desktop computers. These information technological breakthroughs have made time management much easier. However, none of them have the inherent ability to ensure personal time management. The onus still lies with the individual, and that’s why partnership with Jesus Christ, the definer and custodian of time, is so crucial. But how often do we forfeit this opportunity!

            That is why Moses, reflecting on his forty-year wilderness experience with the Israelites, asked God for instructions on time management, “that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). He could relive the joy of the exodus (Exodus 12:31-39), with Canaan as final destination. God was their Deliverer and Guide, and they could trust His faithfulness (13:5). But one thing turned to another, and a short journey turned into a winding and repetitious endeavor. Frustration set in, and their faith waned. They complained and rebelled, pushing God’s patience to the limit. The Promised Land was in view at last, but where were all Moses’ peers, except Caleb and Joshua? So, faced with the reality of not entering himself, Moses turned to God in search of some significance to life.

            Doesn’t it resonate with all of us? Don’t we face this query of significance many times in life? How many of us haven’t looked back at some point and wondered how time flew past us? Asaph was right when he wrote: “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood (Ps. 73:16-17).” It is only in Christ Jesus that anyone could find meaning to life.

So, having been blessed with today by the grace of God in Christ, let us go to Him for guidance and counselling to use it well. Much is screaming for our attention, but only two things would make our day well spent. It is giving Jesus sole custody of our hearts (Jn. 1:12-13; Rm. 10:9-10, 13) and living obediently for His glory (1 Cor. 10:31). That’s the wisdom of God!