Leaves of Grass — Adam’s Angle

The world stopped this week when Michael Jackson died—but when our time comes, will our cats even know we’re gone?

You’ve probably had a similar thought at some point. Most of us have felt the ache of being a nobody, doing nothing much. And when we catch a glimmer of so-called “greatness” we hurt all the more.

How on earth can an average Joe (or Jill) live a life of meaning in a world overrun with geniuses, billionaires and celebrities?

The answer is found in Psalm 90. The secret to living a significant life is to come to grips with our own insignificance apart from God.

The Rock of Ages and the Grass of the Morning

Moses was a man with perspective. He grasped the contrast—God is eternal, but the life of every man and woman on earth is temporary. He prayed in Psalm 90:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, O sons of men.” For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning—though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered. . . The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. (Psalm 90:1-6, 10)

Moses points out that—to God, who is eternal—even the passing of 1,000 years breezes by like nothing. How much more so the much smaller span of one person’s life, a mere 70 or 80 years. All of us human beings—whether you’re Joe the Plumber or Alexander the Great— are like bits of grass. We’re here today, gone tomorrow.

Compared to God we all are insignificant. But is all hope lost for a meaningful existence?

Counting the Days

The middle verses of the Psalm give us the secret to live with meaning:

Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you. Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:11-12)

When Moses asks rhetorically, “Who knows the power of your anger…”, he’s basically saying that we humans just don’t get how big and powerful and holy God is. We forget how truly awesome and mighty He is. The result? We lead unwise lives focused on something rather than Him.

Yet Moses also points the way out: for God to teach us to number our days aright so that we can live wisely. But wait a second. That doesn’t mean we should walk away from Psalm 90 saying, “Wow— my life is short. I’d better work harder to make things happen.”

That’s how this verse is often misapplied—as an exhortation to make every moment of our lives count for Christ. But if we think that, then we missed the point of the first half of the Psalm. The idea here is that compared to God we are nothing. Our hope is not about working harder or faster or about achieving more. It’s about realizing that only God’s work and ways will stand the test of time. We must call upon God for help, rather than strive in our own strength.

His Blessing; His Work

The good news is that the Psalm doesn’t end with verse 12. Moses doesn’t finish by saying, “Oh, well, our lives are nothing. Woe is us!” Moses uses his proper perspective to call upon God because he knows that real blessing and lasting results only come about if God is the architect:

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:14,17)

In God, there is a real hope of living a meaningful life as He establishes the work of our hands. Apart from Him, all of our sweat and striving and “accomplishment” is nothing but fading grass.

So if you’re looking at the King of Pop as a model for success you’re looking at the wrong King. The secret to living a significant life is to realize that each one of us is insignificant apart from the only One who matters.

—Adam Pivec
6/28/09