Do we have a promise for long life?

The moment when you are diagnosed with a serious disease like cancer not just is the quality of your life compromised but also your life expectancy. In my case the doctor reckoned that my chances for full recovery were really slim. They would try to keep me as comfortable as possible but it was clear that I was not given much time. In a time like this it is important to know what God’s opinion is on a matter like this. After all God has the last say on any matter concerning our lives.

This morning while reading Ps 90, I was anew surprised at how our religious minds jump to conclusions on hearsay instead of investigating the Word of God for ourselves under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Psalm 90 is a clear discussion about the spiritual state of the Israelites while travelling through the desert due to their own choice for forty years. Moses is actually lamenting the fact that none of the people who refused to trust God will have the privilege to enter Canaan. Moses is doing some calculations and finds that those people will have a life expectancy of only 70 to 80 years before they have to leave this earth because of their own choice, not wanting to enter the Promised Land, stuck in their unbelief. (Also see Hebrews 3:7-12). In verse twelve we clearly see that a wicked heart is an unbelieving heart. An unbelieving heart is not willing to receive anything from God; it always thinks it knows more than God or that God does not really know what is good for us. What made God angry was actually the human arrogance and ignorance.

Today after the Crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of humanity, there is no anger and wrath from Father God’s side towards humanity. We are free, forgiven, loved, received His mercy and grace in abundance! We are not living under God’s wrath or anger and therefore the life expectancy of the Israelites in the desert has no effect on us any longer.
Moses himself was 120 years old when he died without being old, for the Word says in Deuteronomy 34:7, “his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated.” So what is it with us that we all grow old so quickly and keep on proclaiming the life expectancy of people who lived under God’s anger? Shouldn’t we start to proclaim the message of God’s favour upon His children?

What about our life expectancy then for today? I am coming to the conclusion that we have a choice and say in the number of our days. “So teach us to number our days, which may get us (gain us) a heart of wisdom.” Ps 90:12 the Amplified Bible Version.

Wisdom means to accept the authority of the Word (Jesus) in our lives, gain understanding, knowing Him personally as our friend and brother, trusting upon Him totally and completely within every area of our being. Knowing that He is for us and not against us, knowing that our sins are forgiven, we are therefore without sin and guilt. “When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt.” (Hebrews 1:3c) “In accordance with this will of God, we have been made holy, consecrated and sanctified through the body of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One.” (See Hebrews 10:10) The impact of what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf is that He made us sinless and guiltless, He made us holy, thus we are no rotten sinners any longer without hope, once a sinner always a sinner. From the moment we accept this gift of salvation we have the very life of God in us, we are born from above, new creatures, all things have been made new in us.

You needn’t even try to remember your entire list of wrong doings or our sin list to be forgiven; for the sins of the world have been blotted out on the cross more than 2000 years ago and we are free to live.

Now because we have set our love upon Him, He delivered us and seated us on high, because we know and understand His Name, having a personal knowledge of His mercy (pardoned while we were on death row), love and kindness. We know we can trust and rely on Him because we know He will never forsake us, no never! We will call upon Him and He will answer us, He will be with us in any kind of trouble even sickness and cancer, and He (Jesus) will deliver us and honour us. How will He honour us? With long life will He satisfy us and show us His salvation. (See Psalm 91: 14-16).

Yes I know for sure that it is God’s will for us to be healed and blessed with a long good life for His glory through us.