Tag Archives: love

Forever!

01 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Psalm 89, Psalms

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Reading:                                       Psalm 89

A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known
through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.
You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,
‘I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations’” (NIV).

Reflection

The opening stanzas of Psalm 89 remind me of a little rhyme found in a children’s book. It goes like this:

“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
as long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.”

The lines of that little song were first sung by Robert Munsch as he held his stillborn baby in his arms. Imagine the grief he felt when for a second time his wife gave birth to another stillborn child. Again he took that little baby in his arms and he rocked it back and forth and sang,

“I’ll love you forever,
I’ll like you for always,
as long as I’m living
my baby you’ll be.”

The bestselling children’s book Love You Forever was birthed from that heart-wrenching experience. If you are a parent or a grandparent, this little picture book should come with a warning label: Impossible to read without tearing up.

There’s an element of forever in the bond between a parent and a child. I am a father forever to my two sons, Timothy and Joshua. My love for those two boys hasn’t diminished as they have grown into young men. Though they have moved out of our home, they will be forever loved and we will be forever linked by love and faithfulness.

God’s love for us is that kind of love. It’s a forever love just as the psalmist declares. I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

Love and faithfulness are what marriage is all about. It’s one of those forever things along with parenthood. When God is at the center, these things last forever. And I’m so glad they do.

Response: LORD God, I am so glad that I’m your child forever. You have loved me and welcomed me into your family. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! Amen.

Your Turn: Will you sing of the LORD’s great love forever? Now is a great time to get started.

Listen to what God says

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Psalm 85, Psalms

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Reading:                                          Psalm 85

Verses 8-13

I will listen to what God the LORD says;
he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.

Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
 The LORD will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps (NIV).

Reflection

Psalm 85 began with the psalmist reflecting on a wonderful time of God’s favor and forgiveness. God’s grace had been abundant and a source of great joy. But that is not the present reality. It would seem that for some reason God’s hand of blessing has been lifted and the psalmist finds himself crying out for mercy and revival. Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation.

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Rock along the trail, Gatineau Park, QC — photo by David Kitz

Times of hardship and personal setbacks can leave us wondering if God has abandoned us. Have we sinned? Has God withdrawn His blessing from our lives? Will He shows us His kindness once again? In difficult times these questions often flood our minds.

After pleading for restoration and pouring out his troubles before God the psalmist makes this statement, “I will listen to what God the LORD says.”

Now that’s sound advice. Listening to what God says is always a good idea. It resolves inner conflict and brings peace of mind. And what does God the LORD say? “He promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly.”

Often we feel that when things aren’t going right in our lives, we must be at fault. Perhaps we are and we should repent. But there are other times when the hardships we face are not due to sin or error on our part. Troubles and difficulties come to all of us. On such occasions the LORD promises us peace. He assures us that we are walking in His will and He is right there with us in the midst of life’s storms. Here is His promise for you: The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.

Hang onto the righteousness of God. He is about to step into your life in a beautiful way.

Response: 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.

Your Turn: Can you recall occasions when God has stepped into your life? What did that look like?

One Day in Your Courts

19 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by in Psalm 84, Psalms

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Reading:                                      Psalm 84

Verses 8-12

Hear my prayer, LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, God of Jacob.
Look on our shield, O God;
look with favor on your anointed one.

Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper 

in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.

LORD Almighty,
blessed is the one who trusts in you (NIV).

Reflection

All of Psalm 84 is written in praise of a special day—a day spent in God’s presence. Throughout this Psalm there is a longing to be with God—a desire to be close to him. So we hear the Psalmist declare, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.“

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Cheticamp Church, Cheticamp, NS — photo by David Kitz

If you were to plan for the best day in your life, what would that day include? What would it look like? How and where would you spend your best day? Would the LORD be at the center of it all?

Love is at the core of every special day. Think back to some of the best days of your life—days marked by joy and excitement. If you scratch beneath the surface of those days, you will find love at the core. We are in fact love starved people. We need it as much as the air we breathe. Experiments have shown that the unloved, un-caressed, unspoken to baby will die, even though all its physical needs are met. So when love comes to us, we celebrate it, frolic in it, and throw a party to announce it.

We need love. We need to receive it. We need to give it.

It was love that brought the psalmist to the House of God. It drew him like a magnet, pulled at his heart, tugged at his sleeve, and finally ushered him through the door. Love set him on this pilgrimage. It kept his weary feet moving mile after dreary mile. When he finally reached his goal—the object of his love—in wonder, we hear him exclaim, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.”

The psalmist was pursuing love with the one he loved—the LORD Almighty. Have you spent time pursuing him lately? Is a day spent with him, something you yearn for?

Response: LORD God, I love you. I know that you love me because Jesus showed the extent of your love. He reaches out to me with nail-scarred hands. I want to spend my day with you. Amen.

Your Turn: Is a day spent with Jesus, something you yearn for?

Yet He Was Merciful

01 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in Psalm 78, Psalms

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Reading:                                       Psalm 78

Verses 32-39

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;
in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.
So he ended their days in futility
and their years in terror.
Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;
they eagerly turned to him again.
They remembered that God was their Rock,
that God Most High was their Redeemer.
But then they would flatter him with their mouths,
lying to him with their tongues;
their hearts were not loyal to him,
they were not faithful to his covenant.
Yet he was merciful;
he forgave their iniquities
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger
and did not stir up his full wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh,
a passing breeze that does not return (NIV).

Reflection

Psalm 78 is a lengthy indictment against the people of Israel for their unfaithfulness to the LORD. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that these were the people of God—His chosen people—yet they responded with lies, unbelief and disloyalty. If this is how the people of God conduct themselves, what are we to expect from those who do not know the LORD?

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Autumn in Central Park, New York, NY — photo by David Kitz

Unfortunately, the people of God today are not so different from the people of Israel 3,000 years ago. When we look about the church world, we see a plenty of division, backbiting and sin. All too often hate rules instead of love. We cover ourselves with a fig leaf of self-righteousness and then proceed to attack those who fail to meet our standard. We do all this while we are trapped in our own secret web of sin. We are determined to clean up the world while ignoring our personal pile of filth.

The words of Jesus from his Sermon on the Mount still ring true today, “How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:4-5).

But given this deplorable state of affairs, what does the LORD do? The psalmist states, “Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.” Like the people of ancient Israel, we are saved not because of our righteousness, but solely because of God’s mercy and grace.

Response: LORD God, I cannot boast because of my righteousness. You know all my shortcomings. I have an impressive pile of personal sin. Forgive me through the mercy of your son, Jesus. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you been guilty of pointing out the faults of others while ignoring your own?

You Love Me!

18 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by in Mid-Week Medtiation, Psalms

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I will sing your praises! You are my mighty fortress, and you love me (Psalm 59:7, CEV).

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The delicate dance of grass at sunset — photo courtesy of Donald Adam

Reflection

This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is the word fortress.

The most reassuring aspect of knowing that the LORD is our fortress is living in the knowledge that we are loved by God. The LORD is our fortress because He loves us. We can run to Him because He wants the best for us.

Today’s verse from the Psalms says just that:

I will sing your praises! You are my mighty fortress, and you love me (Psalm 59:7, CEV).

Rather than running from God, our heavenly Father calls us to run to Him and find our shelter and a place of rest in Him. David, the warrior king and author of many of the psalms, discovered that the LORD was his fortress. The fortress that David retreated to was built on the bedrock of God’s love for him.

The LORD who loves you, even as He loved David, welcomes you into His Fortress built on love.

Response: LORD God, I can’t thank you enough for loving me. You demonstrated that love by sending Jesus to die on a cross in my place. You are my fortress in the storms of life. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you sometimes doubt God’s love for you? How are you reassured of God’s continual love even when times are difficult?

Loving and Faithful

01 Friday Apr 2016

Posted by in Friday's Focus, Psalms

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It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love and at night to announce how faithful you are (Psalm 92:2, CEV).

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Your Love in the Morning – photo by Donald Adam

Reflection

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

If the heavens declare the glory of God, then we should join with all creation in doing the same. If the sky has a story to tell about God’s love, then so do I. The psalmist expresses this thought with  these words:

It is wonderful each morning to tell about your love and at night to announce how faithful you are (Psalm 92:2, CEV).

As the day draws to a close can you testify to the faithfulness of God? I certainly can. Each day has its set of problems and difficulties, but as the sun sets I can say the Lord has seen me through. I am sure you can say the same.

Take some time to give God the thanks and praise He deserves

Response: LORD God, thank you for being my companion through the day. Your love and faithfulness sustain me. I want to proclaim your goodness. Amen.

Your Turn: Has the Lord been loving and faithful to you?

Nothing I Desire Besides You

30 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Psalm 73, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 73
Verses 21-28
When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds (NIV).

Reflection
I love the brutal honesty of the psalmist. I always like to think I am the smartest one in the room, but the truth is I am very capable of wrong-headed thinking. Wrong thinking often leads to hurtful words or unwise actions. Take a moment to consider the psalmist’s confession: When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

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Kanazawa, Japan – photo by David Kitz

That’s brutal honesty. Are we that honest with God when our reasoning goes off the straight and narrow rails? Or do we justify our thoughts and blame God or others when we are ticked off?

We need to come into God’s sanctuary to have our hearts and minds tuned into the LORD’s thinking. The LORD reminds us that He knows the big picture. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).

When we are in God’s presence, we can have our affections adjusted. All too often I have my priorities all messed up. What about you? The amazing truth about God is that He loves us despite our mess ups. The psalmist knows the power of that love. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.

What a patient, loving God we serve! This should become our humble confession: Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Response: LORD God, I want to have your perspective. I want to see as you see. Remind me to take time to be with you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. Amen.

Your Turn: How do you get your affections in tune with God?