Tag Archives: praising God

As Long as I Live

20 Tuesday Jul 2021

Posted by in Psalm 146

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Psalm 146_1-2

Reading: Psalm 146:1-5

LORD God,
I thank and praise you for the gift of life.
You are worthy of worship.
I commit to worshipping you every day
for the rest of my life.
Thank you for eternal life through Jesus.
Amen.

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at this new release click here. For a look back at Volume I click here.

The LORD Is Near

19 Monday Jul 2021

Posted by in Psalm 145

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Psalm 145_18

Reading: Psalm 145:17-21

LORD God,
  I am so glad you are not distant
or aloof from those who call out to you.
You are near to me.
You answer prayer.
My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.
Amen.

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at this #1 new release click here. For a look back at Volume I click here.

Greatness No One Can Fathom

14 Wednesday Jul 2021

Posted by in Psalm 145

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 145_3

Reading: Psalm 145:1-7

LORD God,
I just want to praise you.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
I will meditate on your wonderful works.
You LORD are the lifter of my head.
Amen.

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at this #1 new release click here. For a look back at Volume I click here.

The Big Lift

14 Wednesday Jul 2021

Posted by in Psalm 145, Psalms

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, ,

Reading: Psalm 145:1-7
A psalm of praise. Of David.
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness (NIV).*

img_20210703_2014050

Photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Have you ever tried to lift up something that is far too heavy for you? As a boy I remember trying to pick up a rock that was heavier than me. It’s a good thing that young bodies are resilient because I’m sure I would seriously harm myself, if I tried the same thing today.

If I can’t lift up a heavy rock, how can I possibly lift up God? But that is precisely what David did and is calling me to do in Psalm 145. David begins with these words: I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

The key word as we begin this psalm is the word exalt. Exalt means to lift, elevate, raise or boost. How can we as mere more mortals lift, elevate, raise or boost God, the creator of the universe? Is God feeling down? Does the Almighty need me to lift Him up—to give Him a little boost? That sounds absurd, and it is absurd.

Yet here and throughout the psalms we are encouraged to praise the LORD. Does the LORD suffer from a fragile ego? Is that why He wants us to praise Him? No, that can’t be the reason we see these frequent admonitions to praise God. We can’t exalt God higher than He already is. Will praising God make Him one scintilla more holy, powerful, magnificent or loving? Of course not. The only one who is changed by praising God is us. The only one who is lifted up by exalting the LORD is you and me.

We are lifted up by lifting others. It has always been this way. Help someone, and we ourselves are helped. That’s how life works. That’s how praising God works. In this life of hardship and struggles, praise lifts my head and my heart from its burdens. I am lifted up when I lift the LORD up. And rest assured no one lifts like Him!

Response: LORD God, I just want to praise you. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. I will meditate on your wonderful works. You LORD are the lifter of my head. Amen.

Your Turn: Does heartfelt praise for the LORD fill you with joy? Do you need a lift today? What can you do to change your disposition?

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

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

May God Bless Us Still

10 Saturday Jul 2021

Posted by in Psalm 67, Psalms

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , ,

I will praise the LORD!

crop ethnic harvester picking grapes from vine in countryside

Photo by Zen Chung on Pexels.com

(Psalm 67, NIV)*

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.

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

God Has Heard my Prayer

04 Sunday Jul 2021

Posted by in Psalm 66, Psalms

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, ,

I will praise the LORD!

img_20210611_1623396

Pink pentagon — photo by David Kitz

(Psalm 66:16-20, NIV)*

Come and hear, all you who fear God;
    let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth;
    his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
    and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
    who has not rejected my prayer
    or withheld his love from me!

I wish all my American readers a happy Independence Day.

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

Wholehearted Praise

15 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Psalm 138, Psalms

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Reading: Psalm 138:1-5
Of David
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.
May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,
when they hear what you have decreed.
May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great (NIV)*

img_20210607_2105555-effects

As darkness falls — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
David was wholehearted in all that he did, so it should not surprise us that he begins Psalm 138 with this assertion: I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

David, the shepherd king, wasn’t shy or reticent about offering praise to the LORD. He knew his God and was quick to give Him praise. He would even praise the LORD before foreign gods. Elsewhere in the psalms we see this declaration: For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens (Psalm 96:4-5).

During David’s time each nation had its own national god. These national gods were represented by carved idols of wood, metal or stone. But Israel had no idol. They were strictly forbidden to make any image or likeness of the LORD (Yahweh). See the First Commandment, Exodus 20:3-6. This prohibition set Israel apart. They were the people with no visible god.

But why settle for a visible god, when you can have the invisible God who fills the entire universe? Why settle for a national god, when you can have the LORD who created the heavens and the earth? Inevitably, if we fashion our own god, we will create a god who is far too small. The true God is far bigger, far wiser, and far more just, and compassionate than we can ever imagine. How can we as finite creatures begin to fathom the infinite power and glory of God?

By His great mercy the LORD reveals Himself to us. He does that best through His Son. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Colossians 1:15). Jesus helps make the infinite God comprehensible to us, so we can join with David’s anthem of praise. May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great.

Response: LORD God, I praise you for your unfailing love and your faithfulness. Thank you for answering my prayers. You give me courage, and like David, you greatly emboldened me to carry on. Amen.

Your Turn: How big is your God? Is He bigger than your problems—bigger than your doubts?

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

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

In the Sanctuary

06 Sunday Jun 2021

Posted by in Psalm 63

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

I will praise the LORD!

img_20210526_1414155

Blooming gerbera — photo by David Kitz

A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.

   You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

(Psalm 63:1-5, NIV)*

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

Is God an Egomaniac?

03 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by in Psalm 135, Psalms

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Reading: Psalm 135:1-7
Praise the LORD.
Praise the name of the LORD;
praise him, you servants of the LORD,
you who minister in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses (NIV).*

Perce3

Perce Rock at sunset — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Like many of the psalms, Psalm 135 begins by calling us to worship. Specifically, this is a call to praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.

So what is the difference between praise and worship? Worship is a broad term that expresses itself in a variety of ways. The Encarta Dictionary defines worship as “the adoration, devotion, and respect given to a deity.”

We can show devotion, adoration and respect for God in wide range of ways. We can use our bodies to express worship by bowing, kneeling, falling prostrate, or lifting our hands and faces heavenward. We read that both David and Miriam danced before the LORD as an act of worship. See 2 Samuel 6:13-15 and Exodus 15:20-21.

Praise and thanksgiving are verbal forms of worship that reflect a heart of adoration. But why do the Psalms call on us to praise God so frequently? Is the LORD a grand, heavenly egomaniac who demands our worship to satisfy His desire for recognition and importance? Hardly.

Actually, just the opposite is true. God does not need our worship. We are the egomaniacs. Praise and worship counteracts the selfishness that is at the root of our sinful nature. We desperately need to get our eyes off ourselves and onto the One who is worthy of all praise. So here to counter what ales us is a simple but powerful prescription from your heavenly Father: Praise the LORD.

Response: Father God, I worship you. Thank you for sending Jesus to be my Savior. Holy Spirit, infuse my praise and worship with joy. You are so very good—so very kind to me. Let praise in all its varied forms flow from me to you. Amen.

Your Turn: What forms or expressions of worship are most meaningful to you?

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

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.

                                                  

The One on Whom I Rely

22 Saturday May 2021

Posted by in Psalm 59, Psalms

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

I will praise the LORD!

symmetrical photography of clouds covered blue sky

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

But I will sing of your strength,
    in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
    my refuge in times of trouble.

You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
    my God on whom I can rely.

(Psalm 59:16-17, NIV)*

* New International Version, Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica

Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer by award-winning author David Kitz is available now. For a closer look at Volumes I and II click here.