Category Archives: Psalms

Zeal for Your House

05 Tuesday Jan 2016

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Reading:                                           Psalm 69

Verses 6-12

Lord, the LORD Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be disgraced because of me;
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me.
For I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.

 I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my own mother’s children;
for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
When I weep and fast,
I must endure scorn;
when I put on sackcloth,
people make sport of me.
Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards. (NIV).

Reflection

The start of a new year is a time when many of us set goals and consider our progress over the past year. Our personal goals spring from those things we value and hold dear. So what did David, the author of this psalm, value and hold dear? According to his own words, David was motivated by his zeal for the house of God. He longed to be in God’s presence and to seek His face. He placed his love for God ahead of his love for even his family.

Ashley River Baptist Church

Ashley River Baptist Church, Charleston, SC – photo by David Kitz

I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children; for zeal for your house consumes me…

Many of us would call that misplaced zeal, even fanaticism. But Jesus called for precisely this kind zeal from his disciples.  

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).

After Jesus cleansed the temple, his disciples recalled the words from this psalm. His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me” (John 2:17).

Response: LORD God, give me a zeal for your house and your presence. As the year unfolds, I want my values to be reflected in my actions and my passion for you. Replace my lukewarm heart with a burning desire to know and love you. Amen.

Your Turn: Where does the house of God rate on your zeal meter?

The Song in Your Heart

04 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by in Monday Meditation, Psalms

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I will praise you, LORD! You always do right. I will sing about you, the LORD Most High (Psalm 7:17, CEV).

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Rideau Canal Skateway, Ottawa, ON -photo by Karen Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is praise.

Singing and praise fit together like a hand in a glove. They are made for each other. David, the psalmist praised the LORD with music and song.

Paul, the apostle, urged first century Christians to lift their voices in songs of praise. 

Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God (Colossians 3:16).

Let a song of praise spring up in your heart today.

Response: LORD God, as I begin this year and this work week I want to sing my praise to you. You are a good and loving God. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have a favorite praise hymn or chorus?

Ask Bigger

03 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by in Psalms

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These thoughts on prayer are most certainly worth reading.

The River Walk's avatarTHE RIVER WALK

ask bigger

Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession. (Psalm 2:8)

Read: Genesis 3:1-4:26, Matthew 2:13-3:6, Psalm 2:1-12, Proverbs 1:7-9

Relate: I don’t often get interrupted when I am praying. Even if someone else in my hearing might not be in “agreement” with what I am praying, I honestly can’t remember anyone stopping me mid prayer. I have had people come say something afterwards. I have even had someone pray pretty much the opposite as soon as I was done. But I can only remember one time being interrupted mid prayer.

“OK, OK stop. Just… stop.” My voice tapered off and I looked up sheepishly at my professor. I say sheepishly because I wasn’t really sure what the protocol was here. There were five or six of us all together in a group and we were all praying over some current event or situation…

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Hallowed be thy Name

01 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by in Friday's Focus, Psalms

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Honor the wonderful name of the LORD, and worship the LORD most holy and glorious (Psalm 29:2, CEV).

D Adam Lethbridge Railbridge

Lethbridge Rail Bridge, Lethbridge, AB –photo by Donald Adam

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is worship.

Today’s verse from the psalms calls on us to honor the wonderful name of the LORD. What a fitting way to begin 2016. Jesus taught us to pray in the same way. In the Lord’s Prayer, our first petition or request of our heavenly Father is that His name be hallowed. There is no greater name than the name of the LORD.

May we honor and worship our holy and glorious LORD throughout 2016. 

Response: LORD God, I worship your name. You are worthy of all praise because you created all things. I bow before you. Cleanse my heart, my lips and my very life. Amen.

Your Turn: How will you hallow and honor the LORD in the year ahead?

People Will Turn and Worship

31 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by in Psalms, Thursday's Thought

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Everyone on this earth will remember you, LORD.
People all over the world will turn and worship you, because you are in control, the ruler of all nations (Psalm 22:27-28, CEV).

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Cape Breton, N.S. lighthouse — Photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is worship.

What a wonderful promise we have in today’s psalm reading! People all over the world will turn and worship you, because you are in control, the ruler of all nations. 

What a powerful truth. As we look forward to 2016, let’s pray in faith for this verse to become more and more a reality. The LORD is in control and He hears the prayers of His people.

Response: LORD God, I pray that in the year ahead many all over the world will turn to you in repentance and faith. Show yourself as the God who is in control. Come and rule the nations with grace, mercy and justice. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have a plan for prayer in 2016?

 

Belonging

30 Wednesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Mid-Week Medtiation, Psalms

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All who worship the LORD, now praise him! You belong to Jacob’s family and to the people of Israel, so fear and honor the LORD! (Psalm 22:23, CEV).

Crofter's Home

Crofter’s Home, New Shieling, Cape Breton, N.S. —photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is worship.

We all need a place of belonging—a home. But it’s not just a home or a house that we need. We need to belong to a household or family. On Christmas Day my son called me from across the country, 2,000 miles away. It was great to hear his voice.

Why did he call? Because he  knows where he belongs.

You belong too. You belong to God’s great family. Give Him a call today. He will be thrilled to hear your voice.

Response: LORD God, thank you for welcoming me into your family. I belong to you. I praise and worship you. I fear and honor you for your great love. Amen.

Your Turn: How do you show that you belong to God’s family?

My Guilt Is Not Hidden From You

29 Tuesday Dec 2015

Posted by in Psalm 69, Psalms

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Reading:                                           Psalm 69

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

Verses 1-5

Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail, looking for my God.
Those who hate me without reason
outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
what I did not steal.

You, God, know my folly;
my guilt is not hidden from you (NIV).

Reflection

Above all else Psalm 69 is a plea for help. Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.

D Adam Landestreu Cem

Future Site of a Mass Resurrection, Landestreu Cemetery, Landestreu, SK — photo by Donald Adam

Have you ever been neck deep in trouble? I’ve been there and it’s not an entirely pleasant experience. I can recall hanging upside down in my car, which was sitting on its roof in a snow-covered ditch. My wife was suspended upside down in the driver’s seat beside me.

Suddenly finding yourself upside down after a high-speed-icy skid can be unsettling. I recall unfastening my seatbelt so I could reverse my position and sit upright on the interior of the car roof. Opening the car doors was impossible due to the snow jammed up on the outside. There we sat, car tires in the air, as the sun began to set.

We had two life lines: a mobile phone and a direct line to Jesus. Both worked flawlessly. Within minutes a young couple helped us out of the car. Later that evening we drove our flipped car back into the city undamaged. There was nothing to indicate we were in a rollover, not even a scratch on the car body.

This true account serves as a reminder to me that God hears us when we pray. When we are in over our head—when we are neck deep and beyond—we can call out to God.

God did not save us because we are faultless. As the psalmist says, “You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you.” God saves us because of His great mercy.

Response: LORD God, thank you for showing us mercy when we don’t deserve it. Thank you for coming to rescue the likes of me. Amen.

Your Turn: Has the Lord helped you when you were neck deep in trouble?

Filled with Wonder

28 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by in Monday Meditation, Psalms

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Because of your great mercy, I come to your house, LORD, and I am filled with wonder as I bow down to worship at your holy temple (Psalm 5:7, CEV)

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Von Trapp Estate Northern Vermont —Photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is worship.

God’s mercy is a magnate. It draws us to worship Him. It drew the wise men from afar to the little town of Bethlehem where they worshiped a baby born in a stable. They too were filled with wonder as they bowed to worship before God—God templed in the flesh of an infant.

Take some time to bow down and worship before Him today.

Response: LORD God, thank you for showing me great mercy in the face of Jesus Christ. I am filled with wonder. I worship you.

Your Turn: What draws you to worship?

“The Lord is wonderful!”

25 Friday Dec 2015

Posted by in Friday's Focus, Psalms

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Our Lord, let your worshipers rejoice and be glad. They love you for saving them, so let them always say, “The Lord is wonderful!” (Psalm 40:16, CEV).

Christmas-Greeting-Card-Nativity-Scene-by-Dona-Gelsinger

Christmas-Greeting-Card-Nativity-Scene-by-Dona-Gelsinger

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is love. Love was born on Christmas Day.

Today we gather around you, Lord Jesus. We come to worship you even as the shepherds came. We rejoice and praise God as they did. We love you because you came to save us.

Today we join with the psalmist to say,  “The Lord is wonderful!”

Response: LORD God, thank you for the love and joy of Christmas. As we gather with family help us to sense you right there with us.  Thank you for the gift of salvation. Amen.

Your Turn: How will you worship the heaven-sent King today?

From the Temple to the Stable

24 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by in Psalms, Thursday's Thought

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I love the temple where you live, and where your glory shines (Psalm 26:8, CEV).

D Adam Winter Farm

Prairie Farm — photo by Donald Adam

Reflection

As we count down to Christmas Day, this week’s I Love the Psalms theme is love.

Where is God’s temple? The answer is where God lives. All too often we want to keep God at a safe distance. Heaven seems like a logical place for God to dwell. But guess what? God is not content to stay there. He wants to live with us.

That’s why Jesus came into the world. He came to live with us. Paul reminds us of this truth with these words, Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Corinthians 3:16, NIV).

Today let God’s glory shine from your life.

Response: LORD God, thank you for sending Jesus to be born among us. Thank you for coming to live in my heart. I make room for you. Amen.

Your Turn: How can you let Jesus shine from the temple of your heart on this the eve of his birth?