How to Pray: God Don't Let Me Waste Time

Time is one thing all of us are losing at the same rate and none of us can afford to buy back. The reality of time and how it escapes us changes as we get older, but that can be an asset to us if we determine in our hearts to make the time we have count! Join us in Psalm 90 as we study this prayer of Moses.

Join the Journey!

Join the Movement!

Join the PRESS!

#prayer 

#prayers 

#pray 

#christianprayer 

#howtopray  

#biblestudy 

#biblestudyforbeginners 

#biblestudyforteens 

#Christian

#pentecostal 

#apostolic 

#press 

#pressmovement

 @PRESSMovementPodcast  

press2pray.com

Transcript

Press means to apply force.

When God said press, prayer reaches every single situation.

He gave us permission to apply force to every situation that we will go through. And in this podcast, we are going to learn to apply force to what's applying pressure to us. Welcome everybody to the Press podcast.

You're here today.

That in and of itself is a reason to praise God and it is a blessing and I am thankful for it.

And I pray that you are too, no matter what yesterday has been or what today will be.

And even in spite of whatever the future may hold, we have a reason to praise and thank God today because we are here.

And so with that thought, let's go to Psalms chapter 90. Because in Psalms chapter 90, Moses, who is the person praying in this chapter, he really does focus on valuing life.

But we're going to read it, we'll look at it briefly, and then as always, make sure you study it for yourself.

Psalms chapter 90.

Lord, thou has been our dwelling place in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction and sayest return ye children of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is passed, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood, they are as a sleep.

In the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth and groweth up, in the evening it is cut down and withered.

For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

Thou has set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath, we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten, and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow, for it is soon cut off and we fly away.

Who knoweth the power of thine anger, even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Return, oh Lord, how long?

And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

Oh satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish thou the work of our hands upon us. Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

I don't know at what point Moses wrote this chapter.

The scripture doesn't tell us what exactly he was going through or what stage of life he was in.

But what we do see here, if I had to encapsulate this whole chapter in three words, it would be make it count.

Because that seems to be the theme of Moses's prayer.

Whatever God allows, whatever happens in life, my life is brief, but make it count.

He puts time as a factor of this chapter into this prayer from the beginning.

Because he prays and he opens by saying, God, you've been our dwelling place. Lord, you've been our dwelling place for generations.

You're not new to this.

You've always been where we could run, where we could hide.

And you're eternal.

From everlasting to everlasting, there is you.

But then he starts to transition a little bit and he says, thou turnest man to destruction and sayest return ye children of men.

Now if you read this, some people would be thinking that God sets us up. He sets us up to be destroyed and then says, hey guys, come back.

Don't fall for it.

But that's really not the case.

What this verse is saying is that yes, God uses trouble and destruction too.

But he doesn't use it to just destroy things.

Though anytime you're facing destruction, being destroyed is an option, when God does it, it is slow that you can turn.

He wants trouble to get your attention. And so he employs trouble to work for you. And the thing about trouble is that when we are in it, it often seems so long and hard for us.

But God's sight is not like our sight. Because a thousand years in his sight is just like yesterday. It's just a moment.

That's why God doesn't panic with us.

That's why when we're going through it and we can't see the possibility of a future, he's already living in your tomorrow.

What feels long to us is brief to him.

And when he looks, even though he's a good father and he's touched by the feeling of our infirmities, Hebrews says, it's only temporary.

I allowed my children to get shots when they were younger.

I'm not trying to make a political statement about whether or not you get vaccines of any sort.

But my children had some shots when they were born. And it pained my heart to see that they were getting shots.

They would cry.

And sometimes they might have a little swelling or redness around the shot.

I thank God my children didn't have any reactions to them that were really extreme, but either way, it pained me to see it. But I allowed them to get a shot against chicken pox or polio because I knew that the pain they were enduring, though they were screaming in the moment, and though it had side effects to them in the moment because of the little swelling and tenderness, I knew that if I just let them go through this pain, this pain won't last forever.

God does us the same way.

He looks and he feels and he aches and he cares with you, but he doesn't always take you out of it quickly because of what the pain can work in you.

The scripture goes on to say, thou carriest them away with a flood, they are as a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

It paints a picture in the next few verses of our lives being brief, of them growing, flourishing, but also ending quickly. But in this instance, it's not just about life, it's about a life that needs to turn. A life that needs to repent.

It's about a God who employs trouble.

And so he goes on to say, we're consumed by thine anger and by your wrath we're troubled.

Thou has set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

It's like we're just bare in front of you, God. It's like you can see through us. It's like what we're trying so hard to hide, you're just shining a light all over it. God knows how to expose us and he knows how to do it for our good.

But the key is that he's doing it in the light of his countenance. It's not exposure just for the sake of being exposed, but we're exposed in front of him.

Moses goes on to say, essentially, the days of our years are 70 years.

This is threescore and ten. A score is 20, threescore is 60, and 10 is 70.

Basically he says, God, you're going to give us about 70 years and if we happen to get 80, there's going to be labor and sorrow and it's still going to end quickly. So he goes on to say, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Teach us, God, teach us how to make it count. Teach us not to waste time. Teach us to apply what we've learned.

I was in a conversation with somebody who was a little bit of an older gentleman, probably around 60 or so.

And they found themselves in a position where they're having to work alongside a group that's around 20 something. And these 20 somethings are pushing forward, they're really zealous for God, they are striving to know him and learn him and they're just on an amazing track. But for him, it was thought provoking and perhaps even a little discouraging to be in the same place as they are at 20 at his age of, let's just say 60 or thereabouts. But the way the Lord gave it to me to share with him and even encourage him was that just because you're older and you seem to be in the same place as these younger ones does not mean you're behind. One, I believe God will recover our years, but two, I understand now being somewhere between those two ages that at 20 something, you don't always appreciate the value of the moment.

Whereas at 60 or thereabouts, you're looking and saying, my time may be short.

So I have to apply these things now.

There's no time to waste, there's no time to get off course.

You've already seen what life has to offer.

And you understand that it all led back to, I wish I'd given God my best. They still have some journeys in them and prayerfully they'll all expedite and apply wisdom to whatever situations they're in.

But we know when you get to be more seasoned, you understand the moments don't really last forever.

And that is what this scripture is praying, teach us to number our days. Teach us to make the time you give us count. Teach us even to make the trouble you give us count. And God be merciful to us that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us and the years wherein we have seen evil.

Make it count. If I have to go through it, God, make it count. If I have to hurt, if I have to be afflicted, if I have to see the evil, God, make it count.

Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children.

I want to see your hand and I want my people to see it too.

Remember he opened by saying, Lord, you have been the shelter, the safe place for generations. And he's closing the same way.

Make this thing count.

Let our children see it.

Be the God of the generations. And establish thou the work of our hands upon us. Yea, the work of our hands, you establish it. Whatever you've given our hands to do, let it settle, let it be fortified. Don't let it be easily moved. God, make it count.

Today, if you find yourself a 20 something listening to this or even younger, then know that time will not always be your best friend.

So apply your heart to wisdom.

Hear me when I say, make whatever you're doing count. If you find yourself in between and you're not old, you're not young anymore, but you're old enough to know life isn't forever and young enough to still have strength in your body, make today count. If you find yourself older and you know that your younger days are behind you, today, make it count. Whatever time you have, whether young or old, make it count. For God wants to make everything he's allowed you to experience, to see, to go through, he wants to make it count for you.

Open your mouth, talk to him, trust him, and believe that prayer reaches every single situation.

Join the movement, join the community, like, share and subscribe to this podcast.

Visit us at press to pray.com or find us on Instagram or Facebook.

Did you know that when you are quiet, your voice is missing to God's ears?

I know some of us have prayed and we're wondering, how long should I pray about this? Why should I pray if God already knows?

How will I know God is answering?

And what do I do when I feel like God's not listening? But God is listening for your voice.

It's too quiet in this world for the troubles we have.

You have to raise your voice and God wants to hear from you.

It's too quiet.

A book about prayer is designed to answer your prayer questions and build your faith.

Visit press to pray.com.