Tag Archives: the LORD

What Does God Look Like?

17 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 34:15-18
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the broken-hearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit (NIV).*

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Photo by David Kitz

Reflection
In yesterday’s discussion of Psalm 34 I asked the question, “What does God taste like?” Remember David invites us in Psalm 34:8 to “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”

 As this psalm continues David again invites us to take a closer look at God. He reminds us that, “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil to blot out their name from the earth.”

 In this passage David depicts the LORD as having eyes, ears and a face. I always have trouble picturing God. This inability does not stem from a lack of imagination. It comes from the knowledge that God is a spirit. How do you picture something that has no physical substance or form?

But picturing God comes with further difficulties. We are specifically forbidden to create an image or likeness of God. The God of the Hebrews sat on the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant between two cherubim. But there was no image or statue there. To create an image or statue would be blasphemous. For that reason I find Michelangelo’s painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel offensive. I am not offended by the depiction of a naked Adam. I’m offended by the portrayal of an old grey-haired man as God. How dare he create an image of God? I am similarly troubled by any artistic rendering of God the Father. God is so far beyond human that to render Him as having a human form demeans His Majesty.

But that’s what makes the incarnation so spectacular. This God of no fixed form took on material reality. In the person of Jesus, He became a man with eyes, ears and a human face. The God who sees all and hears all limited himself to a human body. The Creator took on the form and limitations of a creature—limitations that encompass betrayal, pain and death. In the body of Jesus, the Creator God, who sees and hears, experienced our reality—our humanity.

The psalmist, David declares, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

The LORD is close to the broken-hearted because in the form of Christ his heart was broken. He experienced the pain that touches you and me. His eyes are on you. He is listening when you cry out.

Response: Hear my prayer, Lord. I seek your face. Be my healer, my redeemer and deliverer. In Jesus’ name, who defeated death, I pray. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you have a picture of God? How does God look to you?

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

The Sacrifice of Your Body and Blood

16 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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

Psalm 34-8 (2)Heavenly Father,
thank you for sending Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus for laying down your life for me.
Through the sacrifice of your body and blood,
I can truly taste and see that the LORD is good.
Amen.

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

What Does God Taste Like?

16 Tuesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 34:8-14
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his holy people,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it (NIV).*
Psalm 105_4 (2)

Reflection
What a strange command! David begins this portion of Psalm 34 by urging us to “Taste and see that the LORD is good.”

One can logically argue that of the five senses taste is the most intimate. I can see, hear, and even smell someone at a distance. Touch of course requires direct contact, but to taste someone or something, I must take it or them into my mouth. That’s intimate.

How then do I, “Taste and see that the LORD is good?” If I can’t see, hear, smell or touch the LORD, how can I possibly taste Him? David goes on to state, “Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him [the LORD]. Notice David did not say we are blessed if we take refuge with the LORD. We are to take refuge in Him. That requires a higher level of intimacy—a marital kind of intimacy.

Do I taste and see that the LORD is good? Do I take refuge in Him? Do I actively seek God? John Ortberg in his book Know Doubt tells us that C.S. Lewis said that speaking of man’s search for God always sounded to him like speaking of the mouse’s search for the cat. The mouse hides from the cat because he fears the cat may require his life. We avoid God for the same reason. If you find God, He may ask for your life. Are you willing to give it up to Him?

But Jesus was willing to give his life for you. He willingly suffered, bled and died on a cross so that you might have eternal life. The big cat—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah—lay down his life for the mouse, even a mangy mouse like me. That’s real love. Now Jesus invites us to come and dine. Jesus said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them” (John 6:54-56).

Response: Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus. Thank you, Jesus for laying down your life for me. Through the sacrifice of your body and blood I can truly taste and see that the LORD is good. Amen.

Your Turn: Do you seek God or avoid Him? Why?

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Gifts and Talents

15 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 34, Psalms

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

Psalm 34_6Reading: Psalm 34:1-7

LORD God,
Those who look to you are radiant.
LORD, we look to you.
Today, let me shine for you.
I put my gifts and talents at your service.
Amen.

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

It’s All About Hope

12 Friday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 33, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 33:16-22
No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
 May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,
even as we put our hope in you (NIV).*

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Sunrise on the Ottawa River — photo by David Kitz

Reflection
This final portion of Psalm 33 is all about hope. Life is all about hope. From the first breath we take until our last gasp, life is all about hope. Life has no meaning or purpose if we lose hope.

The essential question we must ask is where do you place your hope? All too often we place our hope in the things of this world, our resources, our ingenuity, and the strength of our flesh. But the psalmist reminds us: No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 

Repeatedly throughout history the little guy has won. David defeated Goliath. The Viet Cong ousted the US Army. The Afghan rebels outlasted the armies of the USSR and the USA. Victory does not always go to the mighty. So, the lament goes up, “How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” (2 Samuel 1:27).

Where is your hope? Where have you put your trust? The psalmist reminds us to put our hope in the LORD. Leaders come and go; nations rise and fall. Human abilities wane. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Our hope and our trust must be in God and in His unfailing word.

When calamity strikes, those who maintain hope survive; those who give up hope perish. In stories of extreme survival over and over again this truth is borne out. Hope sustains the human heart when food and water run out. When we put our trust in the LORD, we tap into a limitless supply of hope. Therefore: We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

Response: This is our prayer. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you. In the name of Jesus—our source of hope—who defeated death, we pray. Amen.

Your Turn: What are some sources of false hope? Why have you put your hope in God?

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

One Day in Your Courts

07 Sunday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 84

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I will praise the LORD!

2020-10-17

Autumn morning mist — photo by David Kitz

(Psalm 84:10-12, NIV)*

Better is one day in your courts
    than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
    than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
    the LORD bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.
LORD Almighty,
    blessed is the one who trusts in you.

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Take Your Eyes off the Enemy

03 Wednesday Nov 2021

Posted by in Psalm 31, Psalms

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

Psalm 31d -365Reading: Psalm 31:21-24

LORD God,
have mercy on me.
I love you, LORD.
Preserve me through the unfailing love of your Son, Jesus.
I will be strong and take heart
because I set my hope on you.
Amen.

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place

31 Sunday Oct 2021

Posted by in Psalm 84, Psalms

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I will praise the LORD!

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Mackenzie King Estate, Gatineau Park — photo by David Kitz

(Psalm 84:1-4, NIV)*

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
    for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
    for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
    LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
    they are ever praising you.

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

Fed with the Finest

24 Sunday Oct 2021

Posted by in Psalm 81

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I will praise the LORD!

Psalm 81_10-16

(Psalm 81:13-16, NIV)*

“If my people would only listen to me,
    if Israel would only follow my ways,
how quickly I would subdue their enemies
    and turn my hand against their foes!
Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him,
    and their punishment would last forever.
But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;
    with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.

A Place of Peace in the Midst of the Storm

22 Friday Oct 2021

Posted by in Psalm 29, Psalms

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Reading: Psalm 29
A psalm of David.
Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace (NIV).*

thunderstorm

Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

Reflection
In Psalm 29 we see and hear the LORD, the God of the storm. There is an evocative poetic style to this psalm that helps the reader to picture the fury of the approaching tempest. But we not only see the flashes of lightning and the power of the wind, we also hear the booming thunder as it shakes the desert. The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

Nine times the psalmist repeats the phrase the voice of the LORD. In this psalm, the voice of the LORD is a very active force. The voice of the LORD thunders, breaks, strikes, shakes, twists and strips. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.

The voice of the LORD spoke the world into existence, set the planets in their orbits, and scattered the starry hosts across the heavens. A thunderstorm sweeping down from Lebanon is as nothing to Him.

But the LORD of the storm is also the LORD of peace. One day on the Sea of Galilee Jesus our Lord brought peace to the storm. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm (Mark 4:37-39).

Response: You are the LORD of the storm and the LORD of peace. When storms arise in my life help me to trust you completely. Lord Jesus, grant me peace in the midst of the storm. Amen.

Your Turn: Jesus says to us, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Do you hear him?

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

Volume I of Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer has won the 2021 Best Book of the Year Award. For a closer look at Volumes II and III click here.