ENDING THE PSALMS

Today is Wednesday, and I am a blessed man.  I slept so well last night.  Wow.  Then I sang a song or two to the LORD before I got out of bed.  I have so many songs running through my head now and I want to be mindful that God loves to hear His people sing His praises.  So, I want to do what makes the LORD be glorified.  Here are some thoughts in the Psalms:  1) A BIBLICAL FORMULA- Psalms 126:5,6 is a promised formula found in Scripture.  It is used often for sharing the Gospel but in reality is much broader than that.  Here is the formula:  "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."  There is a sowing (precious seeds), there is a watering (with tears... the forgotten ingredient), there is a process of time (unknown... the time implied between the watering and the reaping), there is a harvesting (the precious sheaves), and there is rejoicing (the joy of coming home with the harvest).  This formula can work in your life if you practice it.  The hardest part is the compassion of tears that it takes to water the good seed of God's Word.  Don't just quote verses, let them see you care!  2) HURRY UP.... WAIT- Psalms 141:1 says:  "LORD, I cry unto thee:  make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee."  This is one of eleven times in the Psalms that David is praying "hurry up LORD!".  He says make haste often throughout the Psalms.  He wants God to be in a hurry.  Now the word "wait" occurs 24 times in the Psalms.  This is what man is supposed to do:  "Wait on the LORD".  So we see that man wants God to hurry up, and God wants man to slow down... wait!  I'm thinking that God has set His own pace, and we had best learn our responsibility... "wait on the Lord, and He shall strengthen thine heart, Wait I say, on the LORD"  3) PASS IT ON! Psalms 145:4 "One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts."  Our generation has the responsibility to take the gospel to one more generation.  To spread the truth we have learned, to the generation following us.  Let us be ever mindful that all of this knowledge God has graced us with MUST be taught to the next generation.  We must look for ways to spread the truth of God's Word and love to the next generation and instill in them the desire to do the same. Well, I must go for today.  Have a blessed day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler