Who Can Fully Declare His Praise?

30 Saturday Aug 2025

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I will praise the LORD!

Psalm 106:1-5

Praise the LORD.
   Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.
Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD
    or fully declare his praise?
Blessed are those who act justly,
    who always do what is right.
Remember me, LORD,
when you show favor to your people,
    come to my aid when you save them,
that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones,
    that I may share in the joy of your nation
    and join your inheritance in giving praise. *

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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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.

Abandoned and Desolate

29 Friday Aug 2025

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

Today’s Reading: Psalm 138:6-8

LORD God,
I want you to be fully at home
in my heart and my mind.
Show me your kindness.
My body is a temple
for your Holy Spirit.
Live in me and through me,
Lord Jesus.
Amen.

— — — —
 
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets
and stone those sent to you,
how often
I have longed to gather your children together,
as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,
and you were not willing.
Look,
your house is left to you desolate.
I tell you,
you will not see me again until you say,
‘Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
(Luke 13:34-35 NIV)*

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

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Iran, 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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.

Will the LORD Abandon Us?

29 Friday Aug 2025

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Reading: Psalm 138:6-8

Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
    though lofty, he sees them from afar.
 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.
The LORD will vindicate me;
    your love, LORD, endures forever—
    do not abandon the works of your hands (NIV). *

The abandoned McNeill Estate in the Spirit Rock Conservation Area, Wiarton, Ontario — photo by David Kitz.

Reflection
There is something tragic about an abandoned house. An empty house has a missing soul. It was built to have souls—people—in it, so an absence of life invokes feelings of sadness in me. At one point, hopes and dreams were alive in that house. It was a place of comfort and love—a refuge from nature’s elements. Perhaps it echoed with the voices of children at play, but now it sits empty and forlorn.

I find it surprising how quickly a home or community deteriorates after it’s abandoned. Have you viewed videos or the haunting images of the abandoned communities around the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear plants? In a few short years everything constructed by humans has become completely overgrown, and it begins to decay and breakdown.  

Turning to today’s reading, we see that David ends this psalm with both a confession of faith and a prayer: The LORD will vindicate me; your love, LORD, endures forever—do not abandon the works of your hands (v. 8).

David lives in confidence that the LORD is with him and will vindicate him—will side with him in the battles of life. But he adds this petition—do not abandon the works of your hands.

What happens when God abandons us? I dread the thought. When the LORD no longer lives among us, our lives—our spiritual lives—begin to deteriorate like an abandoned house in a nuclear exclusion zone. Around Fukushima wild boars have taken over. With no one to oppose them, they have ravaged the countryside and have moved into the abandoned towns. 

Will the LORD abandon us? There is little chance of that happening. The far greater concern is that we abandon the LORD. I have witnessed firsthand the devastation that occurs when that happens. When people who respond to the gospel turn their backs on their Savior, over time the outcome resembles the ravages of nature on an abandoned home.

We need to recall these words: Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life (v. 6-7a).

Response: LORD God, I want you to be fully at home in my heart and my mind. Show me your kindness. My body is a temple for your Holy Spirit. Live in me and through me, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Your Turn: How do you feel about abandoned houses? Is your inner man (woman) occupied by God?

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

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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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.

The LORD Who Rescued Me

28 Thursday Aug 2025

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

Today’s Reading: Psalm 138:1-5

LORD God,
I praise you
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness.
Thank you for answering my prayers.
You give me courage,
and like David,
you greatly emboldened me
to carry on.
Amen.

— — — —
 
David said to Saul,
“Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine;
your servant will go and fight him.”

Saul replied,
“You are not able to go out
against this Philistine and fight him;
you are only a young man,
and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

But David said to Saul,
“Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep.
When a lion or a bear came
and carried off a sheep from the flock, 
I went after it,
struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.
When it turned on me,
I seized it by its hair,
struck it and killed it. 
Your servant has killed
both the lion and the bear;
this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them,
because he has defied the armies of the living God. 
The LORD who rescued me
from the paw of the lion
and the paw of the bear
will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David,
“Go, and the LORD be with you.”
(1 Samuel 17:38-41 NIV)*

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

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Iran, 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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.

Is Your God too Small?

28 Thursday Aug 2025

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Reading: Psalm 138:1-5

Of David
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
    before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
    and will praise your name
    for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
    that it surpasses your fame.
When I called, you answered me;
    you greatly emboldened me.
May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,
    when they hear what you have decree
May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
    for the glory of the LORD is great (NIV) *

Algonquin Park — photo by L. Kranz.

Reflection
David was wholehearted in all that he did, so it should not surprise us that he begins Psalm 138 with this assertion: I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise (v. 1).

David, the shepherd king, wasn’t shy or reticent about offering praise to the LORD. He knew his God and was quick to give Him praise. He would even praise the LORD before foreign gods. Elsewhere in the psalms we see this declaration: For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens (Psalm 96:4-5).

During David’s time each nation had its own national god. These national gods were represented by carved idols of wood, metal or stone. But Israel had no idol. They were strictly forbidden to make any image or likeness of the LORD (Yahweh). See the First Commandment, Exodus 20:3-6. This prohibition set Israel apart. They were the people with no visible god.

But why settle for a visible god, when you can have the invisible God who fills the entire universe? Why settle for a national god, when you can have the LORD who created the heavens and the earth? Inevitably, if we fashion our own god, we will create a god who is far too small. The true God is far bigger, far wiser, and far more just, and compassionate than we can ever imagine. How can we as finite creatures begin to fathom the infinite power and glory of God?

By His great mercy the LORD reveals Himself to us. He does that best through His Son. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15). Jesus helps make the infinite God comprehensible to us, so we can join with David’s anthem of praise. May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great (v. 4-5).

Response: LORD God, I praise you for your unfailing love and your faithfulness. Thank you for answering my prayers. You give me courage, and like David, you greatly emboldened me to carry on. Amen.

Your Turn: How big is your God? Is He bigger than your problems—bigger than your doubts?

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

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* 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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.

Live in Harmony

27 Wednesday Aug 2025

Posted by in Psalm 137, Psalms

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

Photo courtesy of L. Foster


Today’s Reading: Psalm 137:7-9

Father God,
 at times I have been guilty of schadenfreude.
Help me to show compassion
rather than smug indifference
when I see others experience loss.
Thank you for your ongoing mercy.
Amen.

— — — —

Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse. 
Rejoice with those who rejoice;
mourn with those who mourn. 
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud,
but be willing to associate
with people of low position.
Do not be conceited.
(Romans 12:14-16 NIV)*

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

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Iran, 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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.

Spared by the Grace of God

27 Wednesday Aug 2025

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Reading: Psalm 137:7-9

Remember, LORD, what the Edomites did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down,” they cried,
“tear it down to its foundations!”
Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction,
happy is the one who repays you
according to what you have done to us.
Happy is the one who seizes your infants
and dashes them against the rocks (NIV). *

Reflection
German is a fascinating language. It’s a language that seems to specialize in compound words—short words that are combined to form longer words. Some English language examples of compound words are homerun, overcoat and windshield.

Schadenfreude is a compound German word. It’s such a useful and descriptive word that it has migrated into the English language, and it can be found in any quality English dictionary. Schaden means harm or damage. Freude means joy. Simply put schadenfreude means joy experienced at another person’s expense—rejoicing in someone else’s suffering or loss.

Today’s reading from Psalm 137 is all about schadenfreude. The Edomites celebrated the destruction of Jerusalem. Rather than mourn over their neighbor’s calamity, they joined in calling for the destruction of the Jewish capital.

This manifestation of schadenfreude was rooted in centuries of fraternal rivalry and envy. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, while the people of Jerusalem were the descendants of Jacob. These two people groups were linked by heredity, language, and culture, and yet generation after generation they continued this brothers’ feud.

This psalm is not the only biblical counsel for us to avoid rejoicing in other people’s harm: Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them (Proverbs 24:17-18).

If the LORD is punishing the evildoer, we should not appear too smug. We are spared by the grace of God and not by our moral superiority. The self-righteous suffer from delusions of pride. It’s best not to identify with that camp. The opposite response is called for. Rather than crowing over someone else’s misfortune, we should be offering help or drawing lessons on how to avoid a similar calamity.

When I see others experiencing calamity, I need to replace my schadenfreude with the genuine joy found in extending mercy, grace and compassion.

Response: LORD God, at times I have been guilty of schadenfreude. Help me to show compassion rather than smug indifference when I see others experience loss. Thank you for your ongoing mercy. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you experienced schadenfreude? How do you keep it in check?

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

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* 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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.

This Corrupt Generation

26 Tuesday Aug 2025

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

Today’s Reading: Psalm 137:1-6

Father God,
 I don’t want to learn things
the hard way.
I want to be quick to obey you.
Help us all to learn from the lessons of history.
You are the one, true God.
I worship you.
Amen.

— — — —
 
 Peter replied,
“Repent and be baptized,
every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ
for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 
The promise is for you and your children
and for all who are far off—
for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them;
and he pleaded with them,
“Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand
were added to their number that day.
(Acts 2:38-41 NIV)*

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

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Iran, 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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.

A Lament for Jerusalem

26 Tuesday Aug 2025

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Reading: Psalm 137:1-6

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars we hung our harps,
 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy (NIV) *

Reflection
It’s difficult to pinpoint the time in history when many of the Psalms were written. Many scholars believe that the Old Testament was compiled over a period of about 900 to 1,000 years. As for the Book of Psalms, there is considerable evidence to suggest that psalms were collected from three distinct periods: the reign of King David (1 Chronicles 23:5), the rule of Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:30), and during the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah (Nehemiah 12:24).[1]

Psalm 137 is distinct, because we can tell from its content that this psalm was written early during the period of the Babylonian exile. Memories of Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC were still fresh—etched with bitterness and pain in the mind of the author.

There are two great pivot points in the history of Old Testament Israel. The first is the liberation of Israel from Egypt and the subsequent conquest of the holy land. The second is the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which was followed by the seventy-year exile in Babylon. The mercy and power of God brought about the first pivotal event. The disobedience and idolatry of man set in motion the catastrophe of the second event.

From its inception the Jewish nation flirted with idolatry. While Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments, the people were reveling before a golden calf. King Solomon set up idols in Jerusalem so his foreign wives could worship their gods. See 1 Kings 11:1-8. This duplicity continued generation after generation until the Babylonians swept in and destroyed Jerusalem. Harsh judgment brought change. Will harsh judgment bring change in us, or will the mercy of God bring us to repentance?

Response: Father God, I don’t want to learn things the hard way. I want to be quick to obey you. Help me to learn from the lessons of history. You are the one, true God. I worship you. Amen.

Your Turn: How faithful are you to the LORD? Do other interests draw you away?

[1] K.R. “Dick” Iverson, Spirit Filled Life Bible, New King James Version, Jack W. Hayford, General Editor, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1991, p. 750.

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

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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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.
For details click here.

We Have Never Seen Anything Like This!

25 Monday Aug 2025

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

Reading: Psalm 136:17-26

Father God,
I admit my need for Jesus,
your Son,
my Savior.
I need his love, 
and his forgiveness.
His love endures forever. 
Amen.

— — — —
 
A few days later,
when Jesus again entered Capernaum,
the people heard that he had come home. 
They gathered in such large numbers 
that there was no room left,
not even outside the door,
and he preached the word to them. 
Some men came,
bringing to him a paralyzed man, 
carried by four of them. 
Since they could not get him to Jesus
because of the crowd,
they made an opening in the roof above Jesus
by digging through it
and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 
When Jesus saw their faith,
he said to the paralyzed man, 
“Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there,
thinking to themselves, 
“Why does this fellow talk like that?
He’s blaspheming!
Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit
that this was what they were thinking in their hearts,
and he said to them, 
“Why are you thinking these things? 
Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say,
‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 
But I want you to know
that the Son of Man 
has authority on earth to forgive sins.” 
So he said to the man, 
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 
He got up,
took his mat
and walked out in full view of them all.
This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying,
“We have never seen anything like this!”
(Mark 2:1-12 NIV)*

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

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Iran, 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.

A gripping read from David Kitz.
Is a return-to-Jesus revival possible in our time?
This book points the way forward.