And God Saw That It Was Good

21 Thursday Aug 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 136, Psalms

Tags

appreciation for God's creation, beauty of creation, Bible, birds, character of God, creation, creatures, God, God's blessing, Psalms

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

Reading: Psalm 136:1-9

Father God,
help me to appreciate
the wonder of your creation every day.
Give me opportunities to see the beauty in it,
because it’s a reflection
of your magnificent character.
Amen.

— — — —

And God said,
“Let the water teem with living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth
across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea
and every living thing with which the water teems
and that moves about in it,
according to their kinds,
and every winged bird according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said,
“Be fruitful and increase in number
and fill the water in the seas,
and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening,
and there was morning—
the fifth day.
(Genesis 1:20-23 NIV)*

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, 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.

You Send Your Spirit

10 Sunday Aug 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 104

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bible, created, creation, creatures, food, God's provision, praise the LORD, Psalms, Spirit of God

I will praise the LORD!

Western bluebird — photo by Warwick Burgess

Psalm 104:27-30

All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit,
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground. *

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!

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.

God Saw That It Was Good

29 Tuesday Apr 2025

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 104

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

animals, birds, blessed, creation, creatures, God, planet, Psalms, the LORD, the sea

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

Reading: Psalm 104:10-18

Heavenly Father,
you created such a wonderful world!
I marvel at your handiwork.
I thank you for the great variety of lifeforms on this planet—
the plants, the birds, the animals.
Lord of all creation,
help us appreciate and safeguard your creation.
Amen.

— — —

And God said,
“Let the water teem with living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth
across the vault of the sky.”
So God created the great creatures of the sea
and every living thing with which the water teems
and that moves about in it,
according to their kinds,
and every winged bird according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good.
God blessed them and said,
“Be fruitful and increase in number
and fill the water in the seas,
and let the birds increase on the earth.”
And there was evening,
and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said,
“Let the land produce living creatures
according to their kinds:
the livestock,
the creatures that move along the ground,
and the wild animals,
each according to its kind.”
And it was so.
God made the wild animals according to their kinds,
the livestock according to their kinds,
and all the creatures that move along the ground
according to their kinds.
And God saw that it was good.
(Genesis 1:20-25 NIV)*

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!

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.

When You Send Your Spirit

15 Friday Jul 2022

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 104

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

creatures, grave, life and death, Savior

Reading: Psalm 104:27-35
All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit, they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
    may the LORD rejoice in his works—
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the LORD.
But may sinners vanish from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.
Praise the LORD, my soul. Praise the LORD (NIV).*

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Reflection
Recently, my wife and I attended the funeral of my brother-in-law, Victor. He was a man of deep faith, who was always active in the church. At no point was he ashamed to call himself a follower of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Victor loved his Savior, and I am sure his spirit rejoiced to see Jesus face to face.

There is a line from today’s reading from Psalm 104 which is particularly relevant as we think about life and death: when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.

In context of this psalm, the author was speaking of all creatures, in other words the animal kingdom, but these words apply to all that breathe the breath of life, including humans. For Victor, who struggled for every breath during the last years of his life, the words of this psalm had true meaning. But the second part of this psalm reading is also pertinent in the context of a funeral: When you send your Spirit, they are created.

I believe in the resurrection of the dead. The grave is not the end for those who have placed their faith in Christ. A great re-creation will happen. The grave could not hold Jesus, and a day is coming when it will not hold Victor, or any who have died in the faith. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Response: Father God, send your reviving Spirit. Come, Lord Jesus. I long for your return. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead? Who do you long to greet on the other side?

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

Please pray for the people of Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award and for those who love God’s word, it’s an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

The Land is Populated

13 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 104

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

creation, creatures, Father's care

Reading: Psalm 104:10-18
He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.
The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the junipers.
The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the hyrax (NIV).*

Photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Psalm 104 is a poetic ode in praise of God’s creation. In yesterday’s reading, God lay down the foundations of the earth, and set the boundaries of the oceans. Today we see how He waters the land and covers it with vegetation. He populates it with a vast variety of animals and birds.

He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens human hearts, oil to make their faces shine, and bread that sustains their hearts.

In this psalm we see a God of teeming abundance. He is an extravagant God of infinite variety. Consider for a moment the various kinds of birds from the soaring eagle to the tiny hummingbird. Our God cares for them all. Jesus gives us these words of assurance concerning the humble sparrow, “not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care” (Matthew 10:29). In reality, all of today’s reading is about the Father’s care and His rich provision for all His creatures.

Have your eyes been opened to the LORD’s rich provision for you? He’s not a stingy God. Those who call on Him will have their needs met. Perhaps David said it best: The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing (Psalm 23:1).

Response: Father God, you created such a wonderful world! I marvel at your handiwork. I thank you for the great variety of lifeforms on this planet—the plants, the birds, the animals. Help us appreciate and safeguard your creation. Amen.

Your Turn: How can we go beyond words of thanks and demonstrate our thanks for God’s creation?

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

Please pray for the people of Ukraine!

All Creatures Look to You

25 Saturday Jun 2022

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 104

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

created, creatures, praise the LORD, spirit

I will praise the LORD!

Reading: Psalm 104:27-30

All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit,
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

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

Pray for the people of Ukraine!

In Wisdom You Made Them All

19 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 104

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

creatures, praise the LORD, the LORD, wisdom

I will praise the LORD!

Photo by India Owens on Pexels.com

Reading: Psalm 104:24-26

How many are your works, LORD!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Pray for the people of Ukraine!
Happy Father’s Day!

You Made Them All

19 Saturday Dec 2020

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 104, Psalms

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

created, creatures, spirit, the Creator

I will praise the LORD!

Photo by Tom Swinnen on Pexels.com

How many are your works, LORD!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit,
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

(Psalm 104:24-30, NIV)*

The Seasons Change

20 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by davidkitz in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 104, Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Christ, creatures, faith, faith in God, labor, lion, Lord, praise, renewal, resurrection, sea, seasons, spring, winter

Reading: Psalm 104

(Verses 19-26)
He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
Then people go out to their work,
to their labor until evening.
How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there (NIV).

Reflection
There is something to be said for routine and regularity. By that I mean the whole vast rhythm of life. Today’s reading from Psalm 104 eloquently reflects the rhythm of life from sunrise to sunset and the return to sunrise once again.

The earth is full of your creatures — photo credit Warwick Burgess

This past weekend, though the calendar said mid April, we were hit hard by freezing rain, and arctic winds. Everyone is anxious for spring like weather to finally make an appearance. Enough of this snow and cold already! The seasons are changing. They always have. In this part of the world, all we can do is prepare for the transition; we can’t speed its coming or prevent it from happening.

In reality, transitions are about rest and renewal. The setting sun lets us know that it’s time to stop our labor and get the rest that is essential for our well-being. In the same way as winter approaches trees and vegetation go dormant, but after a season of rest the great spring renewal will surely come. It always has, and so it will continue until the end of time.

In the same way there is a renewal promised to us at the end this life. Resurrection happens every spring and it will happen to this old clod of earth as well. That’s the great hope we have because of Christ. The word of God has been planted in our hearts and it will bear fruit now and in eternity, which has been promised to those who believe. Do you believe? Do you have faith in the changing seasons? Do you have faith in the One who created the seasons?

Response: Father God, thank you for designing the days, months and seasons. I want to draw near to you in every season of life. How many are your works, LORD! You are worthy of all praise. Renew and refresh me in the seasons of my life. Amen.

Your Turn: What is your favorite season? Why?

You Send Your Spirit

03 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by davidkitz in Bible, Psalm 104, Psalms

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

breath, creatures, food, ships, spirit, the LORD

I will praise Him!

How many are your works, Lord! — photo by David Kitz

How many are your works, LORD!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit, they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

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

Reading: Psalm 136:1-9 Father God, help me to appreciate the wonder of your creation every day. Give me opportunities to see the beauty in it, because it’s a reflection of your magnificent character. Amen.

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

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

I will praise the LORD!

* 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 104:10-18Heavenly Father,you created such a wonderful world!I marvel at your handiwork.I thank you for the great variety of lifeforms on this planet—the plants, the birds, the animals.Lord of all creation,help us appreciate and safeguard your creation.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 the people of Ukraine!

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

Please pray for the people of Ukraine!

I will praise the LORD!

Reading: Psalm 104:27-30

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

Pray for the people of Ukraine!

I will praise the LORD!

Reading: Psalm 104:24-26

How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

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

Pray for the people of Ukraine! Happy Father’s Day!

I will praise the LORD!

How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

(Psalm 104:24-30, NIV)*

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

I will praise Him!

How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

(Psalm 104:24-30, NIV)

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

Reading: Psalm 136:1-9

Father God,
help me to appreciate
the wonder of your creation every day.
Give me opportunities to see the beauty in it,
because it’s a reflection
of your magnificent character.
Amen.

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

Reading: Psalm 104:10-18

Heavenly Father,
you created such a wonderful world!
I marvel at your handiwork.
I thank you for the great variety of lifeforms on this planet—
the plants, the birds, the animals.
Lord of all creation,
help us appreciate and safeguard your creation.
Amen.

How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

Pray for the people of Ukraine!
Happy Father’s Day!

How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

How many are your works, LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.