Tag Archives: glory

Telling the Wonders of God

25 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by in Monday Meditation, Psalms

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The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done (Psalm 19:1, CEV).

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The heavens declare the glory of God — photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is wonders.

Does God exist? The answer is written in the sky. In essence that’s what David the shepherd king is saying as he begins Psalm 19.

The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done (Psalm 19:1, CEV).

At night the starry hosts announce God’s glory. Each morning the sun rises in glorious splendor to declare the goodness of the LORD. Towering clouds and thunderstorms reveal His awesome power. God is robed in the grandeur of the setting sun.

Through all these daily occurrences, God is speaking—speaking from the heavens. And He is speaking across the whole earth to every nation, tribe and people group. The daily panorama unfolding in the sky bares witness to the wonder-filled reality of God our Creator.

Are you hearing the voice of God? Have you opened your eyes to see His wonders? He is far closer than you think.

Response: LORD God, I want to see your wonders today. I want to hear you speaking to me through the natural world that you created. Give me ears to hear your voice. Amen.

Your Turn: Does God speak to you through the beauty of nature?

Greater Glory

26 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Friday's Focus, Psalms

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All creation, come praise the name of the LORD. Praise his name alone. The glory of God is greater than heaven and earth (Psalm 148:13, CEV).

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Autumn Splendor, Gatineau Park – photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is glory.

There’s a rather common saying: The sum is greater than its parts. While that may not be strictly correct in mathematics, it makes perfect sense in real life experience. The full picture is so much better than segments seen in sequence.

If I divided the autumn picture above into six equal portions, and showed you them sequentially, they would not have the same impact as the entire picture seen as a whole.

In the same way, our picture of the glory of God is like many small snapshots. I am not sure we could handle the full glory of God, if it was revealed to us. But today’s verse from the Psalms calls us to see that greater sum.

All creation, [me included] come praise the name of the LORD. Praise his name alone. The glory of God is greater than heaven and earth (Psalm 148:13, CEV).

Response: LORD God, let me catch glimpses of your glory today, but remind me too that you are so much bigger than I can think or even imagine. You are an awesome God! Amen.

Your Turn: Do you think your picture of God is too small?

Glory in the Place of Worship

25 Thursday Feb 2016

Posted by in Psalms, Thursday's Thought

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I have seen your power and your glory in the place of worship (Psalm 63:2, CEV).

Cathedral 2014-07-10

Ottawa Cathedral – photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is glory.

This is David’s heartfelt statement of fact, “I have seen your power and your glory in the place of worship” (Psalm 63:2, CEV).

I stand in full agreement with David’s profession. I too can say I have seen God’s power and glory in the place of worship. I have seen God visibly at work in the lives of his people as they gather for worship. I have sensed his presence with me at church.

The great pity is that there are many who have not encountered God–truly experienced His power and glory in the place of worship. Transformation occurs when we show up and the LORD shows up. It’s His power and His glory that change us, not a hymn or a sermon, though those have their place. But they fall flat unless we meet God in them.

Our prayer should always be to have our eyes opened to the glory of God in the place of worship.

Response: LORD God, open my eyes to you. I want to see you. I want others to see you. I need to be changed by your presence in my life and my place of worship. Amen.

Your Turn: Is there something you do that makes you more aware of God?

Human Glory

24 Wednesday Feb 2016

Posted by in Mid-Week Medtiation, Psalms

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You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5, CEV).

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The Face of God’s Glory – photo courtesy of David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is glory.

When we think of glory, especially in biblical terms, we immediately think of God’s glory. But today’s verse from the Psalms reminds us that we humans have glory too. You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5, CEV). Other translations read a little lower than the angels.

Glory, honor and dignity are gifts from God. They are His gift to humanity. When we humiliate or dishonor someone, we are sullying God’s glory. We need to see God’s glory in the faces of those around us.

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is truly in our hearts (1 John 4:12).

Do you see God’s glory in your children, your neighbor or colleague?

Response: LORD God, open my eyes to your glory in those around me. Help me to treat my neighbors with love and respect because they bear your image. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have trouble seeing God in others?

Reflected Glory

22 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Monday Meditation, Psalms

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Our LORD and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! You let your glory be seen in the heavens above (Psalm 8:1, CEV).

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Reflected Field of Dreams – photo by David Kitz

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is glory.

Last May at the close of the day, I snapped this photo through the window of a bullet train (shinkansen) as it raced through the Japanese countryside.

I think the verse from the psalm fits beautifully with the picture. Our LORD and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! You let your glory be seen in the heavens above (Psalm 8:1, CEV).

The LORD is ruler over all and no matter where you live–on every continent–His name is wonderful. Some of the most loving, committed Christian believers I know live in Japan.

The LORD lets us see His glory in the heavens, but it’s also reflected on the earth. In the photo the flooded rice paddy reflects the sky, so the LORD’s glory is reflected by all of creation and especially by his people.

Response: LORD God, this week help me to reflect your glory to those around me. I want my life and actions to shine for you. Fill me with the love of Jesus. Amen.

Your Turn: How can you reflect the glory of God as you go about your day?

From the Temple to the Stable

24 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by in Psalms, Thursday's Thought

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I love the temple where you live, and where your glory shines (Psalm 26:8, CEV).

D Adam Winter Farm

Prairie Farm — photo by Donald Adam

Reflection

As we count down to Christmas Day, this week’s I Love the Psalms theme is love.

Where is God’s temple? The answer is where God lives. All too often we want to keep God at a safe distance. Heaven seems like a logical place for God to dwell. But guess what? God is not content to stay there. He wants to live with us.

That’s why Jesus came into the world. He came to live with us. Paul reminds us of this truth with these words, Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Corinthians 3:16, NIV).

Today let God’s glory shine from your life.

Response: LORD God, thank you for sending Jesus to be born among us. Thank you for coming to live in my heart. I make room for you. Amen.

Your Turn: How can you let Jesus shine from the temple of your heart on this the eve of his birth?

Big God—Little Me

05 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by in Psalm 8, Psalms

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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)

 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. 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. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you had a transcendent moment—a God moment? How did that happen?

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