If you are grateful that the Lord has blessed you with so many years on this earth, give thanks to Him.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
There is a quiet wonder in waking up and realizing how many mornings the Lord has carried you into. Some people measure their life by milestones—birthdays, graduations, anniversaries. Others measure it by mercies—healing after sickness, strength after sorrow, peace after storms. However you count, one truth remains: every year you have lived is not merely time that passed; it is grace that was given.
Gratitude becomes especially tender when you have “so many years on this earth.”
The world may call aging a burden, but Scripture invites us to see longevity as stewardship. The Lord did not add days to your life by accident, and He did not preserve you through seasons of difficulty without purpose. Each year is a page in a story He is writing, and your continued breath is evidence that His hand has not let go.
Yet it is possible to live many years and still overlook the Giver. That is why the psalmist prays, “Teach us to number our days.” Numbering our days is not morbid; it is worshipful. It turns our attention from what we have done to what God has done. It helps us say, with honest humility, “Lord, I am here because You sustained me.”
If you are grateful for your years, give thanks to Him—specifically, deliberately, and daily.
Give thanks for His protection. Think of dangers you saw and dangers you never knew were near. The Lord has been a shelter in more ways than you can list. When you look back on close calls, hard roads, and times you were unaware of how fragile life is, let gratitude rise: “Father, You kept me.”
Give thanks for His patience. Many of us can remember seasons when we were stubborn, distracted, or spiritually sleepy. And still, the Lord pursued, corrected, restored, and welcomed. Your years are not just evidence of His power; they are evidence of His long-suffering love.
Give thanks for His provision. The older you become, the more clearly you can see how often God supplied what you needed at the right time—sometimes through work, sometimes through friends, sometimes through unexpected doors opening. Whether your table was full or modest, you can testify: “The Lord provided.”
Give thanks for His presence in sorrow. Years inevitably include grief. You may carry names in your heart and empty chairs in your memory. Gratitude does not deny loss; it honors the God who held you inside it. The same Lord who counts your days also counts your tears, and He has never wasted a single one.
And give thanks for the opportunities still ahead. If God has given you many years, He is not finished with you. He may be calling you to mentor, to intercede, to encourage, to forgive, to write, to serve, to speak hope. The world often sidelines the aging, but the kingdom of God treasures faith that has been tested and proven.
Your life can become a living psalm—praise with wrinkles, wisdom with warmth, joy with depth. When you feel unseen, remember endurance is grace. The same God who began your journey will complete it. He is your beginning and home.
Here is a simple practice: make a “years of mercy” list. Write down ten moments from different decades when the Lord’s kindness was unmistakable. Then turn each memory into a sentence of thanksgiving: “Lord, thank You for…” Let the past become fuel for present praise.
Finally, remember this: gratitude is not only a feeling; it is a response. It is worship with your words and obedience with your days. As you thank Him for many years, offer Him the years you have left. Say, “Lord, You gave me these days. Teach me to use them for Your glory.”
Prayer:
Jesus, thank You for the years You have given me. Thank You for sustaining my life, carrying me through every season, and staying faithful even when I was weak. Help me to number my days with wisdom, to rejoice in Your mercy, and to honor You with the time that remains. Let my life be a testimony that You are good, and let my gratitude overflow into love, service, and praise. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today’s Step: Choose one person and tell them one story of God’s faithfulness from your past—then thank the Lord for letting you live long enough to share it.
