I will praise Him!
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Let it snow… let it snow – photo by David Kitz
Good to Me!
28 Saturday Jan 2017
Posted in Psalms, Saturday's Psalm
Tag Archives: praise
The LORD Sustains Me
15 Sunday Jan 2017
Posted in Psalms, Sunday's Psalm
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I will praise Him!
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The Lord sustains me — photo by David Kitz
But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side.
(Psalm 3:3-6 NIV)
Lift Up Your Hands
07 Saturday Jan 2017
Posted in Psalms, Saturday's Psalm
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I will praise Him!
Ministering by night, Immanuel Landestreu Church, SK — photo courtesy of Donald Adam.
Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD
who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD.
May the LORD bless you from Zion,
he who is the Maker of heaven and earth.
(Psalm 134:1-3, NIV)
Your Word in my Heart
01 Sunday Jan 2017
Posted in Psalms, Sunday's Psalm
Tags
I will praise Him!
Parliament Hill as seen from the Chateau Laurier — photo by David Kitz
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, LORD;
teach me your decrees.
(Psalm 119:10-12 NIV)
Wishing you God’s grace and peace in 2017!
Giving Thanks
17 Saturday Dec 2016
Posted in Psalms, Saturday's Psalm
I will praise Him!
Walking in a winter wonderland — photo by David Kitz
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness;
I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.
(Psalm 7:17 NIV)
The God Who Stoops Down
06 Tuesday Dec 2016
Reading: Psalm 113
Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, you his servants;
praise the name of the LORD.
Let the name of the LORD be praised,
both now and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised.
The LORD is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the LORD our God,
the One who sits enthroned on high,
who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless woman in her home
as a happy mother of children.
Praise the LORD (NIV).
Reflection
In today’s reading the psalmist has a question for you and here it is: Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?
Finding treasures in the trash — photo by David Kitz
Who indeed? Why would the exalted One, the enthroned One, stoop down? How undignified! Doesn’t the LORD know that kings and potentates don’t bend over or stoop down? They certainly don’t do that sort of thing in public—not where they can be seen by others. Rulers rule from the seat of authority. They sit; they don’t stoop down. But our God stoops down. If the truth be told, it’s even worse than that.
The LORD gets His hands dirty. Actually, He has been getting His hands dirty from the very beginning. The LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7). Now that was a failed experiment, if there ever was one. Those living, breathing dust bags showed no gratitude. They disobeyed God at the first opportunity and down through the generations, humanity has continued that pattern of disobedience.
Now in this psalm we read this: He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. Why would God show such affection for fallen humanity—humans who keep plunging deeper into the mire? There is no greater mystery. Our God keeps finding treasures in the trash—the human trash.
Still I keep wondering why anyone would stoop so low. Why would the One, who sits enthroned on high, stoop so low to rescue me?
Response: Father God, your love is beyond comprehension. Thank you for stooping down and involving yourself in my life. When I reach out to you, Father God, you lift me up. I praise you, LORD. Amen.
Your Turn: Has the LORD lifted you from the ash heap? How did that make you feel?
Come with Thanksgiving
25 Friday Nov 2016
Posted in Friday's Focus, Psalms
Tags
I will praise Him!
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Sunset on the Ottawa River as seen from Greens Creek Point; photo by David Kitz
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
(Psalm 95:1-3 NIV)
Awaken the Dawn
22 Tuesday Nov 2016
Tags
David, David Kitz, dawn, glory, harp, Heart, Manitoba, praise, steadfast, steadfast heart, sunrise
Reading: Psalm 108
A song. A psalm of David.
(Verses 1-5)
My heart, O God, is steadfast;
I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth (NIV).
Reflection
This morning did you awaken the dawn or did the dawn awaken you? For those who are early risers awakening the dawn becomes much easier as the days get shorter and we approach the winter solstice. I confess that this morning and most autumn mornings I am awake before sunrise.
Manitoba sunrise, “Awake my soul” — photo by David Kitz
There is something quite magical about watching the sunrise and spread its golden rays across the eastern sky. I was treated to a magnificent sunrise display last Monday. I was driving east across the prairies and as each mile slipped by the glory along the horizon grew more and more intense. I pity the poor atheist who has no one to praise when he beholds such a display.
For believers, praise for our God springs naturally from our lips when we see God paint the sky with splendor. In such moments David’s call to worship becomes our own: Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
Can you picture David taking up his harp and breaking into song as he locks his eyes on the rising sun? David was a most remarkable character. What sets David apart from other individuals we meet in the pages of scripture? He was a man of spectacular failings. His adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the treacherous means he used to dispatch her husband stand out. But there’s nothing remarkable about spectacular failings and shortcomings. These are common to man.
What stands out about David’s character is his steadfastness to the LORD. The opening lines of Psalm 109 hold the key to understanding David’s overcoming nature. My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul.
Despite his failings, David remained steadfast in his love for God. Secondly, he was wholehearted in his praise for God. When things came off the rails, he did not turn away from the LORD or stop praising Him. He repented and God forgave him. Then David gave thanks. David’s example is there for us to follow.
Response: LORD God, I always want to have a thankful heart that is quick to praise you. Help me to be steadfast in love and praise even when the way ahead is difficult. You are my help and my glory. Amen.
Your Turn: What does being steadfast look like for you?
He answered me
23 Sunday Oct 2016
Posted in Psalms, Sunday's Psalm
I will praise Him!
Autumn sunset photo courtesy of Donald Adam.
I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
(Psalm 34:1-4 NIV)
Sing Joyfully
22 Saturday Oct 2016
Posted in Psalms, Saturday's Psalm
I will praise Him!
Grey Nuns Park, Orleans, ON — photo by David Kitz
I love the Psalms 