Loyalty will sprout from the ground — photo by David Kitz
Poetic Romance in the Psalms
30 Saturday Jul 2016
Tag Archives: peace
City of Peace
26 Thursday May 2016
Posted in Psalms, Thursday's Thought
Tags
Your home is on Mount Zion in the city of peace (Psalm 76:2, CEV).
Koranke, Japan — a place of peace — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is cities.
Do you dwell in a city of peace? Cities can be places of violence and crime. But we all want peace and security. Today’s verse from the Psalms speaks about God’s city of peace.
Your home is on Mount Zion in the city of peace (Psalm 76:2, CEV).
Where God is there is peace. If you and I have been reconciled with God, we have the peace of Christ in our hearts. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7, NIV).
God’s city of peace is more than a geographic location where there is no conflict. We can experience the peace of God because Jesus has brought us peace with God by wiping away our sins. Jesus’ peace surpasses anything the world has to offer because it comes from beyond this world.
Will you take some time today to bask in that peace?
Response: LORD God, I thank you today for the peace that Jesus purchased for me on the cross. I can be at rest because my guilt is gone and my eternity is secure in your city of peace. Amen.
Your Turn: What do you do to maintain the peace of Christ in your life?
Like Sheep with our Shepherd
02 Monday May 2016
Posted in Monday Meditation, Psalms
We are like sheep with you as our shepherd, and all generations will hear us praise you (Psalm 79:13, CEV).
Violets in green pastures — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is shepherding.
Often when people think of the Psalms, their thoughts immediately turn to images of David, the young harpist, on the green hills of Judea surrounded by his flock of sheep. It’s a beautiful idyllic image that is frequently combined with these words, “The LORD is my shepherd.”
That idyllic image stirs our hearts because of our deep longing for peace—the shalom of God pronounced over our lives.
We are like sheep with you as our shepherd, and all generations will hear us praise you (Psalm 79:13, CEV).
We want to know and fully experience the peace of God in our lives. Of course that peace and enduring love only come through companionship with the shepherd—Jesus, the Good Shepherd. But following Him means setting aside our own agenda and walking in the path that He has chosen for us.
He is our shepherd when we allow Him to lead.
Response: LORD God, I want your shalom—your blessed peace to fill my life. Give me ears that are quick to hear and follow the Shepherd’s voice. I want to be your constant companion. Amen.
Your Turn: Are there times when you find it difficult to hear or follow the shepherd’s voice?
Goodness and Peace
01 Monday Feb 2016
Posted in Monday Meditation, Psalms
Love and loyalty will come together; goodness and peace will unite (Psalm 85:10, CEV).
Monarch Butterfly — photo by David Kitz
Reflection
This week’s I Love the Psalms theme is goodness.
Do you pay attention to the news? At times it can be quite discouraging listening to a daily barrage of reports about violence, suffering and war. Then there’s that other feature of the news: politicians and world leaders arguing about—you guessed it—violence, suffering and war.
It can leave you wondering if there is any goodness left in our world.
That’s why I find today’s verse from the Psalms so comforting. Love and loyalty will come together; goodness and peace will unite (Psalm 85:10, CEV).
There’s a promise in that verse. This is something that will happen. We have God’s word on it. I want to be part of it.
Response: LORD God, give me faith to believe your word. Grant me hope so that I can see you at work. Give me grace to be an instrument of peace and love in a world of discord. Amen.
Your Turn: How can you be an instrument of peace this week?
Waiting for the LORD
24 Wednesday Sep 2014
Posted in Psalms
Reading: Psalm 37
(Verses 7-11)
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity. (NIV)
Reflection
When I consider this passage from Psalm 37, two thoughts stand out: Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him and do not fret—it leads only to evil.
My natural tendency is not to wait or be still. I tend to fret and worry and then charge ahead simultaneously in different directions. Trust me; it’s hard to go in different directions at the same time. The end result is usually a bad case of self-inflicted paralysis, which often results in—you guessed it—a renewed bout of fret and worry. When will we learn?
Peace Like a River
The practice of being still before the LORD requires practice. It is a learned response, not a natural reaction. When we wait for the LORD we show that we trust Him. We know that He has not forgotten us or the problems we face. In every situation He has our best interests in mind, even if we don’t understand the reasons, causes or solutions to our difficulties.
By being still and waiting before the LORD we demonstrate that we don’t have the answer within in ourselves. The answer—the solution—lies in Him. If we wait patiently, He will show us the way. And having waited patiently for Him, we can move forward with confidence when He gives us the green light.
It is quite likely that Jesus had the words of this psalm in mind when he gave these instructions in his Sermon on the Mount: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:25-27.
We are to live in quiet confidence. In this psalm we read this promise, “But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.” We can put our trust in the God who stands behind that promise.
Response: LORD God, help me to trust you today. Give me a peaceful heart that I may wait patiently for you. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Your Turn: Do you tend to fret? Does quiet prayer still your worries?
Are you a peacemaker?
23 Wednesday Jul 2014
Reading: Psalm 35
(Verses 22-25)
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.” (NIV)
Reflection
There’s an old saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” That certainly is true of the conflict in the Holy Land. About 3,000 years ago, in David’s time the Kingdom of Israel was in a struggle for survival. Chief among its enemies were the Philistines along the Gaza coast. Today as I write this post, Israel’s chief enemy Hamas is firing rockets into Israel from the Gaza coast.
Rockets fired from Gaza
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org
David’s words from Psalm 35 have a present day resonance. 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. Many in present day Israel are praying this prayer with the fervour of those who are being attacked.
But the residents of Gaza could pray this prayer with equal fervour. Their homes and businesses are also under bombardment. Where is God in all this suffering? Whose side is He on? Many in the Christian community affirm with great confidence that God is on the side of Israel. Does that make God complicit in the deaths of innocent children in Gaza?
Jesus gave this counsel to his disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also” (Matthew 5:38-39). Present day Israel (and America for that matter) has a well-established policy of hard-hitting retaliation when attacked. What are the long term consequences of this policy? Is the conflict resolved or is it inflamed?
Jesus’ admonition to turn the other cheek goes unheeded. Most feel that turning the other cheek implies weakness. In reality it requires far more strength, but in the end it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness—not a righteousness that insists on its own way—but a righteousness that sees both sides of an issue and works hard for peace and reconciliation.
Jesus asks us to do the far harder thing. Retaliation is easy. It’s the natural response. Forgiving when we are wronged, that requires far more effort. Whose side is God on? He is on the side of peace. That’s something worth fighting for.
Response: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9). Lord God, help me to be a peacemaker in my world today. Amen.
Your Turn: Forgiveness and turning the other cheek works on a personal level. Can it work on an international level as well?
Are you at home with the LORD?
13 Thursday Feb 2014
Reading: Psalm 27
(Verses 4-6)
One thing I ask of the LORD,
This is what I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To gaze on the beauty of the LORD
And seek him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
He will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
And set me high upon a rock.
Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
At his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD. (NIV)
Reflection
No matter where we travel, or how pleasant the journey, within us all there is a longing to be home. The same longing for the safety and comfort of home can be found in this psalm of David, but for David, being at home meant being in the presence of God. The LORD God was David’s refuge and comfort. To be near the LORD was to be safe, at rest and fully at peace. Nearness to God was the paramount desire of David’s heart.
Now hear David’s heart cry, “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek him in his temple.”
David’s statement here delineates a clear priority. For David the house of the LORD was of first importance. But, I do not believe that it was the physical structure or house that attracted and captivated David. It was the LORD of the house who captured David’s heart. He wanted to be with Him. He longed to see Him and be at home in His house.
Like many preschool children, my youngest son Joshua had some difficulty pronouncing the t-h sound, so in his four-year-old vocabulary the word ‘with’ became ‘whiff’ instead. He would make odd sounding statements such as this, “Daddy, I want to come whiff you,” or, “I want to do that whiff you.” Doing something ‘whiff’ someone brings to mind the notion of being so close to them that you can smell each other. That’s close – really close; bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh close – father and son close – intimate in a family kind of way.
Something deep and soul changing transpired as David tended that flock of sheep on those Judean hillsides. In his youth David met God. The LORD was ‘whiff David,’ so close that they could smell each other. David in his youth tasted and saw that the LORD is good. So even now in his adult years he yearns for that intimacy. He yearns for the house of the LORD. He is filled with a longing for home.
Response: Lord Jesus, I want to be ‘whiff’ you. I want to live my life close to you. Amen.
Your Turn: Are you at home with the LORD now? How at home will we feel with Him in eternity, if we aren’t at home with Him now?
I love the Psalms 