Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. – Psalm 90:14
“How can I pray for you?” When I am asked this simple question, it is a great kindness from the Lord. Not knowing what to say, I often answer by asking that person to pray Psalm 90:12 for me: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses – the only psalm attributed to Moses. The psalm begins by declaring the eternality of God (Psalm 90:1-2). In contrast to the God who is from everlasting to everlasting, Moses then declares the brevity and frailty of human life (Psalm 90:3-11). It is not until verse 12 that the prayer of Moses makes a request. He petitions God to teach us to number our days so that our hearts may become wise.
What does Psalm 90:12 mean? There are many implications to this prayer request that we should consider. But it may be that the best way to understand verse 12 is to keep reading to verse 14: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” In a real sense, the two verses are two different ways of saying the same thing. A wise heart is a heart that is satisfied in God.
Moses and the children of Israel learned the hard way that the years of our lives are but “toil and trouble, they are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). It is a waste of life to invest in things that cannot save and do not satisfy. There is a void in every life that only God can fill. Is there a void in your life? Does it feel like something is missing? Are you looking for satisfaction in the wrong places? Ask God to satisfy you in the morning with his steadfast love.
God Satisfies through Prayer. Fundamentally, Psalm 90:14 is a prayer request. It acknowledges a personal need. That need is every person’s desire – satisfaction. Moses confesses this universal need by praying satisfaction for “us,” not just for himself. He knows that only God can fulfill this deep-seated longing for true satisfaction. So, Moses prayed with confidence that God would hear and answer his prayer for satisfaction. James is right. “We do not have, because we do not ask” (James 4:2). Favor and fulfillment come from God alone. Ask him in faith to satisfy the needs of your heart.
God Satisfies in the Morning. Moses asked the Lord to satisfy him at a strategic time: “in the morning.” Of course, God can satisfy any time. His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 100:5). God works the night shift! Yet the sovereign “Night Watchmen” (Psalm 121:3-4) is an early bird. When you wake up each day, God provides new mercies without fail (Lamentations 3:22-23). Is there a void in your heart you need God to fill? Make it a priority to meet the Lord in the morning before the day starts. Listen to God through daily scripture intake. Talk to God through ongoing believing prayer.
God Satisfies with Steadfast-Love. How long should your morning devotional time be? As long as it takes you to satisfy your heart with God’s love for you. “Stead-love” is the covenant-keeping love of God. God loves you because he has promised to love you, and he always keeps his promises. People may change their minds about you for any reason. God has every reason to change his mind about you. Yet nothing can separate you from the love of God in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:38-39). Don’t start the affairs and activities of the day without meditating on God’s loyal love for you.
God Satisfies in all Circumstances. Why does Moses ask God for satisfaction? “That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Divine satisfaction brings joy externally (“rejoice”) and internally (“be glad”). It is a life of heavenly blessing, spiritual contentment, and complete fulfillment. Unfortunately, we look for satisfaction in the wrong places. But the futile and foolish things of this world only offer temporary satisfaction. But the hand of the Lord gives satisfaction that beings rejoicing and gladness “all our days.” Whatever the day brings, the Lord can give peace that surpasses all understanding to guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7). It’s yours for the asking today!