Tag Archives: Psalms

The Final Crescendo of Praise

05 Thursday Mar 2020

Posted by in Devotionals, Psalm 150, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 150
Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD (NIV).*

2017-05-01Kranz

Photo courtesy of Liz Kranz

Reflection
We have reached the crescendo—the conclusion and the high point of the Book of Psalms. Hallelujah and praise the LORD!

The word praise appears thirteen times in this final psalm. The number thirteen is suggestive of Jesus and his apostles. He is at the core—the very center of God ordained worship.

Eight forms or instruments of praise are listed in this psalm. Eight is the number of new beginnings. Seven suggests completeness, so we see that God rested on the seventh day. But eight signals a new start. In the same way, these eight means or instruments of praise do not represent a complete list. They simply suggest the varied ways in which we can express our praise to the LORD. We have only just begun to discover and explore the many ways in which we can show our gratitude to our Creator.

No one—no living being—is excluded from this call to praise. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

This call for all the breathing to praise the LORD is truly fitting. We received our original breath from the LORD. Then 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 with our breath—our God-given breath—let us praise our Maker.

In the same way after his resurrection Jesus breathed on his disciples.  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21-22).

We need the breath of God in us—the breath of the Holy Spirit in us to live—to truly live in the overcoming power and joy of the psalms. For the Holy Spirit’s presence I will praise the LORD!

Response: LORD God, I praise you. You are my strength and my song. Help me to discover new ways to praise you because you are good. Let my entire life reflect your redemptive presence in me. Amen.

Your Turn: Why are you breathing? Is praising God an integral part of your purpose?

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

This post by award-winning author David Kitz will be published in book format later in 2020 by Elk Lake Publishing under the title 365 through the Psalms.

Some thoughts on “Psalms Alive!”

03 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in book review, Psalms

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This morning I came upon this book review by Pam:

David Kitz’s devotional, “psalms alive” is a book I bought for my friends and family this past Christmas and I plan to read it a second time. It is one of the best devotionals I have ever read for the following reasons:

* The Scripture is printed at the beginning of each devotional. This makes it so convenient and for me it meant reading and then re-reading that Psalm many times as I studied Kitz’s devotional which followed. Many devotionals only quote the reference which you are to study. Tell me – how many of you actually look up this passage? Lol. It’s too easy not to get your bible and look it up. It’s such a simple thing to print the Psalm right in the devotional but it made the study so much more helpful.

* Secondly, this was an excellent resource because of the cultural and historical insights Kitz provided. These brought the Psalms to life and helped me remember and apply them.

* Theologically, I believe Kitz is sound and credible; he often cross-referenced his thoughts with other biblical passages.

* The whole picture – Kitz provided each Psalm in light of the sweep of biblical history and revelation, often showing how the Psalm prophesied Christ. I appreciated this and it helped me see the relevance and power of the Psalms in my daily life.

Reading “psalms alive” was a highlight of October/November 2017. I looked forward to it every day; it was a feast every morning that I will indulge in again. My copy is highlighted, underlined, tear-stained, and I have several pictures I drew in response to the insights I learned. It is a treasure that I recommend with the highest confidence.

Pam

Psalms Alive! is available for purchase from Christianbook.com or directly from the author.

Publishing Contract Signed

30 Saturday Nov 2019

Posted by in Books by David Kitz, Psalms, Psalms Alive!

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On Wednesday of this week, I signed a contract for the publication of 365 Days through the Psalms. The publisher is Elk Lake Publishing, a Plymouth, MA, royalty paying publisher. The book will be available for the 2020 Christmas market. Rejoice with me! This is an answer to prayer.

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David Kitz — signing the contract

For the next few months I will be busy finalizing the manuscript and working with an editor to get it ready for publication.

Yes, these are the same Psalms devotionals that are posted daily on my WordPress site and on my Facebook page. Now they will be available all together in book form.

This will be my second book on the Psalms. I guess it’s fair to say I love the Psalms. Psalms Alive! was published in 2009, so after ten years it seems right to have another book on the theme of the Psalms.

By the way Psalms Alive! has been one of my top selling books, and it’s still available. The format is quite different than my daily devotional posts since it’s a more in depth, self-guided study of thirteen selected Psalms.

For more information or to purchase Psalms Alive! in Canada from the author click here.

For more information or to purchase Psalms Alive! in USA from Amazon click here.

 

237 pages, trade paperback

 

A New Review of “Psalms Alive!”

17 Sunday Nov 2019

Posted by in book review, Books by David Kitz, Psalms

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‘Psalms Alive!’ is an insightful and thought provoking look into the human condition and man’s relationship to God. Through 13 Psalms, David Kitz encourages us to examine not only these wonderful writings, but how they relate to our own personal experience and God relationship.

The only thing missing is a sequel. Thanks to the author for this gifted approach to Psalms study.  — Sharon Heagy

237 pages, trade paperback

For purchases in Canada from the author click here.

For purchases in USA from Amazon click here.

A Five Star Review

20 Friday Sep 2019

Posted by in book review, Psalms, Psalms Alive!

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A book review by Linda Klager

I loved this book.  It would make a good resource for anyone to get a different perspective on the book of Psalms.  I thought the cover of the book was very appropriate  showing the sky with lightning bolts coming down and touching the green grass.  Isn’t it like that with God – how He shows his power and majesty?

I really like that the author chose Psalms 19 to begin his look at certain chapters of the book of Psalms. In Psalms the author mentioned the first witness (God) speaks through creation. Then the author continues in Psalms 19 mentioning the second witness (God) speaks to us from His Holy Word. The third witness in Psalm 19 is about our response to God. The author painted clear pictures of these Psalms to make the Bible come alive for me.

There were other verses of the Bible from other books of the Bible that corresponded to the verses of the Psalms for all of us to get a bigger picture of what God says to us.  Oh, how we can worship the LORD!

I liked that the author included a section after each chapter that would initiate a response from us to make us think and meditate on these chapters of the Psalms and other Scripture in the Bible.

I give this book 5 stars.  Thank you, David Kitz for a wonderful, thought provoking book.

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Psalms Alive, has been nominated for the Book of the Month award hosted by Interviews and Reviews.

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