A Psalm for Resurrection Morning

31 Sunday Mar 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 16, Psalms

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death and resurrection, Easter, joy, pleasures, praise the LORD, Prayer, Psalms, resurrection, the cross, the LORD

I will praise the LORD!

A resurrection prayer from the Psalms.

Reading: Psalm 16:7-11
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me
to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. *

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!

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.

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Easter is here.
Are you ready for a journey to the cross,
and the empty tomb?
For a closer look or to purchase click here.

Awake and Rise

30 Saturday Mar 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 35, Psalms

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defense, joy, praise the LORD, Psalms, Righteousness, the LORD, vindication

I will praise the LORD!

A pre-resurrection prayer from the Psalms.

Reading: Psalm 35:22-28

LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent.
    Do not be far from me, Lord.
Awake, and rise to my defense!
    Contend for me, my God and Lord.
Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God;
    do not let them gloat over me.
Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!”
    or say, “We have swallowed him up.”
May all who gloat over my distress
    be put to shame and confusion;
may all who exalt themselves over me
    be clothed with shame and disgrace.
May those who delight in my vindication
    shout for joy and gladness;
may they always say, “The LORD be exalted,
    who delights in the well-being of his servant.”
My tongue will proclaim your righteousness,
    your praises all day long. *

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!

4485 SHARABLE-2

Easter is here.
Are you ready for a journey to the cross,
and the empty tomb?
For a closer look or to purchase click here.

Restore our Fortunes, LORD

07 Thursday Mar 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 126, Psalms

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devotion, forgiveness of sins, Holy Spirit, joy, pilgrimage, Prayer, Psalms, restoration, restore

Today’s Devotion from the Psalms

Reading: Psalm 126
A song of ascents.
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them (NIV). *

Rainbow on my brother’s farm — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
This is a psalm that has two parts—two sharply contrasting perspectives. It begins with jubilation, but it transitions to sober reflection and a prayer for restoration.

The historical context of this psalm is readily identifiable. The psalmist is commenting on the joyous return of the exiles following the seventy-year Babylonian captivity—an event that occurred in the sixth century before the birth of Christ. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.

The LORD had brought back the people of Israel, and they were filled with joy. Have you experienced the glorious liberating power of God in your life? Have you experienced the pure joy of the Lord as you realized your sins are forgiven? And oh joy—this God you serve is as near as your next breath!

I remember a time like that—a time when I was filled with the Holy Spirit. The joy I experienced was so all encompassing that I remember waking in the morning with my face muscles aching because of the smile that had been permanently etched there.

But alas, we can’t live on that mountain-top high forever. In our pilgrimage with God, we eventually reach this line in Psalm 126: Restore our fortunes, LORD, like streams in the Negev. The Negev is the desert region to the south of the land of Judah. Streams in the Negev are intermittent. A raging torrent one day becomes a mere trickle on the next day, and then nothing on the third day. The boisterous river of joy turns into a dry gulch—a blank line on the desert floor. Then we join with the psalmist and pray. Restore our fortunes, LORD. Our prayer becomes a plea for a return to the joy of harvest.

Response: Father God, I thank you for times of great joy, when we experience your salvation and your felt presence. Help me to sow the seeds of your gospel message today. Lord, bring a harvest. Amen.

Your Turn: What season are you in? What season is your church in? Is it seed planting time or harvest?

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

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

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

An Invitation to Joy

05 Tuesday Mar 2024

Posted by davidkitz in book review

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book, God, guide, joy, life purpose, self-centered, self-help, wisdom, worth

My initial impression of this book was not particularly strong—a good guide to live a good life. But as the chapters rolled by, I concluded there is much wisdom in these pages, and I needed to pay closer attention to what I was reading and how I was living. 613O95czDcL._SL1360_
John Murray draws on experiences from his own life and others to illustrate important truths and values that when applied can bring true joy and fulfillment in life. This is not a self-centered, self-help book, but rather a book that draws us to give to others and to God in order to find true joy and worth in life.

This is sage wisdom for our times from an octagenarian who has lived out these truths.

Thank you, John Murray.

Sing Joyfully to the LORD

24 Saturday Feb 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 33, Psalms

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joy, justice, new song, praise the LORD, Psalms, Righteousness, the LORD, unfailing love

I will praise the LORD!

Prairie rose — photo by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 33:1-5

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous;
    it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
    make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully, and shout for joy.
For the word of the LORD is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.
The LORD loves righteousness and justice;
    the earth is full of his unfailing love. *

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

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

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

You Clothed Me with Joy

28 Sunday Jan 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 30, Psalms

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dancing, joy, mercy of God, praise, praise the LORD, Psalms, the LORD

I will praise the LORD!

Azalias in bloom, Surrey, BC — photo by David Kitz

Reading: Psalm 30:6-12

When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”
LORD, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.
To you, LORD, I called;
    to the LORD I cried for mercy:
“What is gained if I am silenced,
    if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, LORD, and be merciful to me;
    LORD, be my help.”
You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    LORD my God, I will praise you forever. *

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

Please pray for peace to return to Israel and Ukraine!

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Gratitude and Joy

19 Friday Jan 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 116

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gratitude, joy, Prayer, Psalms, servant, serving God

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

Reading: Psalm 116:15-19

Father God,
I want to serve you.
Today please show me
how I can be the best possible servant
to you and those around me.
Open my eyes to the needs of others.
I want to serve with a heart filled with gratitude and joy.
Amen.

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

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

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Hope is Foundational to Revival

16 Tuesday Jan 2024

Posted by davidkitz in Devotions

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Tags

Almighty, churches, Holy Spirit, hope, hope in God, joy, life, love, peace of God, poem, poetry, revival, Savior, survival, trust in God

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13, NIV). *

I have always been fascinated by stories of extreme survival.

In the early 1900s a cargo freighter carrying coal caught fire while rounding Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America. After battling the onboard fire for many days, the eighteen-member crew was forced to abandon ship in frigid waters. Most were able to make it to shore on an uninhabited, inhospitable rocky island. As the weeks passed, one by one they succumbed to starvation and the frigid conditions. EFFECTS winter

Finally, only three remained, the cook, who was the deceased captain’s wife, and two crew members. After long months they were finally rescued by a passing ship. Why did these three survive? The two men said it was entirely due to the cook. She refused to give up. She always maintained hope—hope that they would be rescued. Hope saved their lives.

We have all seen it. The elderly and the sick wither away and die when hope is abandoned. Churches wither when hope wanes. They die when hope is abandoned. But the opposite is also true. Hope revives the frail, it energizes the weak, and renews our faith in an Almighty Savior.

As we begin this year fill your heart with hope. Let it overflow. Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit turns survival into revival.