Tag Archives: hearing God

Step into My Life

09 Monday May 2022

Posted by in Psalm 85

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

Psalm 85-9
Reading: Psalm 85:8-13

LORD God,
I turn to you in the middle of my difficulties.
Open my ears to hear your voice speaking to me.
I trust you to lead me.
Come and step into my life.
Amen.

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

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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.

Teach Me to Pray

10 Thursday Feb 2022

Posted by in Psalm 59

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

Psalm 59_16Reading: Psalm 59:10-17

LORD God,
teach me to pray like David prayed.
Give me ears to hear your voice
when I come before you,
and then help me obey.
Amen.

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

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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 LORD Speaks

08 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 32, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 32:8-11
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.
Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.
Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart! (NIV)*

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Autumn glory — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
In Psalm 32 God speaks back. David begins this psalm, and we clearly can hear his voice addressing us, as he tells how wonderful it is to be forgiven. He then goes on to speak of his own struggle with unconfessed sin. Finally, he tells us of the great relief he experienced as he is pardoned and restored to a place of close fellowship with the LORD. But then abruptly in verse eight, we hear a different voice. God is speaking. The LORD responds to what David has said. Through this psalm David is modelling true prayer. This psalm is two-way communication.

We have heard David’s words; let’s hear God’s words now. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Clearly this is not the voice of David. David is not going to counsel and watch over us. This is the work of the LORD. The LORD will teach and guide us. It is His role to shepherd the flock of His pasture.

These words, from verse eight to the end of this psalm are coming from the LORD. David has heard God speak, and now he is passing on this message from the LORD directly to us. In this respect David is fulfilling the role of a prophet. He is acting as God’s spokesperson. In fact, in Acts 2:30, Peter asserts David was a prophet. And what is a prophet? In the simplest terms, it is someone who hears God, and then passes on God’s message to others.

Do you hear God? This is no idle, rhetorical question. It is essential to our Christian faith that we as believers hear the voice of God. I would go so far as to say, you cannot experience salvation unless you first hear God. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28a).

In short, we must be able to hear Jesus in order to follow Him, and it is in following Him that we receive eternal life. Hearing God’s voice is of paramount importance.

Response: LORD God, give me ears to hear what you have to say to me. Please instruct me and teach me in the way I should go. Then give me grace to obey. I put my trust in you, O LORD. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you hear God’s voice? How does He speak to you? Have you heard the Lord’s voice recently? How do you distinguish God’s voice from all the other voices you hear?

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

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

You Called and I Rescued You

23 Saturday Oct 2021

Posted by in Psalm 81, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

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Backyard garden glory — photo by David Kitz

(Psalm 81:5-10, NIV)*

I heard an unknown voice say:

“I removed the burden from their shoulders;
    their hands were set free from the basket.
In your distress you called and I rescued you,
    I answered you out of a thundercloud;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
    if you would only listen to me, Israel!
You shall have no foreign god among you;
    you shall not worship any god other than me.
I am the LORD your God,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

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

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Does God Hear Me When I Pray?

19 Tuesday Oct 2021

Posted by in Psalm 27, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 27:7-14
Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
Be merciful to me and answer me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger;
You have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.
Though my mother and father forsake me,
The LORD will receive me.
Teach me your way, O LORD;
Lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
For false witnesses rise up against me breathing out violence.
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD (NIV).*

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Through the open window of prayer — Mackenzie King Estate, Gatineau Park — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Is God listening? Do I have His full attention? Is He even there? Even people of great faith ask questions such as these. Listen to David’s plea, “Hear my voice when I call, O LORD.”

David’s psalms are replete with calls for God to listen and then quickly respond to his cries for help. These pleas for a listening ear happen with such frequency throughout the Book of Psalms that one can be forgiven for wondering if God is deaf. In our minds we know this is an absurd proposition. He who formed the ear can surely hear the faintest whispered prayer or unvoiced thought. But despite what our intellect knows, we still plead for His listening ear. Along with David we cry out, “Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.”

I suspect the problem in prayer is not that we are speaking to a deaf God, but rather we, the petitioners, are deaf to God’s answers. The patriarchs and prophets of old heard the voice of God. They conversed with the LORD Almighty. Many of these conversations are recorded verbatim in the Old Testament. A fine example of this is found in Exodus as Moses speaks with the LORD at the burning bush.

Have we lost the ability to hear God? Has a great collective deafness settled across humanity?

In a cold world filled with rejection, there is a God. There is a God of mercy the lonely soul can turn to. There is One who understands. There is One who listens to our anguished prayers. David discovered and knew that reality. We can join with David and say, “Though my mother and father forsake me, the LORD will receive me.”

Response: LORD God, this is my confession, “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” I will, “Wait for the LORD.” I will, “Be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Amen.

Your Turn: Are there times when you doubt God is listening to your prayers? How do you know He is there? Has the LORD spoken to your heart?

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

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Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Hearing the Voice of God

14 Saturday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalms, Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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The Psalms speak to our deepest needs!P 365-120120

God speaks to us—to humanity—through His word. This has been the case since the first God-inspired, God-directed scribe took pen and ink in hand. For over three millennia men and women have heard the voice of God through words of Holy Scripture.

How do we draw meaning from these words? In the twenty-first century can the word of God come alive to us and speak to our hearts? Are there insights we can draw upon by looking at the prayer and devotional life of the ancient Hebrews?

Within the Psalms we hear the deepest longings of the human heart. Here we find the full range of human experience—experiences that bring us face to face with God. Our joys and triumphs are reflected here. Our spirits soar to the heavens, but we also plumb the depths of tragic despair. Is it any wonder then, that throughout the ages men and women have found refuge in the Psalms?RGB72PsalmsVol2

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the devil urged him to turn stones into bread. Jesus responded by saying, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4)

If for you, God’s word has been as palatable as stone, then ask the Holy Spirit to bring His word to life. In the Psalms we find life. We discover real people in a real relationship with God. Here we tap into the biblical fount of prayer and praise. Through the Psalms we discover what it means to know God and be fully known by Him.

For the past number of years, award-winning author, David Kitz has been bringing the Psalms to life through the medium of live drama. Here now in book form, from an actor and pastor’s perspective, he provides insight into the prayers and praise of the psalmist.

Vol III 2021-07-26As you read these daily devotions listen. Listen and let God speak. Let Him speak to you through His living, Holy Word.

Come now and find yourself before your God through the eternal poetry of the Psalms.

Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. Begin your personal, year-long journey through the Psalms. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

Wait Time

13 Friday Aug 2021

Posted by in Psalm 5

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Psalm 5

Reading: Psalm 5

Heavenly Father,
I call out to you.
I lay out my requests.
Teach me to wait expectantly for you.
Open my ears to hear your voice.
I want to be tuned into you
throughout my day.
Amen.

Volume III of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here. Journey through the Psalms in a year.

Guide My Thoughts

29 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Psalm 141

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 141_2

Reading: Psalm 141:1-4

LORD God,
I want my prayers to be like sweet incense to you.
Help me to pray according to your will.
That means listening for your voice
before I blurt out my requests.
Guide my thoughts.
Speak to me, and through me,
as I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at this #1 new release click here. For a look back at Volume I click here.

Hearing the Voice of God

25 Tuesday May 2021

Posted by in Psalms, Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz
365 Listening Prayer Psalm 130b

Psalms 130

Father God,
I thank you for your prophetic word
because it points to Jesus.
Lord Jesus,
thank you for laying down your life to redeem me,
and all those who bow before you in repentance.
Help me to hear your voice speaking to me.
Amen.

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at this #1 new release click here. For a look back at Volume I click here.

A Cure for a Hard Heart

14 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by in Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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The key to avoiding a hard heart Psalms 365Heavenly Father,
give me ears that hear your voice
gently speaking to me.
Give me a heart that is quick to obey.
I want a tender heart that reflects your love
for me and for others.
I pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

The first volume of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is now available. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.