22 Saturday Jul 2017
Tags
celebrate, faithfulness, God's presence, justice, love, praise, rejoice, Righteousness, rose blossoms, the LORD
Rose blossoms celebrating the goodness of the Lord — photo by David Kitz
15 Saturday Jul 2017
Who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? — photo by David Kitz
09 Sunday Jul 2017
Tags
Butchart Gardens, faithfulness, forever, generations, heaven, love, praise, the LORD, Victoria
Azaleas in bloom, Butchart Gardens, Victoria, BC — photo by David Kitz
25 Sunday Jun 2017
Tags
faithfulness, harvest, heaven, love, peace, Righteousness, the LORD
Monarch Butterfly — David Kitz
22 Wednesday Mar 2017
Posted in Psalms
Awakening the Dawn — photo courtesy of Eric Wright
26 Sunday Feb 2017
Posted in Psalms, Sunday's Psalm
Prairie sunset near MacNutt, Saskatchewan — photo by David Kitz
15 Thursday Dec 2016
Tags
Bible, faithfulness, fire, Jewish faith, Lamb of God, love, Old Testament, racism, shortest Psalm, tabasco sauce, the LORD
Reading: Psalm 117
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD (NIV).
Reflection
Psalm 17 is the shortest of all the psalms. It reminds me of tabasco sauce. It’s concentrated; you don’t need much to set your mouth on fire.
Seasons change but God’s faithfulness endures forever — photo by David Kitz
What’s so great—so powerful—about Psalm 117 you ask? Well in 29 short words, it sums up the call and global appeal of the entire Bible.
Let’s consider this opening sentence: Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. This call to worship is for all people; it’s universal. The message of the Bible is for all people. It’s not limited to a single nation, race or people group.
This call for universal praise is unusual because it draws all humanity into a common faith in the LORD. The Jewish faith was and is a very exclusive religion. This is the faith of the chosen people—God’s chosen people. They did not choose Him, but rather they were uniquely selected by God to bear His name before the nations of the world. Throughout the Old Testament we have a clear sense that God was dealing with his own special people, and they were to walk separate from the nations. They received God’s laws and were the guardians of His word. They were instructed not to intermarry with other nations, nor be polluted by them and their idol worship. The worshippers of Yahweh were an exclusive group, a unique people, but they were not evangelistic. They kept the message to themselves.
But here in Psalm 117 the constricted, exclusive God of the Old Testament appears to break out of His narrow nationalist cocoon. We see that He is in reality a God for all nations, not just for the descendants of Abraham. Here we catch a glimpse of the big picture—the global perspective. All the nations of the earth are to praise Him. The longstanding intent of the God Israel is that every people group should know his ways and experience His salvation.
But why should all nations praise the LORD? The second verse of this miniature psalm provides the answer. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Where did the LORD demonstrate His great love for us? We see God’s love most vividly on the cross. There the Son of God poured out His blood to redeem men and women, boys and girls, from every nation under heaven. There love flowed down in a crimson stream. There God fulfilled His Abrahamic promise. “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). There the prophecy of John the Baptist was achieved. “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Concentrated within the shortest Psalm is enough truth to set the world on fire.
Response: Father God, I just want to praise you. Thank you for your great love and faithfulness as revealed by Jesus on the cross. I love you, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Your Turn: Why is racism run contrary to anyone who claims to love God?
11 Sunday Dec 2016
Posted in Psalms
Tags
abundance, faithfulness, fountain, fountain of life, justice, Orleans, Petrie Island Park, river of delights
Marsh flowers, Petrie Island Park, Orleans, ON — photo by David Kitz
29 Saturday Oct 2016
Posted in Psalms, Saturday's Psalm
Tags
faithfulness, heavens, love, mountains, Righteousness, skies, the LORD
On the shore of the Ottawa River — photo by David Kitz
05 Monday Sep 2016
Tags
authority, faithfulness, God, God's throne, Grey Nuns Park, justice, love, Righteousness, the LORD
Reading: Psalm 89
Verses 14-18
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.
They rejoice in your name all day long;
they celebrate your righteousness.
For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.
Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD,
our king to the Holy One of Israel (NIV).
Reflection
Yesterday afternoon at about 4:30 my wife and I got a call from my son. He found himself in a difficult spot. He and his wife had just bought two swivel chairs. He had wrongly assumed that both would fit into the trunk of his car. Despite his best efforts the second chair would not fit. Could I come, pick up and deliver the second chair to their home?
Weeping willow, Grey Nuns Park, Orleans, ON — photo by David Kitz
My wife had a batch of homemade buns rising in the oven, so she was not available. The delivery task fell to me. So off I drove in a torrential downpour through heavy rush-hour traffic to pick up this chair. Did I resent this interruption in my schedule? Did I get all steamed up about the inconvenience? Was I upset that I was a few minutes late for dinner? No. In all seriousness, none of this bothered me because I love my son and his wife. I was glad to help. I even took a minute or two to sit in that comfy chair and appreciate their new purchase.
Today’s reading from Psalm 89 is all about a chair—a special chair. It’s called the throne of God. Unlike the rollers on the bottom of the chair that my son purchased, this chair has a foundation. It’s immovable. The psalmist makes this statement. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
The throne of God speaks of His authority. God’s authority rests squarely on His righteousness and justice. This has always been so and will be so forever. Righteousness and justice are foundational to all authority. When authorities in this world go astray and engage in unjust and immoral behavior, we find this abhorrent. We question the legitimacy of such authorities. We say they have lost the moral authority to govern.
But God does more than just sit on His throne and govern. He moves out from that throne. Again the psalmist states, “Love and faithfulness go before you.” God is active in this world. Daily the LORD demonstrates His love and faithfulness to His people and also to those who do not call on His name. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45). Furthermore, our heavenly Father is eager to do these things because He loves us.
Response: Heavenly Father, you are good and kind to all. I thank you for your love and faithfulness. Today, I want to walk in the light of your presence, LORD, and rejoice in your name all day long. Amen.
Your Turn: Can you testify that on various occasions God’s love and faithfulness have gone before you?
I love the Psalms 