Psalm 90: Number our Days by Dalene Rayburn

Wherever you find yourself on the timeline of your life, you have a choice. You can look back with regret, and look forward with fear, and live a mediocre present. Or you can take hold of the truth that Jesus redeems your past, He is real in your present, and He can position you to be ready for your future. Join Dalene Reyburn in this four-part series through Psalm 90, in which we’ll echo the prayer of Moses: ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’

(If you are intending to watch this series as a Small Group, there is also a free study guide for you to follow.)

Small Group Testimonial:

We used this series and found it a very helpful resource to promote good discussion and further thinking. The video sessions were no longer than 10 minutes and the presenter raised some really good conversation starters. We took the study notes and slightly adapted them. We would recommend this as an ideal resource for those new to faith or exploring faith.

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When Jesus said, "Abide in me, and I in you… apart from me you can do nothing," He was calling us to a different way of doing life — one that draws strength from connection,not self-reliance.

Abide is an invitation to stay close, especially when life feels uncertain or demanding. It's about learning to hold steady in the process, to find courage in adversity, and to cultivate the kind of resilience that grows from being deeply rooted in Him.

If you joined us at Abide '26 we hope it was helpful, hopeful and an encouragement to you. A special thanks to Arianna Walker who led us so well. You can listen to the talks from Saturday below. If you would like to find out more about Mercy UK you can do so here.

Session Recordings

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I leaned back in the comfortable armchair and paused to reflect and think about what to say. My mentor, in her usual, perceptive way had asked me a really good question. She seemed very comfortable with the silence. I needed time to process her question and my response.

Mentoring in a work situation tends to focus on professional development, leadership skills, or guiding people into skills they want to grow in. Christian mentoring is about more than self improvement or personal development.

It’s about helping people become more and more like Jesus. Christian mentoring relationships provide an intentional way of engaging with God's agenda. Having a mentor means having a person to encourage us, to offer a fresh perspective, to support us and bring some insights from their experience and their own faith journey. A mentor can help us to reflect on what is happening, to make sense of it and to decide how to act, in order to produce a different or better outcome in a similar situation in the future.

A mentor is not someone who walks ahead of us and tells us how they did it. A mentor is someone who walks alongside us to guide us on what we can do.

Simon Sinek

The Bible knows nothing of solitary, isolated faith. We are made to function in community and share our lives with each other. Paul is a prime example. At first the believers in Jerusalem were skeptical, that the man who had been so opposed to the followers of Jesus, pursuing and persecuting them, had now become one of them. We see Barnabas bridging the gap and building relationships not only with Paul himself, but also between Paul and the church family. Barnabas was a mentor to Paul and when he needed help in Antioch, it was Paul he asked to come and work with him. In time, Paul became a mentor to other people like Titus and Timothy.

So to go back to where I started...

My mentor had asked me a question about why I felt guilty about looking after myself. I realised that as a wife, mother, caregiver, and church worker, I had become caught in a cycle of “put others first” “don’t be selfish” “take care of others before yourself.” If I wasn’t careful this was going to lead to disillusionment, frustration and exhaustion. My mentor and I discussed ways that I could make some changes and I began walking more, taking time to relax and read and not always feeling that I had to be on call all the time. It was ok not to reply to texts and emails immediately! I can also remember the joy that I felt, making a small purchase of something that I needed and choosing the item I wanted, not just something that was in the sale. That might seem trivial but it was a big step forward for me.

So would I recommend having a mentor? Absolutely. I have had several different mentors and I can honestly say that I think my Christian mentors have helped me to grow in ways that would not have happened without them.

Modern science would add a plethora of signs other than a heavy heart. Restlessness, fatigue difficulty concentrating, irritability, disturbed sleep, overthinking, indecision, fear of making the wrong decision, avoidance of situations, procrastination, constant seeking of re-assurance. Anxiety has always been a principle factor in our existence. How do you think our anxiety today compares with the past? Lets take the advent of WW2 as a comparison.

Global war and conflict:

1939: The human toll of the Great Depression was only just passing, to be replaced by the onset of WW2, with its threat of global conflict, safety of loved ones, and the possibility of conscription. Today: Fears about geopolitical tensions (the Middle East, the U.S. and China/Russia) abound, as well as concerns over terrorism, cyber warfare, and potential for nuclear conflict.

Economic Uncertainty:

1939: Following the Great Depression, people still faced high unemployment, poverty, and economic instability. Today: Anxiety is more focused towards income inequality, job insecurity, high personal debt, and rising cost of living.

Health:

1939: Anxiety focused on physical toll of war… injury, death, and the spread of diseases by war. Mental health was misunderstood and stigmatised. Today: Our focus is drawn to the fear of pandemics, health issues and the pressures of modern lifestyles.

Technology:

1939: The destructive potential of new weapons, and concerns over the use of radio and propaganda. Today: Fears about privacy, data security, job displacement and information overload and burnout with a relentless stream of news, opinions, and comparisons with others. Medias current favourite hobby horse is of course the rise of “Artificial Intelligence” and its existential threat to humanity.

Environmental issues:

1939: Global environmental anxiety was scarcely an issue. Concerns were more localised. Today: Environmental anxiety is rife, with concerns over climate change, natural disasters, pollution, and the sustainability of natural resources.

So one could say, in the anxiety stakes, as much as things change, the more they stay the same 

What is to be our response as Christians?

Well, my starting point is an acknowledgement that we are made in Gods image and that in human form Jesus also suffered from anxiety and responded to the anxiety of others. We see his anxiety in The Garden of Gethsemane - Mark 14:32-42 and Jesus cry on the cross - Matthew 27:46.

But more often we see him calming and healing others amid their anxiety: The Calming of the Storm - Matthew 8:23-27;  The Raising of Lazarus - John 11:1-44; The Woman with the Issue of Blood - Mark 5:25-34; Jesus Comforting His Disciples at the last supper - John 14:1-4; and many more.

So we should not be surprised at our own experiences of anxiety, it is a natural human emotion... It’s just that sometimes it can overwhelm us and become disproportionate to the actual risks we face in life.

Jesus, wholly aware of this provides instruction to the disciples in Matthew 6:25-34 - "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life …”, He emphasises God's provision for all His creation, encouraging us to trust in God's care and the promise of spending eternity in God’s presence.

"Do not worry"

This is not a suggestion for their well-being but a command… “DO NOT WORRY”.  Something, hard to conjure up in the heat of our anxiety, we would be wise to reflect and ruminate on whilst we are at peace, ready to employ that deep sense of calm when anxiety rears its head.

I am reminded of a sketch, by one of my favourite comedians Bob Newhart. I wont summarise it but you can watch it here for your edification and delight. There is a lovely underlying observation embedded therein that we can be quite accepting of our own anxieties yet highly critical of others fears and worries.

Pauls advice in Philippians 4:6-7 is:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And 1 Peter 5:7; "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Next Steps

For many, having someone with whom they can talk through their anxieties can be helpful. Perhaps a trusted friend who can pray with you, a Christian mentor, or a professional counsellor through a practise such as the Guernsey Counselling Service.

A distant line separates the horizon from the huge blue cathedral like expanse overhead. No trees, no bushes, no animals, no visible movement or growth, a complete lack of life. Three weeks later flying over the same area to my surprise I spot a small lake that had appeared in the sand. I knew from the Hydrology of Chad that there are huge reserves of water, usually deep underground but at times it breaks through to the surface. It was amazing to see crystal clear water in areas that seemed to have scarcity yet now had abundance. The water had always been there it just needed bringing to the surface…

With God there is more than enough, there is abundance.

Some of the most generous people I have ever met had so little, with no obvious reserves at all, with little chance of finding resources to pay for unexpected medical or education bills or help out in family emergencies and yet they navigate life with a sense of expectation that God will provide and look after them, sharing what they have. Perhaps you have met folk who are the opposite never seeming to have enough, their conversation often revolves around costs & expense, judging people’s achievements by their earnings or how large their house is and so on. Wisdom and our responsibility do say plan, save, prepare for the future but not at the expense of being generous. Care needs to be taken that you do not take on values that say that you are responsible for everything at the expense of trusting God as provider and as the one who gives wisdom. We are called to be joyful and generous and live from a place of abundance.

I remember meeting an East German soon after the Berlin wall fell. She found that whenever she went into a German super market she always had to load her basket to the absolute brim, it cost her more than she could afford but she was always fearful that the next time she came to the supermarket it would be empty. Her head was saying of course there will be more stock but her heart was thinking what if…

Change the way we think

If you struggle with lack and scarcity why not consider changing the way you think? There is a core value that we are asked to reflect, it is to be generous like our Father, by that we mean our heavenly Father. Remember when we first encountered Jesus he was asking us to change the way we think and he is asking it again (Romans 12:1-3) to be transformed and one of the core values is to be generous. It is very hard to be generous if we always think that we never have enough i.e. that we have lack.

The Genius of Generosity

I hope you will see with me that cultivating our hearts to be Generous, so we move from perceiving our world as being one of lack, shortage and scarcity, to seeing our world as one of abundance. It amazing, & wonderful that with a heart of Generosity we can bless others, resist jealousy and live as humankind was meant to live, as a people of boundless blessing.

Imagine if you woke up every morning and declared to the day ahead:

1. I am blessed to be a blessing.
2. I have more than enough to sow into the Kingdom of God.
3. In every area of my life I live in abundance.
4. I overflow with delight as I generously give to the Lord and to others.
5. I have a unique ability to know when God is highlighting someone I should bless generously with time, money or another resource.
6. When others are generous towards me, I receive it with gladness.
   
   

Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope

Romans 15:13

As his disciples we are called to demonstrate that there is more than enough by bringing God’s generosity to the surface.