PSALMS 141-150

Today is Tuesday.  I enjoyed getting a lot accomplished on Monday and it was rewarding.  I made a hospital visit, had a two hour staff meeting in outlining the church budget, and then also wrote seven visitor letters by hand.  We had many more visitors, but I got a start on it.  I also met with a new member who wants to volunteer her time cleaning in the church.  She will take on the third floor as her weekly cleaning duties.  I know she will do great.  I've got my coffee right beside of me, and I'm enjoying it.  I've finished up Psalms, and here are a few thoughts:

1) SPIRITUAL OVERLOAD- Have you ever become overwhelmed?  David was a man after God's own heart, and he did.  Chances are, we have been there too.  Psalms 142:3 says:  "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path."  Psalms 143:7 says:  "Here me speedily, O LORD:  my spirit faileth:  hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit."  Notice that in the first verse his spirit was overwhelmed, but in the second verse, his spirit was failing.  To be overwhelmed is to be stressed out, but for our spirit to fail is much worse.  It means we had a spiritual overload and had a short circuit.  (meltdown)  Not one that produced anger, but one that melted all hope.  Have you ever felt "hopeless"?  Well, sure you have!  I have been at the end of my rope.  I have had problems I had no answers for.  I have had days where my one goal was to see the next day.  When you don't have an answer, then realize that God will bring you through.  We must live one day at a time and let the grace of God carry us thorough.  His mercy is new every morning, and what we lack today will be available tomorrow!  Now here is how David responds:  Psalms 143:8  "Cause me to hear thy lovingkind- ness in the morning; for in thee do I trust:  cause me to know thy way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee."  verse 10 "Teach me to do thy will"  verse 11  "for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble"  and verse 12 ends with this thought:  "... for I am thy servant."  He waited on God knowing he was God's child.  We are too!! 

2) UNSEARCHABLE- Psalms 145:3 says:  "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable."  Yesterday we mentioned that "praise" is to ascribe great worth to.  Here David reminds us that God's greatness is unsearchable.  That is why we can praise Him every morning, and not even have to be repetitious.  Verse 1,2 read:  "I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.  Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever."  We can do this because God's greatness is "unsearchable".  It has no end.  We cannot exhaust the greatness of God, thus we can praise Him again and again, for ever and ever!  In verse 5,6 we see his greatness again:  "I will speak of thy glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.  And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts:  and I will declare thy greatness."  Here is an example of praise!  Speaking of God's majesty, honour, acts, and greatness.  Let us do the same!

3) BOW DOWN- Psalms 145:14 reads:  "... and raiseth up all those that be bowed down."  and Psalms 146:8 reads:  "... the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down."  When we humble ourselves before the LORD, then HE shall pick us up!!  Keep lowly.  Bow down before God and man, and let Christ exalt you in His due time.  (This is a biblical formula for success.)

4) INFINITE- Along the same lines as "unsearchable" is "infinite".  Psalms 147:5 "Great is our LORD, and of great power:  his understanding is infinite."  His greatness is unsearchable, and His understanding is infinite.  (has no end)  No wonder David ends the Psalms with Psalms 150:6 "Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD, Praise ye the LORD."  Wow!  Let me get started in Praising my God!!  Join me?

Have a wonderful day of praising the LORD all day long, all life long, all eternity long!  Pastor Mike Mutchler