Tag Archives: Psalms

Why I Visit with God in the Psalms Every Day

26 Saturday Nov 2022

Posted by in Psalms, Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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Why dig into the Psalms?

Perhaps Christian humorist Phil Callaway of www.laughagain.org provides the best answer in his endorsement of Psalms 365:

I’m not certain I’d be alive without the Psalms. While my wife was losing her family to Huntington’s disease we lived in its inspiring pages. We still do. David’s devotional is a welcome companion on this journey, particularly for those needing a fresh shot of hope. 

In a world of disease and political and economic turmoil, more than ever, we need the hope and encouragement the Psalms can bring. These daily devotions provide the hope and encouragement we all need to live out our faith.

Psalms 365 is specifically designed to help you develop a life of worship and prayer like the biblical David. Let award-winning author David Kitz take you on a journey—a journey to a deeper understanding of God’s will and his ways for your life. Each daily reading provides insight and inspiration for practical Christian living, allowing the Good Shepherd to guide you to the center of his will.

For a closer look at Psalms 365, Volumes I, II & III click here.
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A Daily Devotional

19 Saturday Nov 2022

Posted by in Devotions, Psalms

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Are you looking for a daily devotional?

Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer may be just what you need to get you moving on the right path in the year ahead.

Why dig into the Psalms? The Psalms are a poetic feast for the mind, soul and spirit. In them, you will find intimacy with God. For a hundred generations, hungry souls have found spiritual nourishment there.RGB300Kitz2AWARD

Psalms 365 is specifically designed to help you develop a life of worship and prayer like the biblical David. Let award-winning author, David Kitz, take you on a journey—a journey to a deeper understanding of God’s will and his ways for your life. Each daily reading provides insight and inspiration for practical Christian living, allowing the Good Shepherd to guide you to the center of his will.

This 262-page volume packs a punch. It’s slightly larger format results in a cover and print content that is easy on the eyes.

In total, this volume has 120 daily readings, spanning Psalm 1 through Psalm 51. Volumes two and three are also available. This will allow readers to journey through the entire 150 Psalms in the span of a year, hence the title Psalms 365.

Now is an ideal time to commit to a daily, year-long, devotional journey through the Psalms. Psalms 365 is written by award-winning author David Kitz, is published by Elk Lake Publishing, and is available through Amazon and other book retailers. For a closer look at this 262-page daily devotional book click here.

International Endorsements for Psalms 365

12 Saturday Nov 2022

Posted by in Psalms, Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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God uses vessels in his hands to touch us exactly where and when we need it most. In our own experience, David’s daily insights from Psalms have been great. Not just in an educational sense, though that too, but his devotions touch us right where we need it. And often, it’s a word we can then share with a friend in need in a timely manner. Online and now in book form, both are a blessing!

Pastors Marjorie and Akihiro Mizuno
Christian Life International, Nagoya, Japan

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The main body parts for reading the Bible aren’t the eyes and brain; it’s the hands and feet. This theme is woven throughout Psalms 365. As it should be! The focus on living the Word, or as James puts it, “doing it” (James 1:25) is what makes this study in the Psalms top-notch.

Dr. Lawson Murray
President, Scripture Union Canada
Low Rez PsalmsVol2SEAlOver the years the psalms have become a great source of hope. David Kitz’s devotions are a great accompaniment to them. I find his writing both insightful and uplifting.

Alan Kearns
Glenrothes, Scotland

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For further details on Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, Volumes I, II & III click here.

Priced to Sell

29 Saturday Oct 2022

Posted by in Books by David Kitz

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I can’t pretend to understand Amazon pricing, but I can recognize a bargain when I see one. Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, Volume II is currently on sale for $6.83 on Amazon.com. That’s slightly less than half price.
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Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, Volume II recently won the 2022 Devotional Book of the Year Award from The Word Guild. Perhaps that’s why it’s being featured. 

The other two volumes in the three-volume set remain at the regular price. 

As an author I believe the endorsement from Phil Callaway is an added blessing:

I’m not certain I’d be alive without the Psalms. While my wife was losing her family to Huntington’s disease, we lived in its inspiring pages. We still do. David’s devotional is a welcome companion on this journey, particularly for those needing a fresh shot of hope.
—Phil Callaway, award-winning author & Christian humorist, http://www.laughagain.org

For further details on Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer, Volume II click here.

Healing, Forgiveness and Redemption

23 Sunday Oct 2022

Posted by in Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

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Psalm 38_1-8 -365

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. 
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Our Journey to God

06 Thursday Oct 2022

Posted by in Psalm 120, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 120
A song of ascents.
I call on the LORD in my distress,
and he answers me.
Save me, LORD, from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.
What will he do to you,
and what more besides,
you deceitful tongue?
He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows,
with burning coals of the broom bush.
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war (NIV). *

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Strength and glory are in his sanctuary — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
Psalm 120 is the first in a series of fifteen psalms that are called Songs of Ascent. Each psalm begins with this statement or title: A Song of Ascents. Some of the psalms also add this phrase: Of David.

Of course, this title begs the question, what are the Songs of Ascent? And furthermore, to what are we ascending? This compilation of fourteen psalms was composed for the use of pilgrims who were making their way to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. These are psalms of pilgrimage. They are called Songs of Ascent, or Psalms of Ascent, because Jerusalem is built on a high point in the land of Israel. Specifically, the temple compound was constructed at the summit of Mount Zion, so pilgrims were literally and figuratively ascending to worship at the House of God.

This first psalm in the series is really a lament. The psalmist is living in a distant place—a place far from God. All of us begin our pilgrimage—our journey to God—from a distant place. Just like the prodigal we find ourselves in a distant land, a land where there is no peace. Sin has its fleeting pleasures, but it brings no lasting peace, no deep contentment. We have wandered far from the Father’s warm embrace. The psalmist laments, “Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar!”

The Songs of Ascent are all about drawing near to God. They are about going to the heart of worship and finding peace—true peace in the arms of God. But first we must recognize where we are. We are dwelling in Meshek—in a world far from the LORD. We need to acknowledge our true condition. Change happens when we recognize the truth about ourselves and our need for a Savior. Only then can we begin our journey toward peace.

Have faith in this promise. I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.

Response: Father God, today I am continuing my journey toward you. Lord Jesus, I need you as my Savior. Help me set aside those things that hinder my journey to intimacy with you. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you living in Meshek? Have you begun your pilgrimage to arms of the Father?

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

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Please pray for the people of 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.

A Three-Time Winner

21 Wednesday Sep 2022

Posted by in Psalms

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This past Saturday I got some unexpected news. Volume II of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer won the 2022 Word Award for the best book in the devotional category.
2022-09-18The win was unexpected because last year Volume I of the Psalms 365 series won the same award. Volume I also won a second more prestigious award—2021 Best Book of the Year. I did not expect lightening to strike for a third time in the same place, especially since there were several other excellent authors shortlisted for the prize this year.

Psalms Vol 2 Front PrintNeedless to say, I am very grateful to The Word Guild and the judges for their decision. To God be the glory. Great things He has done!

I am particularly grateful for the readers who have reached out to me to express their thanks for this daily devotional series. Positive feedback is what fuels me and other authors. A brief word of encouragement or a glowing book review has the power to affirm a writer’s gift and calling.

If you appreciate an author’s work, show it. Your feedback can provide the spark they need to continue in their craft and grow in their skills.

As for this Psalms 365 series, there is something very special about daily drawing close to God and letting His word enlighten your day.

Enlighten—I like that word. It describes what the Psalms can do for us. It was the psalmist who penned these eternal words: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path (Psalm 119:105, NIV).

May the Good Shepherd enlighten the road ahead for you today and always.

To purchase or for a closer look at the full Psalms 365 series click here.

Scenes of Redemption

01 Monday Aug 2022

Posted by in Psalm 107

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Reading: Psalm 107:1-9
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.
Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things (NIV).

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Saskatchewan canola field — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
This psalm is different. It’s unique among the 150 psalms in the Bible because it presents us with various vignettes of redemption—brief stories or scenes where the LORD rains down his mercy and rescues the wayward and downtrodden.

In verse two the psalmist declares, “Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story.” Then as the psalm progresses, he goes on to describe five scenes or stories of redemption. The desert-stranded traveler is rescued; the prisoner is set free, the rebellious are brought healing and encouragement, those lost in a storm-tossed sea find a safe harbor, and prosperity returns to the inhabitants of a parched wasteland. In every situation, the great God of heaven hears the cries of His people and shows them His plenteous mercy.

What a good God we serve! With the psalmist we exclaim, “His love endures forever!”

If you are a follower of Jesus, you too have a story of redemption to tell. He rescued you from a downward hellish spiral just as real as those described in this psalm. Some rescues come in the nick of time; others come early on, before we sink neck-deep into trouble. We might call them pre-emptive rescues. Whatever your personal story, it’s a testimony worth telling. God intervened in your life, and the good news is He stands ready to intervene again at the very moment you cry out to Him.

He loves to redeem His people. It’s in His nature. Spiritually, are you in a desert place? Call out to Him.

Response: Father God, I am thankful that I have a story of redemption. You intervened in my life. Today I thank you for satisfying my thirst and filling my life with good things. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have a story of redemption to tell? Was it pre-emptive or in the nick of time?

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

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Please pray for the people of Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award and for those who love God’s word, it’s an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

More than Magnificent

12 Tuesday Jul 2022

Posted by in Psalm 104

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

Psalm 104_2-3
Reading: Psalm 104:1-9

Heavenly Father,
you are very great!
I kneel before you,
my awesome God!
I praise you for your creation.
It is magnificent because you are more than magnificent.
All praise belongs to you.
Amen.

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

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Please pray for the people of Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award and for those who love God’s word, it’s an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Love and Hate

20 Monday Jun 2022

Posted by in Psalm 97

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

Psalm 97_10
Reading: Psalm 97:8-12

LORD God,
 teach me to identify and hate evil when I see it.
I want your light to shine on me,
so I can walk in the path you have set out for me.
Let my love for you
and others grow day by day.
Amen.

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Please pray for the people of Ukraine!

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award and for those who love God’s word, it’s an ideal way to daily meet with the Lord. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.