A Call for California Prayer
12 Sunday Jan 2025
Posted in Devotions
Tag Archives: Prayer
You Led Your People
12 Sunday Jan 2025
Tags
Aaron, God, God's guidance, miracles, Moses, praise the LORD, Prayer, Psalms
I will praise the LORD!
Photo by David Kitz
Psalm 77
Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(Psalm 77:13-20, NIV) *
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Syria, and Ukraine!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
A gripping read from David Kitz.
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
I Will Remember the Deeds of the LORD
11 Saturday Jan 2025
Tags
compassion, God, merciful, miracles, Prayer, Psalms, remembering, the LORD, trust in God
I will praise the LORD!
Psalm 77
For the director of music. For Jeduthun.
Of Asaph. A psalm.
I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the LORD;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
“Will the LORD reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out
his right hand.
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
(Psalm 77:1-12, NIV) *
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, Syria, and Ukraine!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to begin the new year, and daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
A gripping read from David Kitz.
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Come Near to God
10 Friday Jan 2025
Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Reading: Psalm 73:21-28
LORD God,
I want to have your perspective.
I want to see as you see.
Set my thoughts on the right path.
Remind me to take time to be with you.
“But as for me,
it is good to be near God” (Psalm 73:28).
Amen.
— — —
Submit yourselves, then, to God.
Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you.
Come near to God
and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Grieve, mourn and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning
and your joy to gloom.
Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up.
(James 4:7-10)*
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!
New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here
.Those Who Are with Us
09 Thursday Jan 2025
Posted in Psalm 73
Tags
communion, Elisha, God, horses and chariots, idols, Prayer, prophet, Psalms, sanctuary, the LORD
Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Reading: Psalm 73:12-20
LORD God,
bring me to your sanctuary.
Help me to enter into communion with you.
Help me discern what is of real value
in a world filled with idols and shams.
Give me your understanding.
Amen.
— — —
When the servant of the man of God got up
and went out early the next morning,
an army with horses and chariots
had surrounded the city.
“Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?”
the servant asked.
“Don’t be afraid,”
the prophet answered.
“Those who are with us
are more than those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed,
“Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.”
Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes,
and he looked and saw the hills full of horses
and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
(2 Kings 6:15-17)*
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!
New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here
Seeing Through God’s Eyes
09 Thursday Jan 2025
Posted in Psalms
Reading: Psalm 73:12-20
This is what the wicked are like—
always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God;
then I understood their final destiny.
Surely you place them on slippery ground;
you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes;
when you arise, Lord,
you will despise them as fantasies (NIV). *
Reflection
Psalm 73 is all about the envy we often experience when we look at the lives of the rich and famous. We live in a world of glitz and glamor. Glitz and glamor are pumped at us relentlessly through various forms of media. The common man or woman is just an insignificant nobody in light of the celebrity culture that pervades our society.
I find it fascinating that a psalm written more than 2,500 years ago is so relevant for us who live in the twenty-first century. The psalmist laments, “This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth” (v. 12).
But there is a turning point in this psalm. The light of understanding comes on for the psalmist; the truth dawns on him. “When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny” (v. 16-17).
Understanding comes in God’s sanctuary. When we enter that holy place, the Lord can give us His perspective. We can see as He sees. A man’s arrogant boasting is exposed for what it is—a breath of hot air. There is no permanence to human wealth or achievement. In the eons of time, all is swept away. Only what is built on the Christ the solid rock will endure for eternity. True value, true worth and permanence are found in our union with God in His sanctuary—in His sacred place. I pray you and I will be found there.
Response: LORD God, bring me to your sanctuary. Help me to enter into communion with you. Help me discern what is of real value in a world filled with idols and shams. Give me your understanding. Amen.
Your Turn: How do you enter God’s sanctuary? Does your heart need to be prepared?
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
New from David Kitz
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Take Life Easy?
08 Wednesday Jan 2025
Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Reading: Psalm 73:1-11
LORD God,
help me to tend to the garden of my own heart.
When envy raises its head,
help me to decapitate that thought.
I fix my affections on you
and not the things of this world.
Amen.
— — —
And he [Jesus] told them this parable:
“The ground of a certain rich man
yielded an abundant harvest.
He thought to himself,
‘What shall I do?
I have no place to store my crops.’
“Then he said,
‘This is what I’ll do.
I will tear down my barns
and build bigger ones,
and there I will store my surplus grain.
And I’ll say to myself,
“You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.
Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him,
‘You fool! This very night
your life will be demanded from you.
Then who will get
what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be
with whoever stores up things for themselves
but is not rich toward God.”
(Luke 12:16-21)*
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!
New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here
Guarding Your Heart Against Envy
08 Wednesday Jan 2025
Posted in Psalms
Tags
covetousness, envy, faith, God, Heart, justice, Prayer, Psalm73, Reflection, trust
Reading: Psalm 73:1-11
A psalm of Asaph
Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?” (NIV)
Reflection
The last of the Ten Commandments warns us against the sin of covetousness. In one important respect this commandment is different from the other nine. Covetousness or envy is a sin of the mind. It is theft in germ form. It is the seed thought of adultery. Envy is the precondition of a sinful act, not the act itself.
Here in Psalm 73 the psalmist catches himself on a slippery slope leading to a more serious sin. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked (v. 2-3).
I certainly can identify with the psalmist. I think we all have had moments when we thought in our hearts that God is not fair. Why is that person prospering when I am not? To the best of my abilities, I am doing everything right—by the book—yet the road is hard, and the rewards are meagre. Meanwhile, arrogant unbelievers are prospering—seemingly blessed by God. Where is the justice in that?
The root issue here is envy—our envy. God is not accountable to us; we are accountable to Him. Our hearts need tending, not God’s heart. In His time and His way God will deal with the arrogant and evil person. It’s my responsibility to deal with my thoughts and the attitude of my heart.
Response: LORD God, help me to tend to the garden of my own heart. When envy raises its head, help me to decapitate that thought. I fix my affections on you and not the things of this world. Amen.
Your Turn: Do you have moments of envy? What works for you in countering such thoughts?
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
New from David Kitz
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Bless and Do Not Curse
07 Tuesday Jan 2025
Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.
Reading: Psalm 72:12-20
LORD God,
help me to see my many blessings
as gifts from you.
Show me today
how I can be a blessing to others.
You are my source of life and every blessing.
Lord Jesus,
give me a generous spirit like you have.
Amen.
— — —
Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice;
mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud,
but be willing to associate with people
of low position.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right
in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible,
as far as it depends on you,
live at peace with everyone.
(Romans 12:14-18)*
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!
New from David Kitz
Winner of the 2024 Word Award of Merit in Biblical Studies
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here
Abundant Blessings, Greater Responsibility
07 Tuesday Jan 2025
Posted in Psalms
Tags
blessing, compassion, faith, generosity, needy, Prayer, Psalm, Reflection, responsibility, Righteousness
Reading: Psalm 72:12-20
For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight. Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.
May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse (NIV). *
Reflection
This is the concluding portion of Solomon’s prayer. Many scholars view this as David’s prayer for Solomon, rather than a prayer written by Solomon. In either case, it is a prayer calling for God’s blessing on the king and the nation. This brings us to a question. What is the purpose of God’s blessing? Is it only for personal benefit?
The answer can be found in the first few lines above. The righteous king is blessed and given wealth and authority so he can be a blessing to others. “He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight” (v. 13-14).
The great danger for any of us is that when blessings come, we accumulate these blessings for ourselves alone. Along with God’s blessings comes a responsibility to share and identify with those in need within our borders and beyond. We serve a God with a big heart. His love extends far beyond our narrow interests. God blesses His people abundantly, so we can in turn bless others.
What a privilege we have to reflect the LORD’s character in a hurting world!
Response: LORD God, help me to see my many blessings as a gift from you. Show me today how I can be a blessing to others. You are my source. Lord, give me a generous spirit like you have. Amen.
Your Turn: Are you tempted to keep all of God’s blessings for yourself? How generous is your spirit?
Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.
* NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, COPYRIGHT ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 BY BIBLICA
Please pray for peace to return to Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine!
Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the Best Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild and Volume II has won the Best Devotional of the Year Award. For those who love God’s word, this three-book series is an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. To purchase or for a closer look click here.
New from David Kitz
To purchase or for a closer look click here.
I love the Psalms 