Teach Us To Number Our Days

Regis Philbin used to ask, "Who wants to be a millionaire?" Well, I'm not going to offer you a million bucks for answering these questions but give it your best shot. What happened on these dates?

December 7, 1941

September 2, 1945

November 22, 1963

July 20, 1969

September 11, 2001

How'd you do? Here are the answers: 12/07/41 - attack on Pearl Harbor, 09/02/45 - Victory over Japan, 11/22/63 - JFK assassination and death of C.S.Lewis, 07/20/69 - Man on the moon, 09/11/01 - World Trade Center attack.

History has a way of numbering the significant days of our lives so that their impact is simply recalled by their numerical date. All an author need do is write "Dec. 7" or "Sept. 11" and we know what they're referring to.

The Bible tells us "...to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." (Psalm 90:12 ESV) The New Living Translation of the Bible says it this way, "Make the most of our time, because time on this earth is fleeting." It would appear that the old Latin phrase "Carpe Diem" is a biblical principle. We must seize the day because we are not guaranteed another.

On the morning of September 11, 2001 a 32 year old business man was forced "to make the most of his time." As Todd Beamer boarded Flight 93 headed for San Francisco he had no idea that he would be placed in a situation that would alter the course of history. But he was and he rose to the occassion because he was a Christian and he had been taught "to number his days." When Todd realized that his plane had been hijacked and was being aimed back toward Washington D.C. he calmly tried to call his wife. He couldn't reach her so he left a message with the air phone operator. He told the operator to tell his wife that he loved her and then asked the operator to pray the Lord's Prayer with him. After praying together the operator reports that the last thing she heard from Todd was him telling his fellow passengers, "Let's roll!"

We all know what happened after that. Todd and his fellow passengers sacrificed their lives so that thousands of lives on the ground might be saved. Todd's unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ gave him the courage to act and to seize the day.

Here are some more million dollar questions. Are you ready to seize the day? Are you ready to meet your Maker? Tomorrow holds no guarantees. All we have is today. Let the Lord teach you to number your days.