Psalm 90 might be my favorite of all the psalms. It’s certainly the one I’ve pondered the most. At least 3 or 4 mornings a week, I open my prayer time by reciting it to the Lord.
Verse 14 is one of several reasons I’m so drawn to this psalm: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Nearly every word is worth pondering.
“Satisfy.” The word means “to fill all the way to the brim” or “to satiate.” It’s the same word used (in adjective form) in Pharaoh’s dream in Genesis 41 to describe the 7 years of “great plenty.” It’s whatever word you would use to describe that feeling after Thanksgiving dinner when you push back from the table and go look for a comfy chair.
“Us… your.” The pronouns (and the rest of the poem) show that this isn’t just a song; it’s a prayer, spoken and sung directly to God.
“In the morning.” Right at the beginning of the day, we are asking God to satisfy our soul. Can you imagine what it would be like to open each day, not with your email or the weather report, but with a heart full of happiness in God?
“Your steadfast love.” It’s a challenging word to bring over into English, because there’s no exact equivalent. The King James Version uses “mercy,” getting at the compassion which moves God to treat us this way. The New American Standard renders it “lovingkindness,” mashing two similar words together to show the intensity of this goodness. The ESV goes with “steadfast love” (cf. NIV “unfailing love” & CSB “faithful love”), emphasizing how this love endures no matter what we do. Put all those together and you just start to get the idea.
“That.” Think: “so that.” There’s a goal for why we’re asking for God to satisfy our soul with His love.
“Rejoice.” Such a modest choice in the ESV for such a dramatic word. “Sing” and “shout” are most common ways this word is rendered elsewhere (cf. Job 38:7 “the morning stars sang together” or Ps 33:1 “Shout for joy”). Here’s how you can tell when God answers this prayer: when you find yourself singing for joy!
“Be glad.” Joy and happiness are both involved. Feelings of delight inside and out.
“All our days.” Good days and bad days. No matter what comes our way, we can sing and rejoice if God will satisfy us with His steadfast love in the morning. Amen and amen!