Tag Archives: voice

The Majesty of God’s Voice

12 Monday Aug 2024

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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).

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?

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

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
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Their Voice Reaches All the Earth

10 Monday Jun 2024

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Today’s quote and prayer from
“Psalms 365: Develop a Life of Worship and Prayer”
by David Kitz.Psalm 8

Reading: Psalm 8

Heavenly Father,
Creator of the universe,
thank you for considering me.
Thank you for being mindful of my daily concerns.
I bring them to you,
my majestic, all-encompassing Lord.
Amen.

— — —

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

(Psalm 19:1-4), NIV)*

Para la publicación de Salmos 365 de hoy en español haga clic aquí.

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

BGBG_v4.3_150[1818]

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
TheElishaCodeCVR5

To purchase or for a closer look click here.

Rise up, O God!               

30 Wednesday Mar 2022

Posted by in Psalm 74

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Reading: Psalm 74:18-23
Remember how the enemy has mocked you, LORD,
how foolish people have reviled your name.
Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.
Have regard for your covenant,
because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.
Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy praise your name.
Rise up, O God,
and defend your cause;
    remember how fools mock you all day long.
Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,
the uproar of your enemies,
which rises continually (NIV).*

close up of pink cherry blossom

Photo by Taryn Elliott on Pexels.com

Reflection
Psalm 74 was born in a time of disaster and distress. The enemies of the people of God had triumphed. The sanctuary had been destroyed and God was openly mocked. If the LORD was all powerful, why didn’t He prevent this disaster? Why didn’t He shelter His people from this violent storm? There are no quick easy answers to such questions.

Today many of God’s people are living the reality of Psalm 74. Throughout the Middle East, the birth place of Christianity, churches have been destroyed. Young Christian men have been martyred. Women and girls have been raped and sold into slavery. The pleas expressed in this psalm are an urgent reality. Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.

But we need not live in a land ravaged by jihadists to feel the sting of the LORD’s enemies. Daily at our universities and through various media the Christian faith is mocked. Believers are treated as imbeciles and those who stand for righteousness are ridiculed. We are not being thrown to the lions, but the wisdom of the ages is being tossed on the dung heap, so the godless can pursue their sin without the voice of conscience nattering in the background.

Over all this dissonance the voice of the psalmist—the voice of the martyr—the voice of the believer—cries out: Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

The help of man, though it has value, falls short. We need the help of God. The whispered voice of God has more power than the most eloquent spokesman. Know this child of God: The day will come. The LORD will arise.

Response: LORD God, defend the helpless. Arise and save your people here in our nation and abroad. Show yourself strong by turning back the enemies of the cross. Our hope is in you. Amen.

Your Turn: Are you confident God will arise and defend His people? Why is our hope in Him secure?

* 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 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.

Does God Hear You?

26 Friday May 2017

Posted by in Psalms

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Reading:                                          Psalm 5

For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
(Verses 1-7)

Listen to my words, LORD, consider my lament.
Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
The arrogant cannot stand in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, LORD, detest.
But I, by your great love, can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple (NIV).

Reflection

Are you a morning person? Are you most productive in the morning hours, or do revive after the sunsets? Our bodies move according to their own internal rhythm. Some people love to rise with the chirp of the first songbird, while others are true night owls. Often my wife catches her second wind in the evening as I’m fading into sweet oblivion.

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Manitoba sunrise, “Awake my soul” — photo by David Kitz

It would seem that David was a morning person. Here in Psalm 5, we read these words from David: In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

David was one of those early birds that began calling out to God at the break of day. He knew God was listening. He made sure that the LORD heard his voice.

Is the LORD hearing your voice in the morning? Are you calling out to Him? Of course, your heavenly Father is pleased to hear your voice at any time, day or night. Is He familiar with your call?

But there’s more to this than just calling out to God and laying out your requests. David waits expectantly. He expects God to respond. He is listening, watching and waiting for the LORD’s reply. Have you built some wait time into your prayer time?

All too often our conversations with God are one sided. They are one sided because we blurt out our requests and rush off into our day. We don’t wait expectantly for the LORD’s reply. We don’t allow Him time to respond.

Response: Heavenly Father, I call out to you. I lay out my requests. Teach me to wait expectantly for you. Open my ears to hear your voice. Amen.

Your Turn: Have you set aside a regular prayer time? What time works best for you?