PSALMS ENDS TODAY

Today is October 1st!  My Birthday.  I am now officially 56 years old.  God has been so good to me in life.  I'm had heartache and days when I didn't know how I could go on; (hasn't everyone?) but, I'm had so much joy, so many days of God's manifest blessings that I almost have come to expect that.  I hope I keep a heart that is humble, a heart that pleads for God's blessings, but never "expects' God to favor me (I like everyone, don't deserve anything but wrath from God, but He is gracious!)  Pray for me on this my birthday, that God still has usefulness in me.  That is all I long for.... to be used of God.  Thank you dear friend!   I finished up the Psalms today.  There are 150 chapters so you will spend over a week in the Psalms at 20 chapters a day.  They are a joy to read, and blessing to apprehend.  Here are some of my thoughts:   1) GOOD AND PLEASANT-  In Ps. 133:1 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"  I think this is why I love our church so much, there is such a spirit of love and unity you and feel it. Last Wednesday, one man's testimony was that God was all over this place.  He said he had been in church for most of his life of over 60 years, and at our church for going on three years now, and had never experienced what was happening at Grand View.  Four of his family members had gotten saved, and He sees the hand of God all over the place.  Wow!  That is exactly how I feel, and what I beg God for all of the time. We do have a loving church full of people.  Well, it is God that does this, not us.  Thank God for His Spirit of unity in our lives.   2) I WILL GIVE MYSELF TO PRAYER- As I was reading the end of Psalms, I couldn't get away from a verse I read two days ago in Ps. 109:4.  I didn't remember where it was, but I knew I marked the verse with a star and underlined it, so I went looking and found it.  It says:  "I give myself unto prayer".  I have been thinking about that for two days now, and it is beginning to make inroads into my spirit.  I need to "give myself unto prayer" as well.  I have notice that I seem to be talking to God even when I'm doing something and I am doing so without even noticing I'm doing it.  I know this doesn't fit into my reading schedule, but the Holy Spirit usually doesn't "fit" into any of my "schedules"; he desires me to "fit" into "His schedules".  Why don't we all meditate on that thought until it sinks deep into our spirit and becomes a part of us.  "I will give myself unto prayer".    3) GOD'S ENDURING MERCY-Psalms 136 says 26 times, (once for every verse):  ""for his mercy endureth for ever".  I think the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us something about the great mercy of God.... it endureth for ever!!   4) WONDEROUSLY MADE- Ps. 139 says we are "fearfully and wonderfully made".  You cannot read this chapter without knowing that God created us, and knew exactly what He was doing.  He wrote our DNA into His book before we were even formed.  In cell form, He knew what we would be and wrote in His book all that we would become.  He died for us before we were born and loved us before we even existed.  WOW!!   5) PRAISE GOD- Ps. 150 ends the Psalms.... this book of Praise.  It is fitting that in six short verses, the word "Praise" is found 13 times!!  What made David a "man after God's own heart".  David knew how to praise the Lord.  We ought to praise Him more.  Praise GOD!!    See you tomorrow.  May God bless you and yours!!   Dr. Mike Mutchler, Pastor