Tags
desert, fields, God's blessing, harvest, MacNutt SK, praising God, the LORD, wise
I will praise Him!
A field of harvest ready oats near MacNutt, SK — photo by David Kitz
They Sowed Fields
20 Saturday Jan 2018
Tag Archives: desert
His Love Endures Forever
06 Saturday Jan 2018
Tags
desert, Goodness of God, hungry, the LORD, thirst, trouble, unfailing love
I will praise Him!
Photo courtesy of Liz Kranz
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.
(Psalm 107:1-9, NIV)
Like a River in the Desert
17 Sunday Dec 2017
Tags
Abraham, bread of heaven, desert, joy, Light, nations, Petrie Island, praise, rejoice, river, the LORD
I will praise Him!
Petrie Island sunrise — photo by David Kitz
He spread out a cloud as a covering,
and a fire to give light at night.
They asked, and he brought them quail;
he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed like a river in the desert.
For he remembered his holy promise
given to his servant Abraham.
He brought out his people with rejoicing,
his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
that they might keep his precepts
and observe his laws. Praise the LORD.
(Psalm 105:39-45, NIV)
A Spiritual Desert
27 Monday Nov 2017
Posted in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 63, Psalms
Tags
David, desert, Desert of Judah, dry, God, life-giving water, Mars, praise, sanctuary, springs, thirst, thirst for God, water
Reading: Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
(Verses 1-5)
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you (NIV).
Reflection
A healthy human body can go as much as ninety days without food, but only about ten days without water. Water is life. Without it we perish.
Jesus is our source of living water — photo courtesy of Liz Kranz
A few years ago with great fanfare, it was announced that liquid water had been discovered on the surface of Mars. This opens the possibility of microbial life on, or just beneath the Martian surface. What is more important, human life can be sustained on Mars for long periods if water is present.
The introductory note to Psalm 63 informs us that David composed this psalm, when he was in the Desert of Judah. But there is something quite startling about this psalm. David is not crying out for water as we might expect. Instead, David is crying out for God. He’s not seeking for water; he is earnestly seeking for God.
Hear David’s desperate plea, “I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
When was the last time you thirsted for God like a man trekking in the heat of the desert? I must confess I’m better at ignoring God than seeking Him. But that was not David’s mindset. David recognized his need for God. He was thirsty for Him.
Our thirst for God should be a constant in our lives. As I write this, I pause for sips of my morning coffee. It’s a thirst I have—a longing that prompts me to pick up my cup. At various times through the day do I thirst for God in the same way? Do I long for His Spirit and the thrill of His presence near me?
Are you spending your days in a spiritual desert? Are you yearning for intimacy with God? Oh that we might thirst for God as David did!
Response: LORD God, I want more of you in my life. Help me to sing and praise your name, and draw my satisfaction from you. You are the true source of life and joy. All my springs of joy are in you. Amen.
Your Turn: How can we cultivate a personal thirst for God?
My Soul is a Desert
15 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Friday's Focus, Psalms
Tags
desert, faith, Jesus, life-giving water, Ottawa, Prayer, Rideau River, spiritual dryness, thirst, water
Then I lift my hands in prayer, because my soul is a desert, thirsty for water from you (Psalm 143:6, CEV).
Rideau River, Ottawa, ON — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is thirst.
As I searched about my repertoire of pictures, I realized I don’t have any desert photos to go with today’s verse from the Psalms.
Then I lift my hands in prayer, because my soul is a desert, thirsty for water from you (Psalm 143:6, CEV).
While I don’t have desert pictures, my soul has walked through desert places—lifeless places where faith and hope are dry and shriveled or absent entirely. If we have walked with the Lord for any length of time, we undoubtedly have experience periods of dryness. They are times when we need to call out to God in prayer.
Though we hate to admit it, we may need times of dryness. We need the desert experience so our roots grow deep—so we seek God with a sense of urgency—a true thirst for Him.
The good news is there are streams of water that flow from the Lord. Jesus announced, “If you are thirsty, come to me and drink! Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say” (John 7:37-38, CEV).
Response: Lord Jesus, give me that life-giving water. I want to become a fountain of blessing for those around me. I put my faith in you. You are my source—the wellspring of life. Amen.
Your Turn: Have you gone through desert places? Did you meet Jesus there?
I Thirst for You
29 Tuesday Sep 2015
Posted in Devotionals, Psalms
Tags
Atacama Desert, desert, God, Mars, microbial life, praise, Psalm 63, thirst, water
Reading: Psalm 63
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you (NIV).
Reflection
A healthy human body can go as much as ninety days without food, but only about ten days without water. Water is life. Without it we perish.
Yesterday with great fanfare, it was announced that liquid water had been discovered on the surface of Mars. This opens the possibility of microbial life on or just beneath the Martian surface. What is more important, human life can be sustained on Mars for long periods if water is present.
Atacama Desert, Chile — Photo credit http://www.explora.com
The introductory note to Psalm 63 informs us that David composed this psalm, when he was in the Desert of Judah. But there is something quite startling about this psalm. David is not crying out for water as we might expect. Instead, David is crying out for God. He’s not seeking for water; he is earnestly seeking for God.
Hear David’s desperate plea, “I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
When was the last time you thirsted for God like a man trekking in the heat of the desert? I must confess I’m better at ignoring God than seeking Him. But that was not David’s mindset. David recognized his need for God. He was thirsty for Him.
Our thirst for God should be a constant in our lives. As I write this, I pause for sips of my morning coffee. It’s a thirst I have—a longing that prompts me to pick up my cup. At various times through the day do I thirst for God in the same way? Do I long for His Spirit and the thrill of His presence near me?
Oh that we might thirst for God as David did!
Response: LORD God, I want more of you in my life. Help me to sing and praise your name, and draw my satisfaction from you. You are the true source of life and joy. All my springs of joy are in you. Amen.
Your Turn: How can we cultivate a personal thirst for God?
I love the Psalms 