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I love the Psalms

~ Connecting daily with God through the Psalms

I love the Psalms

Tag Archives: suffer

Not Far from Me

22 Wednesday Feb 2023

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 22, Psalms

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Tags

Jesus, suffer, suffering of Christ, the cross

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

Psalm 22_11
Reading: Psalm 22:9-15

Heavenly Father,
thank you for sending your son Jesus
to this cruel world to suffer on my behalf.
Your unconditional love for me was demonstrated
on the cross for all to see.
I thank you.
Amen.

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

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Your prayers for the people of Ukraine are making a difference.

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. Start your day with a new devotional series. To purchase or for a closer look click here.

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This Cruel World

29 Wednesday Sep 2021

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 22, Psalms

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Tags

cruel world, suffer, the cross, unconditional love

Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.A terminal Condition 2
Reading: Psalm 22:9-15

Father God,
thank you for sending your Son Jesus
to this cruel world to suffer on my behalf.
Your unconditional love for me was demonstrated
on the cross for all to see.
I thank you.
I am eternally grateful.

Amen.

Volume III 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. Journey through the Psalms in a year.

Rescued from the Grave

24 Sunday Jan 2021

Posted by davidkitz in Psalm 107

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

healed, rebellious ways, suffer, thanks

I will praise the LORD!

white ceramic sculpture with black face mask

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Some became fools through their rebellious ways
    and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
They loathed all food
    and drew near the gates of death.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
    and he saved them from their distress.
He sent out his word and healed them;
    he rescued them from the grave.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them sacrifice thank offerings
    and tell of his works with songs of joy.

(Psalm 107:17-22, NIV)*

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

A Dark Psalm for Dark Times

22 Thursday Feb 2018

Posted by davidkitz in Bible, Devotionals, Psalm 88, Psalms

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

despair, joy, Ottawa, praise, Prayer, Psalm, psalmist, rejection, suffer, the LORD, tragedy, trouble, Winterlude

Reading:                                      Psalm 88

(Verses 9-18)
I call to you, LORD, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
But I cry to you for help, LORD;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, L
ORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?
From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend
(NIV).

Reflection
Psalm 88 is the darkest of all the psalms. Many of the psalms are bright and cheery, filled with joy and praise. If I were to assign a color to them, I would paint them bright yellow, dappled with hues of orange and red. On the other hand, Psalm 88 draws from a much darker palette of black, grey and brown. This psalm is colored by loss, rejection and sorrow.

2018-02-14d

Attacking the ice dragon, Winterlude ice sculpture, Ottawa, Canada — photo by David Kitz

Many psalms spring from a place of grief, trouble and distress. This is only fitting since every life has such moments. Usually the psalmist pours out his troubles and his complaint before God, but he ends on a positive note—a note of hope. But Psalm 88 does not follow this pattern. It ends on a downer. You have taken from me friend and neighbor—darkness is my closest friend.

What are we to make of this ending? The sad reality is that not every book has a happy ending. Not every personal story has the Hollywood ending that we would like. Tragedy is real. Tragedy can strike anyone. We can live in a pretend world that says it isn’t so, but we are fooling only ourselves. This psalm adds a dark note of real-life integrity to the Book of Psalms.

But in the middle of it all—in the middle of his dark night of the soul—the psalmist takes his stand. But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

Sometimes we don’t have answers. Sometimes all we have is prayer.

Response: LORD God, when I am down, I cry to you for help. You are my hope when all hope is gone. Come to me in the dark times of my life. At such times I need you the most. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you going through a dark time? Do you find help in prayer?

Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer

Psalms 365 Volume II

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— Psalms 365 Volume III

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