Author: S.M. Wibberley

Psalm 17 A prayer of David.

“Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry.”

[You are the prayer answering God–intercession was your invention, giving a way for us to enter your heart, your arms, your plans.

You are the God who heard Joseph and gave him the interpretation of dreams; who heard Moses and opened the Red Sea; who heard David and defeated his enemies; who heard Daniel and told him the dream of the king; who heard Jesus and raised Lazarus from the dead. And you are the God who hears us and will answer in the same faithfulness and power you always have.]

“Give ear to my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips.”

[Your part is to hear, ours is to come to you in integrity, not trying to manipulate you or paint ourselves as better than we are, or trick you into moving against someone unjustly.

To do any of these is, of course, ridiculous, for nothing is hidden from your eyes, including our motives. You are the King of creation, the Lord of the universe, the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-present One.

Praise you that we can and must be totally transparent before you—and that such honesty does not affect your openness to us one bit, “for you are good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5).

Psa 17:2 “May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right.”

[Truly, vindication can only fully come from you, Lord, for only you see fully what is right. We can rest in that awesome truth that you see everything, both right and wrong, and love us anyway.

Your Word is clear on how we should trust you to deal with those who oppose us. As it says in the Old Testament, “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psa. 37:1-4).

This concept is repeated more powerfully in the New Testament: “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:19-21).

Lord, help us to look to you for vindication and for dealing with those who treat us like their enemies. May our delight be in you, not in vengeance or winning. May you thusly be glorified before all those around us, especially before those who oppose us. I praise you now for how you will answer in faithfulness and righteousness.]

Psalm 16:8b,9 “…he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;”

[You, Lord God, are the reason I can be glad and praise, for you are mightily faithful, strongly consistent, lovingly good, totally wise and graciously giving. There is no lack for those who follow you. “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Psa. 34:10). It is in you, in your character that all comes together, that all is provided, that all stability rests. It is so right to rejoice in you!]

Psalm 16:10 “my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave,”

[I live in the land of the dying–but in your love, power and provision, I will move to the land of the living, going through the doorway of death into the light of eternity. And there you will give me a new body, uncorrupted, undying, unending. The certainty of this has already been established and demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ.]

“nor will you let your Holy One see decay.”

[You, Jesus died, but did not stay dead, your body did not deteriorate, but was brought back to life and transformed into the new and eternal form our bodies will have.

You, Lord God, have provided the ultimate redemption, transformation, and salvation in which we can rest secure. And within these you have given us three wonders for life right now:]

Psalm 16:11 “You have made known to me the path of life;”

[In your love and grace, your compassion and forgiveness your Spirit has opened my eyes to the way to life, and now I walk on that path, “of the righteous” which “is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever more brightly til the full light of day” (Prov 4:18).

You pour out on us a continual stream of blessings as we walk with you in your way: your presence, your perspective, your power, your provision. Every day we can learn more of you, every day you bring further transformation, every day we can experience your care, your wisdom, your goodness.

And every day we can give you glory and honor by responding to every situation with praise. You are the God of righteousness, goodness and glory. To know you is wonderful!]

“you will fill me with joy in your presence,”

[The more we know you, the deeper our joy goes, overflowing, energizing, transforming and guiding. The certainty of your presence is the well-spring of joy in our lives. And this will be multiplied a thousand-fold when pass through death into eternal life. We praise you for it!]

“with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

[The certainty of spending eternity with you, at your right hand, enjoying the pleasure of your presence, the wonders of your being, the marvels of your new heaven and earth, this is beyond comprehension–but to have this certainty is a further aspect to our present joy.

Truly, Lord Jesus, to know you is enough for joy, a joy that will be ever increasing until death and then exploding into all the dimensions in which you now live, expanding throughout eternity as we learn more and more of your marvelous, infinite character.

To you be glory and honor now. May I reflect back to you the joy you are giving me. May we walk together in this day, shedding the light of your joy on all I meet.]

Psalm 16:6 “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;”

[Where you have placed us, Lord, is actually more than pleasant: we are within the Kingdom of Light, under the Lordship of the Great Shepherd, within the Family of God, on the narrow way to Heaven, in the company of the saints, equipped and assigned to a specific area of service to you, my beloved King.

This Truth is a wonder, a joy, a pleasure, an ever increasing realization of the undeserved, unearned privilege of walking on the pathway of the Creator of all, the Ruler of all, the Restorer of all. In my opinion, “pleasant” is far too mild a word for this state of ever-growing joy!]

“surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

[Out of your glorious riches you have prepared a rich inheritance for your undeserving children. As it says in Ephesians 1:3, you have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus—every possible spiritual blessing will be ours. As you are infinite and all-powerful, Lord, so these blessings will be unending, uncountable, incomprehensible.

These will include a sinless life, total security and significance, sweet fellowship with all, ever increasing joy, and living in the light of your presence. In addition, you have made us fellow-heirs with Jesus, meaning that whatever He inherits, we will get also!

This will include an infinite future, an unending walk with you, an unlimited growth in knowledge of your character, having fulfilling, positive challenges of service for you, and rich, uninterrupted fellowship with all other beings in Heaven.

It will include living in your glory: “When Christ, who is our life, appears, then we also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:4). It will include mostly and most importantly the ability to gaze uninterruptedly on your face, being in the full presence of the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Ruler of all, the Holy, Pure, Powerful, Wise and Good God of all. That will be far more wonderful than we can imagine!]

Lord, help me to walk in the knowledge the riches of your goodness, the pleasantness of knowing you. Help me to see where I let the small (very small!) things in life take my focus off of you, to steal my joy, to trap me in the dust and dirt of a natural worldview. Help me instead to let go, hold on and rise above in the shining knowledge of you and who you are. May I think truth, keep on the armor and be able to stand no matter what comes, thereby bringing more honor to you.

Psalm 16:1 “Keep me safe, O God,”

[You can easily do this, Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd, for you are incredibly powerful, deeply wise, all-knowing, all-present and all-seeing, as well as passionately loving and whole-heartedly compassionate. I can cry out to you, know that you will hear and that you will answer in the best way. Praise be to you.]

“for in you I take refuge.”

[This is my part, by coming to you, meditating on Scripture, thinking Truth, trusting, praising before any answer comes—prayer without obedience does not “work.” As always, it is a partnership between you, Lord, and your children. I praise you for how you call us to join you in what you are doing, making us responsible.]

Psalm 16:2 “I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord;’”

[This is a statement of surrender—you are my Adonai, my Authority, the One I obey, the One who has the right to demand absolute obedience while promising absolute provision. To say “You are my Lord” means, “What you command I will do.”]

“apart from you I have no good thing.”

[This is a full focus on Truth—only you, Lord,  are truly Good; all else that I have is chaff, temporary, worthless in the long run. As the author of Psalm 73 said,“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you!”

To live this Truth is freeing, powerful and focusing: “apart from YOU I have no good thing!” All else must be viewed in relation to you, as elements of stewardship, tools, means of obeying and glorifying you. It is in you that all comes together.

Praise be to you, Lord God–Heavenly Father, King Jesus, Holy Spirit–for you are the reason for existence, the focal point of life, the eternal and infinite God.

Therefore I choose to bow down before you, praise you, love you, glory in you, honor you, exalt your name and your Word, rejoice in you, revel in you, and obey you for your honor. May you be exalted in my life today.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your guidance and goodness, for your kind and consistent, detailed and direct involvement in our lives. I praise you, Lord, for how you are so consistent in pouring grace into our lives, giving us the opposite of what we deserve.

Thank you for your patience with us as we zigzag along, bouncing between arrogant rebellion and abject self-pity.

We so quickly forget the most basic spiritual truths, like the fact that you are our Shepherd so we will not lack; like need to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving instead of complaining; like what we actually deserve is condemnation and rejection but you give us the opposite; like the fact we can do nothing without you, and that we should keep the armor on so we can effectively fight the devil rather than people. We are so prone to spiritual amnesia!

But you do not give up on us, Lord. You are gracefully, lovingly consistent in correction, protection and, when necessary, rebuke.

I thank you so much, Lord, for the privilege of not just being in your family, but of being able to come at any minute directly to you in the throne room of Heaven,  and to crawl up in your lap for comfort, encouragement and redirection. You are a wonder, too good to be true, but are actually even better than that!

Help us to live in the light of your great goodness, your rich righteousness, your lavish love and your powerful presence. Help us to join you today in your plans, to shed our pride, our selfishness, our lust for significance and security and to find rest in humbly bowing before you in the fear of God, joyfully accepting all you will bring.

Help us to move by prayer, to work through obedience and to overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit so that you may be honored throughout this day.

Jesus is the perfect Paragon of excellence, the sinless Savior and Shepherd, the marvelous and majestic Author and Perfecter of our faith. As we look at Psalm 15, every quality the LORD, requires for dwelling in His sanctuary is found in Jesus.

Psalm 15:1 “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?”

Psalm 15:3 He “ has no slander on his tongue,”

[When you accuse or judge, Lord Jesus, it is correct, it is spoken to the right person with the right motive at the right time. There is no falsehood, no exaggeration, no twisting of truth. There is no malice, selfishness, evil motive or wrong desire when you speak. Instead you speak correctly to convict, to bring repentance, to restore and lead, giving light, love and healing.]

“who does his neighbor no wrong”

[You only do what is right, pure, helpful, good and positive. To live with you is to experience the light of your goodness, the power of your purity and the provision of your positiveness.]

“and casts no slur on his fellowman,”

[You never speak unjustly, you never maliciously cut people down, or try to put them in a bad light. In fact, as the good Shepherd, you will work to protect people rather than expose them to ridicule. You always first nudge us towards repentance before having someone come and confront us. As you are light and live in the light, so you shine the light on what is true, not to condemn people, but to bring them to repentance and restoration.]

Psalm 15:4 “who despises a vile man”

[You see all, nothing is hidden from you, so you know what is vile and rightly reject it. In righteousness you despise what is unrighteous, while somehow still loving every sinner and seeking to bring them into your Kingdom, into your Family, into your Forgiveness.]

“but honors those who fear the LORD,”

[You love what is right and good, and are able to discern what really motivates a man: fear of people or fear of God (Psalm 34:11-14). And you will give glory and honor to those who walk in your ways because they love you and trust you.]

“who keeps his oath even when it hurts,”

[You are the One who always keeps your Word—you kept your Word to provide a Savior who could only redeem through intense, infinite suffering, and you, Lord Jesus, followed through by submitting yourself to anguish, pain and an unjust punishment of death. Praise you for your faithfulness.]

Psalm 15:5 “who lends his money without usury”

[You are generous and good, pouring out your riches on us without thought of profit.]

“and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.”

[You are absolutely just and do only what is right. No one can cause you to move against your children, who through Christ’s sacrifice are declared innocent in your sight. A bribe has no influence to change your mind to condemn the anyone. On the other hand, we believers can’t get you to change your mind with our “good works,” our fasting or self-denial; we can’t twist your cosmic arm, to “make” you answer our selfish prayers. Praise be to you for your unbending goodness and purity.

Lord, help us to live like you, to follow your example in each of these wonderful qualities and thereby bring honor to your name by showing your glory to all those around us.

Praise be to you, Lord, for how faithful and good, wise and powerful you are. We see this in the expanse of the heavens, which you stretched out for billions of not just miles, but light years. You filled it with stars gathered into galaxies which are gathered into formations—and you know the name of each of these trillions of stars, you know their number and you keep them in place.

As you are able to administrate all that, so you are certainly able to deal with the details of my life. Being outside of time, you know every event that will come and can shape them to be useful in our lives, or prevent them if it is best.

I think of the hundreds of times I’ve had close calls in driving: you prevented an accident each time and kept us safe. And I’m sure there are thousands of times you have protected us in every area over the years but we were not aware of it. You are certainly the Deity of details, the Shepherd of strength, the Lord of lavish love. You are the One we can trust, rest in and rejoice in.

Last night when I went to give a discipleship lesson, the couple had just gotten a new little dog. He’d been suddenly taken from his familiar environment where he’d lived all his 3 years and was feeling very unsure and insecure in this new situation. For some reason he avoided the females in the house and jumped up on the man’s lap for a bit, then onto mine where he snuggled down and stayed for the whole lesson. Somehow he felt safe there, and enjoyed the scratching I gave him.

So it is with us and you, Lord. No matter how challenging our situation or how dangerous and painful the happenings in our life, we can snuggle down in your embrace, knowing that you have already prepared a path through whatever is facing us, that you will accompany us along the way and carry us through. You are faithful, you are able, you have a plan.

The only element we have to add is trust based on our knowledge of who you are; then you will pour peace, joy and hope into our lives (Rom. 15:13) along with more than enough grace (undeserved help) to move through any circumstance with power.

I praise you now, Lord Jesus, for the day you have laid out before me. Help me to keep on the full armor you have provided, to trust you by getting up the shield of faith through offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving and to join you in what you are doing so that I may give you more and more honor each day.