Daily Archives: November 9, 2017

Psalms Alive! Connecting Heaven and Earth

09 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by in Books by David Kitz, Psalms, Psalms Alive!

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For all who have followed my postings on I Love the Psalms, I want to take a moment to introduce you to my devotional study book on the psalms entitled, Psalms Alive! Connecting Heaven and Earth.

Sample CoverThis 240 page, beautifully bound paperback is an in depth exploration of thirteen psalms. It’s similar to my weekly blog posting, but also different in some important respects. Unlike my one page postings, the chapters in my book are five to six pages in length and they end with a series of questions that act as prompts to bring the psalm alive. This means it’s a great book for personal study, but it works even better for small group discussion.

The longer format allows for more personal anecdotes and real-life illustrations. The goal is to discover how to live out the psalms in our daily lives.

Endorsements: David writes with a dramatic and compelling flair, enticing us to meet with God and therein find life. His intent to let God’s Word speak through the psalms is accomplished with theological sensitivity to the sitz im leben and creative application to the context of our lives today. Well done, David! Psalms Alive! helped me inhabit the Word and know Him more.
Rev. Dr. Lawson Murray, President – Scripture Union Canada

“A timely call to stop our mad rush and encounter God in the stillness of prayer and Bible study. David Kitz paints pictures with words, taking lessons from Scripture and nature to offer us a three-dimensional, multi-sensory relationship with God.”

Robert L. Briggs, Executive Vice President, American Bible Society

“Psalms Alive! is an excellent tool to help any reader engage with God’s Word (specifically 13 Psalms) and therefore engage with God. It is obvious that David Kitz has taken these Psalms into his life and by “listening in” to his thinking the reader can learn to do the same.”

Phil Collins, Ph.D., Executive Director, Taylor Center for Scripture Engagement, Taylor University, Upland, IN

Your Turn: Get in touch to get your signed copy of Psalms Alive! Connecting Heaven and Earth. Cost $17.95.

Let God speak to you and through you via the Psalms.

Casting Your Cares

09 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 55, Psalms

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Reading:                                      Psalm 55

 (Verses 16-23)
As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me.
Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress,
and he hears my voice.
He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God.
My companion attacks his friends;
he violates his covenant.
His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords.
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous be shaken.
But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay;
the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you (NIV).

Reflection
The phone call wasn’t good news. After our 7,000 km trip to western Canada an oil change was in order, and my wife volunteered to take our car to have that service done. She called back with the news that the car needed new tires and there was a leak in the front end suspension system. Suddenly a routine oil change turned into a major expense, and this all comes so soon after the costs for our trip. Consequently, these words from Psalm 55 have added meaning for me this morning: Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you.

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Old Orchard Beach, Maine — photo by David Kitz

 These are minor troubles in the sight of God. He is more than willing to carry them. Speaking prophetically David invites us to cast our cares on the LORD. That includes unexpected bills, injuries or medical emergencies.

One of my favorite leisure time activities is skipping rocks across the water. There’s something so unnatural about a stone dancing across the water. Stones are supposed to sink, not hop across the waves. But when they are cast with enough force and with the right technique they do the impossible. They skip across the water.

Notice there is a promise attached to those cares that we cast on the LORD. This is the LORD’s promise: He will sustain you. He will sustain us—sustain us in the midst of the impossible. Until like that dancing rock, we safely reach the other side.

Response: LORD God, I cast my worries and cares on you. I am so thankful that you care about the details of my life. With the psalmist, David, I can say, “But as for me, I trust in you.” Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have cares that you need to cast onto the LORD today?