Learn to Number Your Days

“So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 NKJV

In an update to a story that’s captivated the running world on a global scale this week, it was reported that the man who allegedly rammed his car into 114-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh on the Jalandhar-Pathankot highway has been arrested, police said on Wednesday. Amritpal Singh Dhillon, a 26-year-old non-resident Indian (NRI), was arrested about 30 hours after Singh, popularly known as 'Turbaned Tornado', suffered head injuries in a hit-and-run accident while he was crossing the road at his native village near Jalandhar in Punjab. Singh was taken to the hospital, where he later died…. Born on April 1, 1911, in a farming family, Fauja Singh moved to England in the early 90s after the death of his wife. He took up running after his son died in 1994.In 2000, at the age of 89, he made his debut at the iconic London Marathon and went on to participate in Toronto, New York, and other cities within his age group. He became the oldest man to run a full marathon in 2011 at the age of 100 in Toronto. A torchbearer for the 2004 Athens Games and the 2012 London Olympics, Fauja Singh ran his last competitive race in 2013 at the age of 101, finishing the Hong Kong Marathon's 10-kilometre race in 1 hour, 32 minutes, 28 seconds.

And while what Singh was able to accomplish in his later years might be impressive, what’s more impressive is a person who understands the brevity of life and so makes the most of all their days by serving God to the fullest. This is the very idea that Moses conveyed when he wrote, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” As someone who came to fully follow the Lord later in life, Moses urged others to carefully consider the shortness of life (even if you live to be 114 years old), the uncertainty of life (no one knows when or how they will die as this story shows), and the blessing of life (each day is a gift from God to be used to serve God). You see, it’s only when a person develops a heart that both realizes that their days are short and that only what’s done for God has any eternal value that they will live each day to the fullest. 

So, if you have not already done so, ask the Lord to “teach” you to number your days my friend… that you might gain a heart of wisdom and devote the remainder of your time here on earth to serving the Lord with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is how a person lives life to the absolute fullest. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that life is fleeting and unpredictable. Teach us to understand this Lord that we might not waste our lives by living for our own desires but would live life to the fullest by seeking Your desires. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen. 

Happy Running!