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I will praise the LORD!
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We Put our Hope in You
05 Sunday Jan 2020
Monthly Archives: January 2020
He Who Forms the Hearts
04 Saturday Jan 2020
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I will praise the LORD!
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Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
(Psalm 33:12-15, NIV)
Some thoughts on “Psalms Alive!”
03 Friday Jan 2020
Posted in book review, Psalms
This morning I came upon this book review by Pam:
David Kitz’s devotional, “psalms alive” is a book I bought for my friends and family this
past Christmas and I plan to read it a second time. It is one of the best devotionals I have ever read for the following reasons:
* The Scripture is printed at the beginning of each devotional. This makes it so convenient and for me it meant reading and then re-reading that Psalm many times as I studied Kitz’s devotional which followed. Many devotionals only quote the reference which you are to study. Tell me – how many of you actually look up this passage? Lol. It’s too easy not to get your bible and look it up. It’s such a simple thing to print the Psalm right in the devotional but it made the study so much more helpful.
* Secondly, this was an excellent resource because of the cultural and historical insights Kitz provided. These brought the Psalms to life and helped me remember and apply them.
* Theologically, I believe Kitz is sound and credible; he often cross-referenced his thoughts with other biblical passages.
* The whole picture – Kitz provided each Psalm in light of the sweep of biblical history and revelation, often showing how the Psalm prophesied Christ. I appreciated this and it helped me see the relevance and power of the Psalms in my daily life.
Reading “psalms alive” was a highlight of October/November 2017. I looked forward to it every day; it was a feast every morning that I will indulge in again. My copy is highlighted, underlined, tear-stained, and I have several pictures I drew in response to the insights I learned. It is a treasure that I recommend with the highest confidence.
Pam
Psalms Alive! is available for purchase from Christianbook.com or directly from the author.
Our Great Liberation
03 Friday Jan 2020
Posted in Devotionals, Psalm 135, Psalms
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Reading: Psalm 135
(Verses 8-14)
He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
He sent his signs and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—
Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan,
and all the kings of Canaan—
and he gave their land as an inheritance,
an inheritance to his people Israel.
Your name, LORD, endures forever,
your renown, LORD, through all generations.
For the LORD will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants (NIV).
Photo by David Kitz
Reflection
Psalm 135 began with a call for the LORD’s people to praise Him. For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own, Israel to be his treasured possession.
In today’s reading, the psalmist continues by recounting how Israel came to be God’s treasured possession. It happened as the result of a great cosmic struggle. The descendants of the patriarch Israel (who was also called Jacob) were enslaved in Egypt. There they toiled under cruel taskmasters until by the hand of Moses the LORD sent his signs and wonders into their midst. After ten terrible plagues, Pharaoh finally relented and set God’s people free. Nevertheless, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army to pursue Israel. Again at the Red Sea, the LORD intervened. He parted the sea, for His chosen people, but brought it crashing down upon Egypt’s army.
Make no mistake; you too are part of a great cosmic struggle. You were born into a world that is under the control of Satan. Jesus called our adversary the ruler, or prince of this world (John 16:11). We were born under Satan’s authority and within his domain just as the Hebrew children were born into a state of slavery in the land of Egypt. As we grow up, Satan has his taskmasters, who set us to work doing his bidding. It begins as we bow to peer pressure, but soon those things we choose begin to assert control. We can soon find ourselves in a downward spiral, imprisoned by sinful habits.
Only Jesus can liberate us from this bondage. At the cross he paid the full price for our redemption. Crossing the Red Sea foreshadows the New Testament sacrament of baptism. It signals our break with the old life—the old bondage. See 1 Corinthians 10:1-4. We have a new master now. His name is Jesus. He is the great liberator. He liberates us from the bondage of sin, and the taunts of the Accuser, who insists that we will never be good enough. But Jesus is our sufficiency. By his grace we are saved.
Response: Father God, I thank you for liberation. Through Jesus you freed me from the bondage of sin. I am eternally grateful. Fill me with the joy of your salvation. You saved me. Hallelujah! Amen.
Your Turn: Have you been liberated from the bondage of sin?
God’s Prescription for Us
02 Thursday Jan 2020
Posted in Devotionals, Psalm 135, Psalms
Reading: Psalm 135
(Verses 1-7)
Praise the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD;
praise him, you servants of the LORD,
you who minister in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses (NIV).
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
Like many of the psalms, Psalm 135 begins by calling us to worship. Specifically, this is a call to praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
So what is the difference between praise and worship? Worship is a broad term that expresses itself in a variety of ways. The Encarta Dictionary defines worship as “the adoration, devotion, and respect given to a deity.”
We can show devotion, adoration and respect for God in wide range of ways. We can use our bodies to express worship by bowing, kneeling, falling prostrate, or lifting our hands and faces heavenward. We read that both David and Miriam danced before the LORD as an act of worship. See 2 Samuel 6:13-15 and Exodus 15:20-21.
Praise and thanksgiving are verbal forms of worship that reflect a heart of adoration. But why do the Psalms call on us to praise God so frequently? Is the LORD a grand, heavenly egomaniac who demands our worship to satisfy His desire for recognition and importance? Hardly.
Actually, just the opposite is true. God does not need our worship. We are the egomaniacs. Praise and worship counteracts the selfishness that is at the root of our sinful nature. We desperately need to get our eyes off ourselves and onto the One who is worthy of all praise. So here to counter what ales us, is a simple but powerful prescription from your heavenly Father: Praise the LORD.
Response: Father God, I worship you. Thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior. Holy Spirit, infuse my praise and worship with joy. You are so very good—so very kind to me. Let praise in all its varied forms flow from me to you. Amen.
Your Turn: What forms or expressions of worship are most meaningful to you?
Knowing Whose You Are
01 Wednesday Jan 2020
Posted in Devotionals, Psalm 134, Psalms
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Reading: Psalm 134
A song of ascents.
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD
who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth (NIV).
Ministering by night in the house of the LORD — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
This is the fifteenth and final psalm in the Songs of Ascent series. In reality, this psalm is the pilgrims’ farewell offering of worship to the LORD. After a week or more in Jerusalem, the time has arrived for the pilgrims to return to their homes. But on the evening before they set out on the return journey, they make one last visit to Mount Zion and the great Temple of the LORD. There they lift their hands in praise to the God of Israel. Early next morning, they will begin the arduous journey back home. But for now, it’s time to bless the LORD and offer thanks.
It is likely that the twelve-year-old Jesus sang this psalm with his parents on the final evening of their Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem. On the following day the family departed for Nazareth where Joseph would resume his trade as a carpenter. When they left the next morning, they assumed Jesus was traveling with them in the large company of other pilgrims from their hometown. See Luke 2:41-52.
Typically, we read this account of the lost twelve-year-old Jesus from the viewpoint of a parent. We identify with the stress of losing a child in a big city. We would title this story, “Mary and Joseph find lost Jesus.” But the story reads quite differently, when we view it from the perspective of a child trying to discover who he really is. Viewed from Jesus’ perspective the title of the story might well be, “Lost Boy finds Himself” or “Lost Boy Discovers His Divinity.”
How did Jesus discover he was the son of God? Some believers might well reason that the answer is obvious. Jesus is God; therefore, he is omniscient. The all-knowing Jesus would surely know that he was God’s son. But many theologians would beg to differ. They view the humanity of Christ as all pervasive. Jesus was 100% human and as such he needed to learn and discover his identity even as any child does.
If through the incarnation Jesus fully took on humanity, then the boy Jesus needed to discover his divine identity. It may have been written into every fiber of his being, but he still needed to discover it, just as any young musical prodigy needs to explore and discover his or her gift. All divine gifts must be discovered and developed to reach their maximum potential.
How do we discover our true identity? From the account in Luke, it would appear that the boy Jesus discovered his true identity in the House of God. Perhaps it began as he lifted his hands in worship. We cannot fully discover who we are until we discover who God is. We must know our Creator to know ourselves. Self-understanding begins with knowing whose we are. You and I belong to the Father.
Response: Father God, I thank you for loving me and inviting me into your family. Lord Jesus, thank you for purchasing my redemption. Holy Spirit, I thank you for the confirmation that I am your child. Amen.
Your Turn: Do you know who you are? How is God the Father shaping your identity?
I love the Psalms 