Participating in God's Work

These attitudes are improper. God needs a humble person to work through, a person who understands the world through the Lord's eyes. Fortunately, God knows how to bring us to the right place where His work can be done in our lives. What place is that? What needs to be done to our lives before we can be used by Him?

Let us look at Psalm 90 to find these answers. A vision of God and a true understanding of our lives puts us in a place where God's work can be done in our lives.

A) A Vision of God destroys self-confidence (Psalm 90:1-6)

Like Isaiah, Job, Noah and all the other great men of the scriptures, a true change of life comes from first meeting God. Moses was no different. Some people fake meeting God. It is quite obvious by what they do or say whether they truly have had a revelation of God's holiness.

Once a person meets God, he will stop talking about himself and his plans. Why? God is on their mind, the great eternal holy One. Let's observe how Moses starts praying by observing God's greatness.

1 (A Prayer of Moses the man of God.) Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born, Or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.
3 Thou dost turn man back into dust, And dost say, "Return, O children of men."
4 For a thousand years in Thy sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night.
5 Thou hast swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew.
6 In the morning it flourishes, and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades, and withers away.

Psalm 90:5-6 says man's hard work will be all washed away like a flood. No more remembrance. Man will come and go like a flower that blooms for one day.

We often have a view of history, reality and time that is built around our own lives. Moses' view of life was shattered by His meeting with God. He finally got a picture of life from God's perspective. Moses begins his prayer in these verses just as the Lord has taught us. "Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name." We need to properly understand God's glory to enter into His presence.

Moses no longer thought much about his contribution to life and society or even justice. Man, along with his work, will turn back into dust. He will be forgotten, as if he was washed away in the flood. Man has created a great many things but they all are fighting against time and prophecy. Time with its elements tears buildings apart. But prophecy itself declares that the earth will be burned up before it is transformed.

Life Application

I encourage you to carefully evaluate those things that you think God greatly treasures. Many people want to feel good about themselves so they give, without thought to charities. They like to talk about their lives and this and that. They think they can easily do God's work. True significant work, however, is not judged by what is done now but by what endures to the praise of God's glory. Does not the Apostle Paul blow away our concepts of value and significance in 1 Corinthians 13 by simply saying that eloquence, prophesy, great acts of giving to the poor are nothing without love? Eternal significance has a lot to do with why we do things.

We see then that the key to significant works, whether they be prayers, charity or sacrifice are not formed by man's confidence in himself. Their view of their lives is too small. They haven't seen the world as God sees it. God doesn't need us, our money or our efforts. This vision of God enables us to see that God doesn't need us but gives us the privilege of being used by Him because of His grace.

B) A Vision of God Reveals our Sin (Psalm 90:7-12)

Another wrong view of life has its origins in self-pity. These kind of people talk a lot about their humble circumstances, " I'm achy," "in-laws treat me horrible", "no one loves me." They think that by their suffering they are doing God's great works. They, in fact, believe they do not deserve such treatment and could serve God better if they had better opportunities.

This kind of person often makes things sound worse than they are. But certainly, like the first group, they keep looking at themselves as the center focus of life. Moses, along with the other holy men, of God did not do this.

True humility is not speaking of one's difficult situations but clear recognition of how poor we have done in light of God's gift of life, delegated responsibilities and abilities. When a person meets God, he doesn't boast about what he has done. He instead sees all of his shortcomings. Listen to the words of Moses.

7 For we have been consumed by Thine anger, And by Thy wrath we have been dismayed.
8 Thou hast placed our iniquities before Thee, Our secret sins in the light of Thy presence.
9 For all our days have declined in Thy fury; We have finished our years like a sigh.
10 As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.
11 Who understands the power of Thine anger, And Thy fury, according to the fear that is due Thee?
12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.