A verse and chorus are sung of the song, “Cats in the Cradle” Psalm 90. A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Explanations: author: Moses; “man of God” common OT phrase for prophet. Occurs 76 times, often about Moses. Only psalm credited to him (although I think the anonymous psalm 91 might be by Moses as well) lived roughly 3500 years ago Moses had wisdom 90 Lord, you have been our dwelling place     in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Explanations: harkens back to creation “from everlasting to everlasting you are God”; i.e. before, within, and beyond all time, you reign supreme as God. “To look at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is impossible.” John Glenn (US Astronaut, Senator) 3 You return man to dust
    and say, “Return, O children of man!” Explanations: The reference to man as dust reminds us of Gen 3:19: “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” This speaks about the short, transitory nature of life. Just as God can make man alive, so he can return him to the dust. We’ve all been in cemeteries… 
4 For a thousand years in your sight
    are but as yesterday when it is past,
    or as a watch in the night. 5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
    like grass that is renewed in the morning:
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
    in the evening it fades and withers. Explanations: Further on God’s eternity: a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past. In 2 Peter 3:8 the apostle Peter alludes to this verse when speaking about the return of Jesus. To some it seems as if it is taking a long time—but not according to God’s big picture plan and timing! Think about human life; it has so much in it—births, first steps, graduations, family events, goals, careers, losses, disappointments, moving cities, servanthood and faithfulness, illness, mountains to overcome, heartfelt prayer, wonderful victories, failing bodies, watching our time on earth wind down… But when compared with the eternity of God, the span of a human life is like a blade of grass that is alive in the morning and withered at night. Think of something you’re looking forward to in 6 days (party); like 6000 years to God! 7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
    by your wrath we are dismayed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
    our secret sins in the light of your presence. 9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
    we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
10 The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span[c] is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger,
    and your wrath according to the fear of you? Explanations: Starting at v.7, our end on earth occurs because of sin; surely in Moses’ mind is how the people whom God has liberated from slavery in Egypt continued to complain against God and sin against him. God sees everything; all our sins. “our secret sins in the light of your presence.” Imagine you doing something you shouldn’t do in the dark. You think you’re in the dark so no one will see you; but God sees. Public sins are sins that other people see. Secret sins are internet: envy, greed, lust, pride. Others can’t ‘see’ them, but God does. People live seventy years, or eighty; true in light of modern statistics. Many of those years consumed with ‘toil and trouble.’ The inclusion of this detail is, I think, supposed to remind us how even 70 or 80 years are very short compared to the thousands and thousands cited earlier. (Note that Moses lived to be 120) ‘We fly away.’ Not a reference to being angels. This is a statement about vanishing (in a physical sense) from the earth, like a bird. 12 So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom. Explanations: In light of the eternal nature of God’s existence and the temporary nature of our existence, a request is made of God: “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” In other words, remind us that we don’t have a lot of time here on earth so that we will be wise with the limited time we have. Ensure we’re not wasteful! The great devotional writer Thomas a Kempis, who wrote The Imitation of Christ in the 15th century says a word that is poignant here: “Live that death will never take you unprepared.” 13 Return, O Lord! How long?
    Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
    that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
    and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
    and your glorious power to their children. Explanations: These verses put this psalm in the category of lament. We don’t know what problems they’re having but they want God to help. They want: Pity Steadfast love Rejoicing Gladness To see God at work To see God’s glorious power Note that they want to experience gladness ‘for as many years as we have seen evil.’ They want more good than bad. Don’t we all! 
17 Let the favor[d] of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands! Explanations: Moses prays for God’s favour. twice prays that God “establish the work of our hands.” The sense is to make our efforts successful. Perhaps this is a part of what his (and their) concern is: they are not seeing traction in who they are called to be or what they are called to do. Perhaps their physical wandering has resulted in a sense of spiritual wandering. Moses, the man of God, is not asking for success in a worldly sense. This is especially true in Psalm 90 since Moses is taking to nomads wandering through the wilderness—it’s not like they are going to have finely crafted buildings or houses as a part of their legacies. Hebrew linguist Robert Alter: “Against the dismaying ephemerality of human existence, in which a life sprouts and withers like grass, God can give fleeting human experience solid substantiality.” (320) That’s what they want. The nomads want increasing confidence that what they are doing matters and will last. I think this is key to the meaning: In verses 13 and 16 he calls himself and God’s people around him (whom he is leading) “servants.” He wants God to make them successful servants. Connected to this is surely the request in verse 12 to make them wise. He’s asking God, in his eternity and sovereign power, to help them, get them through their adversity, so they can be wise servants. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. “Cats in the Cradle,” verse 2 is sung. Focus: Wisdom is doing what is right with the time you have left. Explanation. We don’t know how long we have. Explain. Using our time unwisely usually results in regret. Kyle Idleman talks about a website where people listed their most painful regrets… Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, motivational speaker: “There are two types of pain in this world, the short term pain of discipline and the long term pain of regret.” -Myers, Home Run, 120) These considerations should lead us toward servanthood. Note vv. 13, 16. Serving God and others is always a good use of time no matter how much time we have. In Matthew 25:23 Jesus says ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ How wonderful would it be for Jesus to greet us with those words at heaven’s door? Therefore, prioritize serving God. Explain. “Cats in the Cradle,” verse 3. Amen.