Teach Me to Number My Days...

So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

In the past few months, God has really been challenging me to "number my days." In a very short time I will be leaving my family to have a new adventure at Bible college. I will be gone for a year, and there are so many emotions coursing through me-- excitement for new friends and all the things I will learn; fear of the unknown, the unfamiliar, the future; and sadness at leaving behind the people that mean the most to me in this world, even if only for a year. So much will change. I know God will do amazing things in all of us while I'm gone, but it doesn't lessen the pain of leaving them.



So I have been spending as much time as possible with my family, numbering every day, every hour, every minute.



What if we always lived like that, counting every day and hour and second of our lives? What if we stopped taking our loved ones for granted? What if we saw every moment as a gift from God and not something to be squandered? How much richer and fuller our lives would be if we saw every day as a blessing and not just monotonous carrying-on!

Remember Who put you here on earth-- and for what reason. You were not placed on this earth to satisfy your own desires, to accumulate wealth, or to have hundreds of friends. You are here because God wants you to be, because He has a divine and perfect purpose for your life. There is a reason God placed you exactly where you are. If you're not sure what that reason is, ask Him. He gives wisdom to all those who ask Him sincerely.

Now I challenge you, as I have been challenged, to live each day to the fullest. You don't know how long you have left on this earth. If you were lying on your deathbed tomorrow, would you have regrets? Would you have wished you had lived differently? What if a loved one died tomorrow? Would you have peace in the fact that you loved them and that they knew it? Or would you be forever haunted by unsaid words? Don't take anything for granted-- learn to number your days, because no matter how long you live, you only have so much time. Make it count!

Psalm 6

I was reading through the Psalms and got a crazy idea-- what if I were to rewrite some of the Psalms in my own words, making them rhyme? I'm certainly not the first to do this, but I thought it would be fun.
*Note: This is not in any way supposed to be a different version of the Bible or anything, and I worked very hard to capture the essence of the words and ideas of the Psalm, but this is my own personal take on the Psalm.

First read the Psalm I based my poem on:

Psalm 6 (Prayer for Mercy in Time of Trouble)
O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am pining away;
Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are dismayed.
And my soul is greatly dismayed;
But You, O LORD—how long?
Return, O LORD, rescue my soul;
Save me because of Your lovingkindness.
For there is no mention of You in death;
In Sheol who will give You thanks?
I am weary with my sighing;
Every night I make my bed swim,
I dissolve my couch with my tears.  
My eye has wasted away with grief;
It has become old because of all my adversaries.
Depart from me, all you who do iniquity,
For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.
The LORD has heard my supplication,
The LORD receives my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed;
They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed. (NASB)

My poem:

Psalm 6
O Father, please don't punish me
In anger or in wrath.
My body is faint and feeble;
Remember I am empty chaff.
My heart aches deep within me
As I wonder, Lord, how long?
It feels like You've abandoned me;
Without You, I can't be strong.
Come back to me, O Lord,
Despondence haunts me in this place.
Lift me from this pitch-black hole;
I'm desperate for Your grace.
For if I were to die right now,
How would I give You praise?
Would those around me see Your Light?
How then would they be saved?
As I stare into the darkness,
My eyes fill again with tears.
I'm weary of so much mourning,
Sick of having so much fear.
My eyes wetly burn; my cheeks, they sting;
In tears my pillows swim.
As I think back on all that's been
My hope steadily grows more dim.
I want no more of evil friends
Who entice me more to sin.
My Father has heard my cries of pain
And He leads me back to Him.
I know He has heard my pleading,
He's seen my grief and shame.
"Remember, child, I made you,
Then I called you out by name."
You will defeat my enemies,
And turn them back in shame
While I thank You for Your immeasurable love
And forever glorify Your Name. 
©Ashley Coupe 

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