While walking from my office, passing through to another part of our home, I hear my wife’s music CDs playing. On many occasions I hear the same song, obviously among Margaret’s favorites.
Now I find myself humming that song, which has become much more meaningful and even deeply etched into my mind and spirit.
The song is “Teach Us to Number Our Days.” My wife’s favorite version—and now mine—is by Marty Goetz, a Jewish American songwriter and singer.
The words, as I said, powerfully resonate within my spirit. Perhaps that’s because of my advancing age toward the hereafter. However, I believe it to be more and more a God-prompted reminder of just how near I am to facing the Lord Jesus Christ in that glorious, twinkling-of-an-eye instant of Rapture. It might just be a heads-up alerting us to how near all believers, dead and alive, are to looking into Christ’s omniscient eyes at any second and standing before Him to be judged for rewards and crowns at the bema –the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The lyrics of Goetz’s song, based on the words of the following Psalm, are doubly meaningful to those who look for Christ’s soon return. Scripture indicates we should realize the time is drawing near when we will stand before Him, thus we should ask to be totally aware and living righteously every conscious second of our lives.
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. (Psalms 90:12–13)
The days each of us has been granted are indeed numbered in God’s heavenly accounting system. God’s Word puts it this way:
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)
The Creator of all things measures everything with unerring precision. We’re told that every star is named. Every hair on our heads is numbered. Each and every created order is accounted for. The heavens are stretched and measured. The Creator intimates that He is aware of each grain of sand. His omniscience is without error; there is no place that He isn’t there.
Thinking on asking this great God to teach us to number our days brings to mind, in considering His dealing with rebels down throughout the millennia, His judgment against disobedient humankind.
The thing that stands out to me is that His judgment is measured. We see this truth time after time. He always shows divine patience. He never changes His mind about not being willing for anyone to perish, but wanting all to repent.
Consider the time of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Lord talking with Abraham about measuring the sins of the people of Sodom. The Lord had obviously been patient, but now came down Himself to assess the wicked city’s sins. Finally, when not even ten righteous people could be found, His judgment fell—after He removed Lot and his daughters to safety.
Consider how He dealt with Pharaoh in the days of the great Exodus. His judgment was measured. Each succeeding plague became more punishing until the Israelites were free to go.
Think of Babylon and the wickedness there. God had finally had it after years of Belshazzar’s evil doings. God’s divine measurement system was on full display—and was visible for all to see as His own hand wrote on the wall.
And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. (Daniel 5:25–27)
Almighty God measures and numbers everything. All is under His all-seeing eye and His omnipotence. We are made in His image. He wants us to number all things in our lives and measure our actions so we will be accounted worthy when we stand before Him in judgment.
We’re told to judge ourselves in this regard so we won’t have to be deemed unworthy by Him:
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31)
The prophetic application is that God’s measured judgment system is weighing all that is going on at this very moment. We are witnessing warnings of coming judgment because this world of rebels is being “weighed in the balances, and…found wanting.”
Still, the heavenly assessment is measured slowly, deliberately. God is still not willing for anyone to perish, but He wants all to come to repentance.
But judgment and wrath are on the way, make no mistake. And when they come, it will be the most destructive justice ever delivered:
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)
Even during that most horrific time of all human history, the judgment and wrath will be measured carefully and precisely.
There will be twenty-one specific judgments to call humanity to repentance, while devastating those filled with anti-God rebelliousness. The seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of God’s wrath will incrementally rain down God’s holy and righteous anger in measured degrees.
You don’t want to be on this fallen sphere when that judgment falls. God wants us to number our days and live them through Holy Spirit-indwelt righteousness. This means you must be reconciled—made righteous under God’s way of salvation. Here again is how to make sure you go to Christ when He Calls, whether through death or in the Rapture—which we believe can happen at any moment, considering all the signs that are manifesting.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10: 9-10)
Terry James Prophecy Line 
Well said.
I’ve been re-reading Ezekiel and for those who think of putting off getting right with God, i.e. accepting Jesus as revealed in the Bible, here is a centuries-old admonition:
Ezekiel {12:25} For I [am] the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord GOD.
As for “numbering our days,” those of you who have been to this site for at least the past few months know the reason I personally take this advice more seriously than ever now!
How interesting …. I have only recently discovered the songs given to Marty Goetz. And “Teach Us to Number Our Days” is one of my very favorites, along with Psalm 131 – I have quieted myself. Four years ago, Marty and his daughter, Misha, shared a live concert as the sun set on Jerusalem. It was recorded on DVD and is available for purchase from the STORE on http://www.martygoetz.com http://www.martygoetz.com . Well, well worth it!
With all the negativity that can bombard us 24-7 (IF WE PERMIT IT), after walking with the Lord since January 1979 – quietness, peace and rest are the Holy Spirit’s emphasis in my own life. I long for Jesus’ giving this to all of us, the peace that He left us – HIS PEACE. And no longer spending so much time on youtube videos regarding end time things, but instead – returning to spending time worshipping Him alone now – this returning to what I used to do before life got so busy – this somehow is a fulfilling of Is. 32:17.
Soon, the Prince of Peace will indeed be smiling down upon His Bride, and soon to sweep us inside the places He is yet preparing for us, our own room in our Father’ House.
Recently as we assembled, God brought for an understanding that I believe is supported by Scripture (Rev. 2:17). There is an old hymn that many have interpreted to mean that Jesus is building “mansions” for each of us to live in, when Jesus actually declared that in His Father’s HOUSE were many rooms, and He was going to prepare a place fo each of us to dwell with Him in His Father’s house. Jesus did not say He was building separate dwelling places for us outside of His Father’s house.
What came forth the morning was in response to the last phrase of this worshipful song, All Heaven Declares: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndiIXbKVuu0
At the end of this song, a sister shared how she knew that Jesus was still preparing a room in the Father’s house for each of His children. Just as He knows every star by name, we each have a name known only to Him, between the two of us alone. And we will not be dwelling in separate dwellings, separate mansions, apart from our Father’s house. But Jesus will Himself come visit us individually in the rooms He has prepared for us, where we will be with Him alone, and worship Him alone.
I had a sense of Jesus filling the doorway to my room as this was ministered to us. I cannot say that there is any place in Scripture that I’ve found to support this lovely, intimate concept other than Rev. 2:17. And possibly John 14:21, for then our obedience indeed will have been made perfect.
For if we each have a special name known only between the two of us, it would follow in my thoughts that there will be times He calls me by that name and I will experience the fulfillment of every single desire of this heart….to be only His, to have not one single spot, or blemish or wrinkle …. But in perfect love there will be nothing to separate me from pure worship in the Spirit and in truth.
Just some precious “Lord’s Day” sharings with dear brethren.
Oh, come quickly, Lord Jesus! COME!
Maranatha!
Karen Parrish
I very much enjoyed your comments, Karen.
Interesting that Jesus’ first occupation was as a carpenter down here, isn’t it? Don’t think this was an accident. I figure God’s House is all of New Jerusalem (which measures 1500 miles by 1500 miles by 1500 miles.) That gives it a volume of 3.375 billion cubic miles! What an enormous and amazing place that will be to live! Forever!
Interestingly, we read in Revelation that this huge city actually comes to land on a New Earth (Revelation, chapter 21). This means the New Earth will have to be much bigger to accommodate something of this size, since our present 8000-mile-diameter planet is much too small to accommodate anything this size. (Yeah, I’m something of a science geek!)
After 70+ years in this rough neighborhood of today’s sin-damaged Earth, I am definitely looking forward to “Moving Day,” which I think must be really close at hand.
Ed, thanks for these “geeky” additional understandings. I LOVE fellowship around the truths of Scripture that we each have pieces of in our hearts. Oh, to think of these times together as God’s children, as His family is gathered together and come to spend all eternity in the place we can only imagine at present. Having not seen, we are more blessed.
You are welcome. Even though I have always been fascinated with science, I, thankfully, never fell into the trap of worshiping it like many brilliant, but atheistic, scientists like the late Carl Sagan.
In my case, it has only increased my awe of the One who created this universe in all its complexity – and yet, humbled himself to become one of us and suffer at our hands.
And then, still offers to forgive us of all those things that caused his death and invites us to live with him forever in a place he is presently building especially for each of us.
Absolutely amazing!
Read Hal Lindsey’s ‘School Militants’–the article in his column today. Maybe this societal indoctrination of the LGBTQ and trans agendas now becoming mandatory in our school systems in many states is the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back! He concludes with Jesus’ admonition in Mathew 18;6 concerning harming these little ones! This is probably happening in many European school as well.