[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during October 2022]
For many years the phrase “three-score years and ten” was used in common parlance to indicate a typical western life-expectancy. It was often used as the basis for forecasting the costs of life insurance and health care, and for estimating the duration of pension obligations. With subsequent developments in public hygiene and personal lifestyles, this life expectation has been superseded. One consequence of this is the pressure to raise the age of retirement.
The phrase itself comes from a prayer ascribed to Moses; here is the verse in full:
The years of our life are threescore and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. Psalm 90 v10 [RSV]
In some ways, these words by Moses are somewhat ironic since he did not start his life’s most significant work until he was eighty years old[1] but as we read the account of the Exodus we can see that the second part of the verse describes his experience realistically.
Solomon was even more vociferous when he wrote:
Meaningless! Meaningless! … Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1 v2-3 [NIVUK]
For those of us who have achieved that first milestone or even the second, do those words of Moses and Solomon represent our own experience? Have we no positive memories? Is there nothing of value that we can encourage younger generations to look forwards to?
Both of these men had the responsibility of leading the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people, and their words reveal, in different ways, the stresses of their calling. Is leading God’s people in the modern era a stress-free experience? Do we bother to ask? Imagine the effect if everyone who reads these notes were to ask their pastor or other church leader if there is one thing for which they would appreciate prayer.
Modern society places stress on all those who actively participate in it. Physical pain, financial obligations and personal relationships can put us under stress. How do we handle it? There is sound advice in these words written by Joseph Scriven, a man who tried to live by the principles of the Sermon on the Mount but endured far more than his fair share of disappointments and distress:
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge – take it to the Lord in prayer![2]
Finally, no matter how real our stress may be, it is but a pale shadow of the stress that Jesus endured in the final days of his life on earth.[3] His death procured for us the way of salvation – that at least is one thing that we do not need to be stressed about.
[1] Exodus 7 v7
[2] “What a friend we have in Jesus”, JM Scriven, 1885
[3] Luke 12 v50 [NRSVA]
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Steve Humphreys October 2022
