The Generational Impact of Hearing God’s Word

23 Thursday Jan 2025

Tags

faith, generations, God, hearing, listening, obedience, Reflection, relationships, Spirituality

Reading: Psalm 78:1-8
A maskil of Asaph.
My people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
They would not be like their ancestors—
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
whose spirits were not faithful to him (NIV). *

Reflection
Psalm 78 begins with a simple imperative statement: “My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth” (v.1).

Hearing and listening are very simple commands. There is nothing particularly difficult about hearing or listening. But…but it seems most of humanity’s problems stem from not hearing or listening. Most marital breakdowns come because of a refusal to listen to one another. Intergenerational conflict results from a breakdown in communication. One party may be speaking, but the other party isn’t listening. Even on the international stage, when nations refuse to talk to one another, the next step is usually war.

Why do we stop listening or hearing? Is it because we don’t like what the other person is saying? How does that affect our relationship with God? Have we stopped listening to His voice because we don’t like what He says? Have we stopped listening to the voice of our conscience? Good listening starts with listening to the LORD. When our children stop listening to us, we have a problem. Have we in turn listened to them? Telling the next generation “the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD” starts with us hearing and really listening to God. Our children are so very important to us. But it all starts with the LORD. He has something to say to you today. Are you listening?

Response: LORD God, today give me ears to hear what your Spirit is saying to me. I want a listening heart. Help me to really hear the others in my family and workplace. Thanks for listening to me. Amen.

Your Turn: At times I have not listened to God. How about you? How do we change and become better listeners?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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The LORD Will Be with You

22 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 77, Psalms

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deliverance, discouraged, Jesus, Prayer, Psalms, spiritual battles, standing firm, the LORD, trust in God

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

Reading: Psalm 77:16-20

LORD God,
I am facing some difficult challenges.
Give me the faith
and the courage to keep going.
I trust you will bring me through—
through hell and high water
by the power of Jesus.
Amen.

— — —

Tomorrow march down against them.
They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz,
and you will find them at the end of the gorge
in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle.
Take up your positions;
stand firm and see the deliverance
the LORD will give you,
Judah and Jerusalem.
Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged.
Go out to face them tomorrow,
and the LORD will be with you.’”
(2 Chronicles 20:16-17)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies

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The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

When the Sea Blocks the Way

22 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by adeyemiasaba1 in Psalms

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

adversity, challenges, faith, God, guidance, hope, miracles, perseverance, RedSea, trust

Reading: Psalm 77:16-20
The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron (NIV). *

Reflection
Psalm 77 began with the psalmist in a state of anguish approaching despair. He was filled with questions for the LORD—questions but no answers. This was followed by the psalmist’s decision to recall the miracle-working power of the LORD. He reflects on Israel’s release from bondage in Egypt and in today’s reading he describes their escape through the Red Sea. “Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen” (v. 19).

Sometimes life will bring us to difficult or even impossible situations. We can see no way forward and it’s impossible to turn back. That’s the situation the people of Israel found themselves in as they set out to escape from Egypt. The sea blocked the way before them, and the Egyptian army was pursuing them from behind. They had nowhere to turn but to the LORD.

What did the LORD do? He didn’t take Israel around the problem or over it. He took them through it. We read these words: “Your path led through the sea…”

During the dark days of World War II, Winston Churchill gave his nation this advice, “If you are going through hell, keep going.”

Don’t stop. Don’t give up and hang your head in despair. You don’t know the moment when the LORD will intervene on your behalf. You don’t know when the sea will part. You don’t know when you will be called to follow the LORD’s invisible footprints onto the floor of the sea. That requires faith—steps of faith. And don’t dillydally along the way. If you are going through hell, keep going. If you are going through a personal Red Sea experience, keep going. You don’t want to be caught in the middle. That’s what happened to Egypt’s army. Have faith the LORD will bring you through, and by all means keep going. Persevere.

Response: LORD God, I am facing some difficult challenges. Give me the faith and the courage to keep going. I trust you will bring me through—through hell and high water by the power of Jesus. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you facing difficult times? How has the LORD brought you through in the past?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

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The Mighty Hand of the LORD

21 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 77, Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Egyptians, Israel, miracle, Moses, Pharaoh, Psalms, the LORD, the sea, trust in God, word of God

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

Reading: Psalm 77:10-15

LORD God,
you are at work on my behalf
even when I can’t see it.
I believe in you,
the miracle-working God.
May my meditation center on you
and your Word
because your Word brings light.
Amen.

— — —

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Stretch out your hand over the sea
so that the waters may flow back
over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.
The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the
LORD swept them into the sea. The water flowed back
and covered the chariots and horsemen—
the entire army of Pharaoh
that had followed the Israelites into the sea.
Not one of them survived.

But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground,
with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the LORD saved Israel
from the hands of the Egyptians,
and Israel saw the Egyptians
lying dead on the shore.
And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD
displayed against the Egyptians,
the people feared the LORD
and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
(Exodus 14:26-31)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

The photo of Jerusalem on the cover of Psalm 365, Volume II

Remembering God’s Miracles in Times of Trouble

21 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by adeyemiasaba1 in Psalms

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faith, God, hope, meditation, miracles, perseverance, Reflection, strength, Suffering, trust

Reading: Psalm 77:10-15
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph (NIV). *

Reflection
Psalm 77 began with the psalmist in a state of anguish approaching despair. He was filled with questions for the LORD—questions but no answers. This brings us to our reading for today. After pouring out his complaint, the psalmist recalls the mighty works of the LORD.

“To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (v. 10-12).

When in doubt, remember. In a time of suffering, remember. When troubles assail from every side, remember. What should we remember? Remember the God who performs miracles. Remember He is your personal redeemer. The blood Jesus shed was for you. The resurrection he accomplished was for you. The forgiveness he offers is for you.

During trying times, “I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (v. 12).

Our faith isn’t tested and purified in the good times while the choir sings sweetly in the background. Faith is tested and purified in the furnace of affliction. There’s no lineup of volunteers signing up for affliction. The gospel that is often presented today is branded as affliction-free. But Jesus gave no such promise. He promised persecution to those who leave all to follow him. (See Mark 10:29-31).

Paul, the apostle, makes this assertion: “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).

As you face difficult times, reflect on the ever-present, never-changing, miracle-working power of God.

Response: LORD God, you are at work on my behalf even when I can’t see it. I believe in you, the miracle-working God. May my meditation center on you and your word because your word brings light. Amen.

Your Turn: Does God have your attention when you are in trouble or pain? Have times of suffering prompted you to grow in perseverance and character? Reflect on that growth.

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

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When You Face Trials

20 Monday Jan 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

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faith, God, Jesus, joy, Prayer, Psalms, trials, wisdom

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

Reading: Psalm 77:1-9

LORD God,
I don’t have the answers.
You do.
Your word tells me to
“give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”
(1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Help me to do just that
in these circumstances.
You are always worthy of praise
even when I don’t understand.
Amen.

— — —

Consider it pure joy,
my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith
produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work
so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom,
you should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to you. But when you ask,
you must believe and not doubt,
because the one who doubts
is like a wave of the sea,
blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive
anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded
and unstable in all they do.
(James 1:2-8)*

* LORD as shown here is Yahweh in Hebrew meaning I AM, the Name of God.

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies

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Finding Hope Amidst Life’s Questions

20 Monday Jan 2025

Posted by adeyemiasaba1 in Psalms

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answers, compassion, faith, God, hope, pain, Psalm 77, questions, Reflection, trust

Reading: Psalm 77:1-9
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
“Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (NIV) *

qa-hope-in_trial-1

Reflection
Sometimes in our walk of faith, we go through dark days. Answers to our prayers do not come quickly. We are left wondering if God even hears or cares. The opening verses of Psalm 77 reflect the psalmist’s mood of desolation, which approaches despair. The psalmist has more questions than the Lord has answers. At least that’s how it appears. “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (v. 7-9).

On a Friday morning, I was on a pleasant spring walk through a quiet residential neighborhood with my sister. Suddenly without warning, I was struck by a car backing out of a driveway. In an instant, pleasure was replaced by searing pain. My right knee was skinned and bleeding. Ligaments in my left ankle were torn. I was forced to hobble about on crutches. I was told surgery may be needed.

Like the psalmist, my week after the accident was filled with questions. Questions by police officers. Questions by family members and friends. Questions by insurance claim specialists. Questions by doctors. And in my quiet moments, I had a few questions for the Lord, “Why did you allow this to happen? What should my response be? How long will this pain last? When will I be able to walk normally again? Did I do something wrong to bring on this pain?”

Response: LORD God, I don’t have the answers. You do. Your word tells me to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Help me to do just that in these circumstances. You are always worthy of praise even when I don’t understand. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have questions for God when life seems to go off the rails? Can you recall occasions when, with the passage of time, the Lord has provided some answers?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

We need the Local Church & the Universal Church

19 Sunday Jan 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

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This Sunday at Church: Being grateful for other Christians in the Universal church

The Children Yet to Be Born

18 Saturday Jan 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalms

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children, future generations, Israel, parable, praise the LORD, Prayer, Psalms, teaching children, the LORD

I will praise the LORD!

Psalm 78

A maskil of Asaph.

My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.
(Psalm 78:1-6, NIV) *

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Syria, and Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

A gripping read from David Kitz.

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Your Name Is Powerful

17 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 75, Psalms

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Bible, faith, God, Hezekiah, Jesus, kingdoms, Prayer, Psalms, temple of the LORD, the LORD, the name of the LORD, trust in God

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

Reading: Psalm 75

LORD God,
I want to treat your Name
with the respect and honor it deserves.
Please forgive me
if I have misused your Name in any way.
I pray in the powerful name of Jesus.
Amen.

— — —

Hezekiah received the letter
from the messengers and read it.
Then he went up to the temple of the LORD*
and spread it out before the LORD.
And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD:
“LORD, the God of Israel,
enthroned between the cherubim,
you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made heaven and earth.
Give ear, LORD, and hear;
open your eyes, LORD, and see;
listen to the words Sennacherib has sent
to ridicule the living God.

“It is true, LORD,
that the Assyrian kings have laid waste
these nations and their lands.
They have thrown their gods into the fire
and destroyed them,
for they were not gods
but only wood and stone,
fashioned by human hands.
Now, LORD our God,
deliver us from his hand,
so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, LORD, are God.”
(2 Kings 19:14-19)*

* LORD as shown here is Yahweh in Hebrew meaning I AM, the Name of God.

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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

Reading: Psalm 77:16-20 LORD God, I am facing some difficult challenges. Give me the faith and the courage to keep going. I trust you will bring me through— through hell and high water by the power of Jesus. Amen.

— — —

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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

Reading: Psalm 77:10-15LORD God,you are at work on my behalf even when I can’t see it. I believe in you, the miracle-working God. May my meditation center on you and your Word because your Word brings light.Amen.

— — —

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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

— — —

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

I will praise the LORD!

A maskil of Asaph.

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Syria, and Ukraine!

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

Reading: Psalm 75LORD God,I want to treat your Name with the respect and honor it deserves. Please forgive me if I have misused your Name in any way. I pray in the powerful name of Jesus.Amen.

— — —

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!

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

Reading: Psalm 77:16-20

LORD God,
I am facing some difficult challenges.
Give me the faith
and the courage to keep going.
I trust you will bring me through—
through hell and high water
by the power of Jesus.
Amen.

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

Reading: Psalm 77:10-15

LORD God,
you are at work on my behalf
even when I can’t see it.
I believe in you,
the miracle-working God.
May my meditation center on you
and your Word
because your Word brings light.
Amen.

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

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

Reading: Psalm 75

LORD God,
I want to treat your Name
with the respect and honor it deserves.
Please forgive me
if I have misused your Name in any way.
I pray in the powerful name of Jesus.
Amen.