Monthly Archives: November 2021

Good, Right, and Fitting

09 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 33, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

The steadfast love of the LORD is unchanging. My praise for Him should be just as steadfast—unaffected by my current circumstances.Reading: Psalm 33:1-5

Thank you,
LORD God,
for each day you set before me.
Give me a heart of praise for you.
You sustain me.
Today give me a new song to praise you,
O LORD.
It’s always good, right, and fitting
to sing my praise to you.
Amen.

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Sing Joyfully to the LORD

09 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 33, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 33:1-5
Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully, and shout for joy.
For the word of the LORD is right and true;
he is faithful in all he does.
The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of his unfailing love (NIV).*

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The earth is full of his unfailing love — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
It’s a good to wake up with a song of praise to the LORD on your lips. How do I know that’s true? I listen to birds. Their joyous songs are new every morning. If they have cause to sing praise to the LORD, surely, I do as well.

Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).

If a sparrow has grounds for praising the LORD each and every day, surely, we have more. His constant care sustains us moment by moment. If the Father keeps count of my hair, He must be concerned about even the tiny details of my life. His loving mercy is new every morning; therefore, it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Here in Psalm 33, we are instructed to: Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

Forgive me, LORD. I’m an instrumental disaster. Playing skillfully is nigh unto impossible. But with my voice I will praise you. I can’t compete with robins and cardinals, but I will sing my praise. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

The steadfast love of the LORD is unchanging. My praise for Him should be just as steadfast—unaffected by my current circumstances. I have heard the birds break into song at sunrise even on a gray rainy morning. At the very least my praise for God should be as constant. Paul and Silas sang praises to God after being severely flogged and imprisoned in Philippi. See Acts 16:16-40. Their worship was unaffected by their circumstances. They were obedient to the LORD’s command: Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

Response: Thank you, LORD God, for each day you set before me. Give me a heart of praise for you. You sustain me. Today give me a new song to praise you, O LORD. It’s always good, right and fitting to sing my praise to you. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you love to praise God? Does it lift your spirit when you do? Are there times when the Lord has given you a new song to sing?

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Grace to Obey

08 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 32, Psalms

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.

Psalm 32_10Reading: Psalm 32:8-11

LORD God,
give me ears to hear what you have to say to me.
Please instruct me and teach me in the way I should go.
Then give me grace to obey.
I put my trust in you, O LORD.
Amen.

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

The LORD Speaks

08 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 32, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 32:8-11
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart! (NIV)*

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Autumn glory — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
In Psalm 32 God speaks back. David begins this psalm, and we clearly can hear his voice addressing us, as he tells how wonderful it is to be forgiven. He then goes on to speak of his own struggle with unconfessed sin. Finally, he tells us of the great relief he experienced as he is pardoned and restored to a place of close fellowship with the LORD. But then abruptly in verse eight, we hear a different voice. God is speaking. The LORD responds to what David has said. Through this psalm David is modelling true prayer. This psalm is two-way communication.

We have heard David’s words; let’s hear God’s words now. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Clearly this is not the voice of David. David is not going to counsel and watch over us. This is the work of the LORD. The LORD will teach and guide us. It is His role to shepherd the flock of His pasture.

These words, from verse eight to the end of this psalm are coming from the LORD. David has heard God speak, and now he is passing on this message from the LORD directly to us. In this respect David is fulfilling the role of a prophet. He is acting as God’s spokesperson. In fact, in Acts 2:30, Peter asserts David was a prophet. And what is a prophet? In the simplest terms, it is someone who hears God, and then passes on God’s message to others.

Do you hear God? This is no idle, rhetorical question. It is essential to our Christian faith that we as believers hear the voice of God. I would go so far as to say, you cannot experience salvation unless you first hear God. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28a).

In short, we must be able to hear Jesus in order to follow Him, and it is in following Him that we receive eternal life. Hearing God’s voice is of paramount importance.

Response: LORD God, give me ears to hear what you have to say to me. Please instruct me and teach me in the way I should go. Then give me grace to obey. I put my trust in you, O LORD. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you hear God’s voice? How does He speak to you? Have you heard the Lord’s voice recently? How do you distinguish God’s voice from all the other voices you hear?

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

One Day in Your Courts

07 Sunday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 84

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I will praise the LORD!

2020-10-17

Autumn morning mist — photo by David Kitz

(Psalm 84:10-12, NIV)*

Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
    the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.
LORD Almighty,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Why Dig into the Psalms?

06 Saturday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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3 book set

Now you can journey through the Psalms in a year with this beautiful three-book set available in both paperback and Kindle formats. These daily devotions take you to the heart of David, the man after God’s own heart.

The Psalms are the biblical fount of worship and prayer. Learn to drink deeply from these life-giving waters. Here you will find guidance for your daily walk with the Lord. In these pages, you will acquaint yourself with the voice of the Good Shepherd. Allow him to lead you to the verdant pastures of his Word.

Psalms 365 is specifically designed to help you develop a life that is anchored in worship and prayer.

For a closer look at this three-book series by multiple award-winning author David Kitz click here.

The Autumn Rains

06 Saturday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 84, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

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Hog’s Back Falls, Ottawa, ON — photo by David Kitz

(Psalm 84:5-9, NIV)*

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.
Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
    listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield, O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Winner of the Best Book of the Year Award

05 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalms

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Here are a few more endorsement of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer — the winner of both a Word Award in the devotional/inspirational category, and the Grace Irwin Best Book of the Year Award.
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I have been an online follower of David Kitz for several years now. His interpretation, his historical knowledge and his ability to give every day practical experience through the Psalms has been inspiring and extremely useful for me personally. David takes the words from scripture and gives them new insight for today’s world. His book, “Psalms 365,” is a strong devotional handbook for living a Christian life.

Kathy Boecher
Christian blogger, playwright, poet and humorist

David Kitz and his wide-ranging talent as an author are both unique. His devotional posts on the Psalms arrive daily for his subscribers. It is a delight to know they will now be available in book format. In these pages, readers can find much inspiration and insight.

Hon. David Kilgour, D. Div (hon)
Minister of State (Canada)

What a great tonic for my day-to-day walk with God! Like a daily regimen of vitamins and minerals, Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, by my friend David Kitz has invigorated my start to each day. I believe it is also fortifying my mind and spirit for all the challenges my life will bring in the years to come. Creatively written, biblically insightful, and immensely practical, this must-have compendium to Psalms is timely and life-giving.

Lyle Johnson
Founder and President, Nextlevel Ministries

For a closer look at Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer click here.

A Game of Hide ‘n’ Seek with God

05 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 32, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 32:6-7
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you,
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.
You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance (NIV).*

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Early morning mist on the Ottawa River — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
In the previous stanza of this psalm, David received the amazing dam-busting forgiveness of God. He has just experienced a wonderful release from a load of guilt. But now in his next breath he has some advice for us, and here it is. Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you, while you may be found.

We are to pray to God while He may be found. This raises some interesting questions. Is God unavailable at times? If God cannot be found, is He hiding? Furthermore, if God is hiding, where does He hide?

At this point I feel like jumping to my feet, like a lawyer pleading a case in the court of reason, and shouting out, “I object! All David has told us about God so far would lead us to believe God is always close at hand. Didn’t David testify to this earlier in Psalm twenty-three? He said the following words about the LORD his shepherd: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. And now it seems David is telling us there are times when God cannot be found. Which is it, David? It can’t be both.”

Ah, but it is both. This is one of those great divine paradoxes. The God, who is near, even in my heart, can also be distant—light years away, both in time and space. There exists a perceived distance between us that can vary according to the state of my heart—according to the state of my relationship with God.

The fact remains we cannot see God though we see evidence of His handiwork all around us. Our infinitely complex human bodies and finely tuned senses are themselves proof of His existence, yet Him we cannot see. He is a hidden God, and when we walk beside Him, we walk by faith and not by sight.

Repeatedly in the scriptures we are commanded to seek after the LORD. I find this to be a rather curious expression. We cannot see God, and yet we are commanded to seek Him, as though He might suddenly appear over the next hill, or around the next bend in the road. Suddenly, in unexpected ways, we may encounter God. The Psalms are all about encounters with God. Psalm nineteen began that way. Suddenly the starry hosts began talking to David about God, declaring His glory. We may pick up the Bible, and suddenly it speaks to our deepest need—the need of the moment, and we know this is the voice of God with a word specifically for us today. Even the ungodly people of this world recognize people encounter God. They use expressions like, “He found God,” to describe someone’s conversion to faith in Christ. The LORD invites us to play the most amazing game: Hide ‘n’ seek with God.

Response: LORD God, I want to seek after you. Show yourself to me today in this grand adventure called life. I want to have an encounter with you. I want to know what it means to be found by you. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you had a recent encounter with God? Do you sense His nearness or distance?

* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.