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desperate, forgive, forgiveness, generations, glory, God, mercy, nations, Savior, sins
I will praise Him!
Crabapple blossoms in spring — photo by David Kitz
“Where is their God?”
27 Saturday May 2017
Tag Archives: nations
His Face Shines on Us
15 Saturday Apr 2017
I will praise Him!
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Radiant glory — photo courtesy of Liz Kranz
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
(Psalm 67:1-5, NIV)
Be Still
02 Thursday Mar 2017
Posted in Psalms, Thursday's Thought
I will praise Him!
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Sunset on the Ottawa River — photo by David Kitz
Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
(Psalm 46:8-11, NIV)
The Nation whose God is the LORD
28 Tuesday Feb 2017
Posted in Psalms, Tuesday's Truth
I will praise Him!
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Parliament Hill as seen from the Chateau Laurier — photo by David Kitz
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down
and sees all mankind;
from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
(Psalm 33:12-15, NIV)
“Where is their God?”
19 Sunday Feb 2017
Posted in Psalms, Sunday's Psalm
I will praise Him!
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Sunset photo courtesy of Liz Kranz
Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
(Psalm 77:8-10, NIV)
An Undivided Heart
25 Thursday Aug 2016
Reading: Psalm 86
Verses 8-13
Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God.
Teach me your way, LORD,
that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths,
from the realm of the dead (NIV).
Reflection
Today’s reading from Psalm 86 begins with this prophetic declaration. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name.
Himeji Castle, Himeji, Japan — photo by David Kitz
Psalm 86 is a prayer of David, but within this prayer David makes this prophetic statement about all nations worshipping the Lord. By the Spirit of God, David saw and declared what is to come. In the pantheistic world of his time, David saw that the God he served was not a local or national god. He saw that Yahweh, the LORD was, is and will be the Lord over all. How could David know that the God of Israel would come to be worshipped in every nation on the earth?
David grasped the big picture. Or a better explanation might be that the God of the big picture grasped David and revealed this truth to him. Through David’s line would come a Savior—a Savior named Jesus—a Jewish Savior for the whole world.
Why was David able to receive such a profound revelation? We are given a clue in the words of his prayer. Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
The answer may lie in David’s heart. He had an undivided heart. In other words he was wholehearted in his love for the Lord. He had a single-minded focus on God. He says just that in the next line of his prayer. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Are you whole hearted in your love and praise for the Lord?
Response: LORD God, unite my heart to praise your name. I don’t want to be distracted by the pursuits of this world. I set my affection on you. Thank you for loving me as your child. Amen.
Your Turn: What are some of the things that distract you from loving and fearing God?
From Every Nation and Race
28 Thursday Jul 2016
Posted in Psalms, Thursday's Thought
Tags
You created each nation, and they will all bow down to worship and honor you. You perform great wonders because you alone are God (Psalm 86:9-10, CEV).
Stained glass Llewelyn United Church, SK — photo courtesy of Donald Adam
Reflection
This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is wonders.
Though as followers of the Lord Jesus we may go through difficult and discouraging times we can draw strength from this thought: God is in control and He will triumph in the end. Though at present the world may be in turmoil, the day is coming when the Prince of Peace will return. Today’s verse from the Psalms reflects this truth.
You created each nation, and they will all bow down to worship and honor you.
You perform great wonders because you alone are God (Psalm 86:9-10, CEV).
God sent his son to suffer and die to take away the sins of the World. But on the third day God raised Jesus from the dead. Now that’s a great wonder! But I’m not sure which is a greater wonder, the resurrection of Jesus, or God’s love for the likes of you and me?
There is a thought that brings me great peace. Our great Redeemer will bring His elect people together from every nation. That’s the promise of His word.
Then they sang a new song, “You [Jesus] are worthy to receive the scroll and open its seals, because you were killed. And with your own blood you bought for God people from every tribe, language, nation, and race” (Revelation 5:9).
Response: LORD God, what a wonderful hope we have in you. The day is coming when we will all bow down to worship and honor you. Amen.
Your Turn: Are you glad that we will be unified around the throne of God?
He Rejected Israel Completely
22 Friday Jul 2016
Reading: Psalm 78
Verses 56-64
But they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High;
they did not keep his statutes.
Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless,
as unreliable as a faulty bow.
They angered him with their high places;
they aroused his jealousy with their idols.
When God heard them, he was furious;
he rejected Israel completely.
He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,
the tent he had set up among humans.
He sent the ark of his might into captivity,
his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
He gave his people over to the sword;
he was furious with his inheritance.
Fire consumed their young men,
and their young women had no wedding songs;
their priests were put to the sword,
and their widows could not weep (NIV).
Reflection
Sin has consequences. We can pretend it isn’t so, but we’re fooling ourselves. Unchecked sin on a personal level can have devastating consequences—consequences that lead to heartache and an early grave. I think we all know individuals who became trapped in sin and wandered down a self-destructive path.
Grey Nuns Park, Orleans, ON — photo by David Kitz
Today’s reading from Psalm 78 reminds us that a whole nation can abandon God and become mired in the consequences of sin. The nation of Israel did just that. The psalmist tells us they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.
When Israel abandoned God, He in turn abandoned them. We read, “He rejected Israel completely. He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance.”
Has God changed? If the LORD abandoned His people in ancient times, will He treat our nation—any nation that turns away from Him differently today? There are consequences for sin and that truth applies to nations too. When collectively we abandon the ways of God and the precepts He has established from the foundations of the world, we can expect dire days ahead. That’s what happened to ancient Israel, and it can happen to us today as well.
Response: LORD God, collectively as a nation, we have wandered away from you. LORD in your mercy lead us back to the center of your holy will. Give us repentant hearts that seek your face. Amen.
Your Turn: Are you concerned about the spiritual state of your nation? What are you doing about it?
Creator of Nations
21 Tuesday Jun 2016
Posted in Psalms, Tuesday's Truth
You created each nation, and they will all bow down to worship and honor you (Psalm 86:9, CEV).
Shinkansen (Bullet Train), Nagoya, Japan — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is creation.
There’s an old saying that I heard as a child. It goes like this, “God created the world, but the Dutch created Holland.”
There is an element of human pride in that statement, but there’s also a measure of truth in those words. A good deal of the Netherlands is below sea level, but by building huge dikes and drainage systems the Dutch have been able to claim the land they live on from the sea.
Today’s reading from the Psalms states that God is the creator of every nation. Nations are God’s idea. He establishes them.
You created each nation, and they will all bow down to worship and honor you (Psalm 86:9, CEV).
Every nation takes pride in its accomplishments—the Dutch in their land reclamation, the Japanese in their ultra fast rail system, America in its military prowess. But there is a time coming when they will all bow down to worship and honor the LORD. That is a day we should all be looking forward to with expectant joy. What a privilege we have to worship Him now in advance of that great day!
Response: LORD God, my first allegiance is not to my country. My first allegiance is to you, my Creator—the Creator of nations. I want to worship and honor you today. Amen.
Your Turn: Are you proud of your country? Does that pride come ahead of your allegiance to the Lord?
The Reason for God’s Blessing
17 Tuesday Nov 2015
Posted in Devotionals, Psalms
Reading: Psalm 67
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us—
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him (NIV).
Reflection
This is perhaps the most evangelical of all the psalms. By that I mean there is good news in this psalm, and the good news of God’s loving-kindness, which is found here, is not to be kept to oneself. It is to be taken to the whole world. Twice within this short psalm the psalmist declares, “May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.”
Like any loving parent, God draws pleasure from blessing his children. But is there a divine motivation that extends beyond the family of God? As the opening verse of this psalm makes clear, God desires to bless us, so that his ways and his salvation may be known all over this world.
So then, Psalm 67 should be our prayer, not only for us, but for the world. That includes the world that does not know Jesus. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
In other words, God’s blessing is not to be selfishly hoarded. It is to extend around the world and beyond the family of God. Is God in fact, blessing us abundantly, so that we may in turn bless others? Is he blessing us, so that we may make his salvation known among all nations? That certainly would appear to be the plan according to Psalm 67.
There is a great harvest day that is still coming on the earth. It is not a harvest of wheat, corn or rice, but a harvest of souls that will be swept into the Kingdom of God. If this psalm is to be believed, it is a harvest that is propelled and swelled by our joyous praise.
Is your thanksgiving for God’s blessing extending beyond the borders of your family?
Response: LORD God, I thank you for all the blessings you have showered on my life. Most of all I thank you for my salvation through Jesus Christ. Show me how I can extend your blessing to others. Amen.
Your Turn: Have you taken the message of God’s salvation across borders? How?
I love the Psalms 