All Who Seek You

22 Sunday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 70

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

I will praise the LORD!

man in blue crew neck t shirt standing on brown field near body of water during

Photo by Zlatin Georgiev on Pexels.com

(Psalm 70, NIV)*

Hasten, O God, to save me;
    come quickly, LORD, to help me.
May those who want to take my life
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
    be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
    turn back because of their shame.
But may all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
    “The LORD is great!”
But as for me, I am poor and needy;
    come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
    LORD, do not delay.

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

Waiting for the Song

21 Saturday Aug 2021

Posted by in poetry

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Waiting for the Song

By David Kitz

The robin sits high in the old weeping willow—
Waiting for the song to come.
The old man sits on the old park bench—
Waiting for the song to come.
The sun sinks slowly in the western sky.
It’s waiting for the song to come.
We’re all waiting for the song to come.

american robin with orange belly on beige background

Photo by Skyler Ewing on Pexels.com

The young mom cries in the backseat.
She’s waiting for the song to come.
The broken man kneels at the altar.
He’s waiting for the song to come.
Children are crying for their Mommy.
They’re waiting for the song to come.
We’re all waiting for the song to come.

Jesus come and set the prisoners free.
Heal our hurts and wipe away our tears.
Break the chains that are holding me.
Jesus come and set your people free.
We’re waiting for the song,
Waiting for the song,
We’re waiting for the song to come.

img_20210807_0923587

The arching bough of an old willow tree — photo by David Kitz

Let the drumbeat roll and the trumpet sound.
We’re waiting for the song to come.
Jesus come and set this world aright.
We’re waiting for the song to come.
Your bride is yearning for her wedding night.
We’re waiting for the song,
Waiting for the song,
We’re waiting for the song to come.

Trumpet sound and drumbeat roll—
I’m waiting for the song to come.
Come Lord Jesus. Your bride is ready.
We’re waiting for the song to come.
We’re waiting for the song,
Waiting for the song,
We’re waiting for the song to come.

img_20210607_2105555-effects

As darkness falls — photo by David Kitz

The robin sits high in the old weeping willow—
Let’s wait for the song to come.

Let Heaven and Earth Praise Him

21 Saturday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 69

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

I will praise the LORD!

silhouette of people by the seashore

Photo by Bayu jefri on Pexels.com

(Psalm 69:34-36, NIV)*

Let heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and all that move in them,
for God will save Zion
    and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will settle there and possess it;
the children of his servants will inherit it,
    and those who love his name will dwell there.

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

Creator of the Universe

20 Friday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 8, Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Psalm 8

Reading: Psalm 8

Heavenly Father,
Creator of the universe,
thank you for considering me.
Thank you for being mindful of my daily concerns.
I bring them to you now,
my majestic, all-encompassing Lord.
Amen.

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here. Journey through the Psalms in a year.

How Majestic Is Your Name in All the Earth!

20 Friday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 8, Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Reading: Psalm 8
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth (NIV).*

stars at night

Photo by egil sju00f8holt on Pexels.com

Reflection
There’s something exquisitely beautiful about this psalm. Yes, in it we see the glory of the heavens, the sun, moon and stars—the vast array of heavenly bodies. But there’s more to it than that. This psalm is more than a pretty poetic picture of the heavens.

It’s about perspective. In the grand scheme of things David grasps his true size—his insignificance. Beneath a canopy of stars, he has a transcendent moment—a God moment. He realizes the immensity of God. In the material realm you and I are just a transitory flicker across the face of time. That’s why David asks, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”

In the vastness of the universe, what am I but a speck. Why would God even consider me? But He does! That’s the wonder of this psalm, and the wonder of our God. He is mindful of you and your concerns. God has crowned human beings—you and I—with glory and honor. What an awesome privilege; what an enormous responsibility! When did that happen you might ask?

Well, it happened at creation. God placed humankind as the rulers of all creation. That’s a huge responsibility, a responsibility we have often failed to fulfill. But God reaffirmed His love and commitment to us at the cross. Jesus considered you so significant that he bled and died for you. Now that’s significance—eternal significance in the face of God’s own Son.

Response: Heavenly Father, Creator of the universe, thank you for considering me. Thank you for being mindful of my daily concerns. I bring them to you, my majestic, all-encompassing Lord. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you had a transcendent moment—a God moment? How did that happen? Take time to reflect on that experience.

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

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. Journey through the Psalms in a year. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

My Sheild

19 Thursday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 7

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Psalm 7_10

Reading: Psalm 7:10-17

Heavenly Father,
today show me how I can build others up
instead of tearing them down.
I want to be more like you, Lord Jesus.
You came to lift others.
In my interactions today,
help me do the same.
Amen.

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here. Journey through the Psalms in a year.

God and the Roadrunner

19 Thursday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 7, Psalms

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Reading: Psalm 7:10-17
My shield is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge,
a God who displays his wrath every day.
If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword;
he will bend and string his bow.
He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he makes ready his flaming arrows.
Whoever is pregnant with evil
conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment.
Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
falls into the pit they have made.
The trouble they cause recoils on them;
their violence comes down on their own heads.
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High (NIV).*


Itchy bunny video by David Kitz

Reflection
Ah justice, sweet justice! When we take justice into our own hands, it always has a boomerang effect. I am reminded of Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner when I read these words from Psalm 7: Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.

In those Saturday cartoons of my youth, poor Wile E. must have dug a hundred pits and he fell into them every time. Every clever scheme backfired catastrophically. The Roadrunner always escaped. To paraphrase the words of this psalm, the trouble Wile E. caused recoiled on him; his violence came down on his own head. Even now can you picture the anvil falling on the hapless coyote, as he lies in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the canyon? The cartoonist and the psalmist must have been reading from the same script!

Somehow we often have the mistaken impression that getting even works—that scoring points at the expense of our neighbor elevates us somehow. If snide sarcasm and putdowns elevate us, then it’s the kind of elevation we often see in cartoons. Our clever, cutting remarks run us out off the edge of a cliff, and like the cartoons, there we stand in the middle of thin air—the last one to realize we are heading down fast. That’s justice, sweet justice, Psalm 7 style.

If as this psalm states, God displays his wrath every day, it’s because we reap the reward of our sinful actions. In our selfishness, we harm instead of building up those around us. We try to pull ahead by pulling others down. It’s a strategy doomed to failure. It always backfires. God and the Roadrunner will see to that.

Response: Heavenly Father, today show me how I can build others up instead of tearing them down. I want to be more like you, Lord Jesus. You came to lift others. In my interactions today, help me do the same. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you encouraged someone lately with a positive word? Did that bring a reward?

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

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. Journey through the Psalms in a year. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

I Have Nothing to Hide

18 Wednesday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 7

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Right thinking and righteous judgment 365 Psalm 7a

Reading: Psalm 7:1-9

Heavenly Father,
I open my heart and my mind to your probing.
I have nothing to hide,
since you see all and know all,
even the hidden things of the heart.
Help me repent where needed.
Amen.

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here. Journey through the Psalms in a year.

God Probes Minds and Hearts

18 Wednesday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 7, Psalms

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Reading: Psalm 7:1-9
A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
LORD my God, I take refuge in you;
save and deliver me from all who pursue me,
or they will tear me apart like a lion
and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.
LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands—
if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have robbed my foe—
then let my enemy pursue and overtake me;
let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.
Arise, LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies.
Awake, my God; decree justice.
Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
while you sit enthroned over them on high.
Let the LORD judge the peoples.
Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness,
according to my integrity, O Most High.
Bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure—
you, the righteous God who probes minds and hearts (NIV).*

img_20210812_0810435

Let your light shine in my heart — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Have you ever been falsely accused? Have you been accused of wrong doing by someone you consider a friend? That can be a deeply hurtful experience. In the context of this psalm, that’s the situation that David found himself in. He stands accused of repaying his ally with evil.

How did David respond? Did he strike down his accuser? Remember that David is the king. It is within his power to act—to unleash his vengeance. Is that his just and righteous response? No, he takes his case before the LORD. In prayer he declares, “Let the LORD judge the peoples.” He invites God to judge him. He presents his case before the righteous God who probes minds and hearts.

That takes some courage; that takes some integrity. That takes a level of faith and transparency that we often see lacking in men of position and power. Are you willing to let God probe your heart and your mind? What might He find hidden away in there? The writer of the Book of Hebrews reminds us about the power of God’s word, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

David was a man of God. He submitted his heart and mind to the all-seeing eye of God. He wanted the sin source cut off within him. Right thinking and righteous judgment begin when God and His word gain entry to your heart.

Response: LORD, I open my heart and my mind to your probing. I have nothing to hide, since you see all and know all, even the hidden things of the heart. Help me repent where needed. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you transparent before God? Why do we think we can hide something from God?

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

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. Journey through the Psalms in a year. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

I Pour out My Problems before You

17 Tuesday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 6

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Take it to the Lord in prayer - Psalm 6

Reading: Psalm 6

Heavenly Father,
I pour out my problems, hurts and struggles before you.
Hear my prayer.
I know you are a God of mercy.
I open myself to you.
Amen.

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here. Journey through the Psalms in a year.