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More from Psalm 15.

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 21, 2022
You, Heavenly Father, have imputed the qualities of Christ to us and have made us qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light! You have given us the undeserved privilege of “…dwelling in your sanctuary…of “living on your holy hill.” (Ps. 14:2) This is against all logic, all normal justice, all human reasoning and contrary to even the heavenly expectations of angels.
This grace–giving us the opposite of what we deserve–is more than marvelous. It is the demonstration of your infinitely loving, lovely and lustrous Character at work in mysterious and majestic ways, moving us from hopelessness and despair to certainty and safety.
I praise you for the great and transforming truth of your total commitment to save all who are willing. You are a beautiful God! Therefore, we can trust you totally, rest in you fully and follow you wholeheartedly.
May we honor you today by resting in your goodness, obeying in your power and living as carriers of light and hope to all around us. Praise you for what you will do today!
May be an image of flower, nature and grass
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Psalm 15:1-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 19, 2022
Psalm 15:1 “LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?”
[Praise be to you, Lord God, the High and Holy One, who invites us into your sanctuary, to live with you on your holy hill–through believing on the risen Jesus.
This possibility is a delightful demonstration of your deep delight in sharing your glorious grace and your generous goodness with us, offering us life and love even while we were still dead in sins. This is your pure and positive Character at work in the midst of a broken, twisted and destructive world.
Psalm 15:2-4 “…who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? The one whose walk is BLAMELESS, who does what is RIGHTEOUS, who speaks the TRUTH from their heart; whose tongue utters NO SLANDER, who does NO WRONG to a neighbor, and CASTS NO SLUR on others; who despises a vile person but HONORS those who fear the LORD; who KEEPS AN OATH even when it hurts, and DOES NOT CHANGE their mind….”
Each of these conditions for living in close relationship with you, Lord, is unreachable for us in our own strength; our sinful flesh prevents this, even when our spirit is willing.
But, in the face of our inability, you, Lord God, in your rich and powerful, persistent and active agape love have, through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, provided these qualities for all who believe. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3). May we live in the light of this truth.
May be an image of 1 person, mountain and nature
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Psalm 14:7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 18, 2022

Psalm 14:7 “Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!”

[And it did come from Israel, from Judah, brought by Jesus, who was a Jew! This was written 1000 years before Jesus was born.]

“When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!”

[Yes, the first believers, who were all Jewish, as well as we gentiles who are your children, have rejoiced and will rejoice in our salvation!

And we can continue to rejoice in your ongoing practical protection and salvation, Lord Jesus, as you lead us out of our personal prisons, out of the sun scorched land, then further up and further into your glorious Kingdom. You are active in our lives on a daily basis, giving us frequent God sightings.

Truly, you are our Good Shepherd, Lord Jesus, active, caring and loving. With you we will not lack anything we need, as we follow you in the ups and downs of life. We need to choose each day to run the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.]

May be an image of nature, tree and road

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Psalm 14:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 16, 2022

Psalm 14:4 “Will evildoers never learn—”

[Lord, this means you are consistently working at teaching all rebels the error of their ways by letting them suffer the consequences of their destructive choices. In this you, in your faithfulness and love, are calling them to repentance and surrender–but they are not listening!]
“those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD?”
[These rebels commit two evils: they abuse people and they trust in themselves, rather than you, Lord. They delusively believe they are in control, able to handle life on their own as they bully all those around them.]
Psalm 14:5 “But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.”
[In spite of their bravado, inside they have dread because they sense God’s presence among believers. That’s why they so viciously attack those who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ. This has happened repeatedly all down through history and we see this today as religious terrorists and leaders try to wipe out all Christians in their territory.
 
Such evildoers are afraid of death. They may be aware of the coming judgment, and that because of their stubborn selfishness they are set apart from the righteous–those have surrendered to Christ–but in spite of this they do not repent.]
Psalm 14:6 “You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge.”
[Ungodly people prey on the poor instead of praying to God. But when the poor turn to you, Lord, you are their help and protection. You are faithful, you are good and you are powerful. As it says in Psalm 68:6, “God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”
 
I have been both a rebel in the desert, and experienced His leading me out of my self-imposed prison in His lush, green valley. i certainly prefer the second!
May be an image of 1 person and outdoors
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Psalm 14:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 15, 2022
Psalm 14:2 “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”
[This means, Lord, that you look into the heart of every single person, you weigh their thoughts, you are concerned for them. Only an infinite God could be in such close contact with 6 billion people all at the same time! And in doing so, you love all of them, wanting each to come to you, giving each multiple chances to enter your Family, your Kingdom, your Eternity with you. You are a wonder!]
Psalm 14:3 “All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
[This is the sad truth: not one single person in the whole world, in the whole of history since the Fall, has ever sought you out on their own. Not one naturally followed you in the right way. We all turned away from you, we were all corrupt. And as sinners, any good that we did was tainted with selfishness, pride and deceit, but we futilely tried to convince ourselves we are good.
What a hopeless situation! In ourselves we are unable to alter it. But praise you, Lord Jesus, that you have entered history, paid the great price making it possible for us to be released from the trap of the enemy and our own wickedness. Then we could come into your Kingdom of Light and Life and Love! Like in this picture below, you bring life and beauty out of what is dead and decaying.
May we be ever thankful for your unwarranted grace, undeserved goodness and unending love. May my life, being focused on you, reflect your love and light to all around me today.]
May be an image of flower and nature
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Psalm 14:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 14, 2022

Palm 14:1 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

[This is a clear definition of a fool: one with no spiritual discernment or interest, who rejects truth in favor of his own unfounded opinion.

The statement “there is no God” is so far from reality, so entirely limited to this tiny earth, this moment; it is a view that it is a sorry position, void of hope, truth, goodness, meaning and a future. I pity the person who believes this, as he is caught in his own delusion and ends up in the darkness of a meaningless, hopeless existence.]

“They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

[We are all by nature fools, making ourselves our own god until we meet Jesus, the true and living God. In our natural selves there is no good, no ability to do true good, for all we do is corrupted by our selfishness.

This is reality, this is why we desperately need you, Lord Jesus, you who are goodness itself and desire to give all people a new heart filled with righteousness, joy and peace so we can do the good works you have prepared for us (Eph. 2:10).]

“…the path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining on ever more brightly until full light of day.” Proverbs 4:18. Let us walk in that light today!

May be an image of lake, tree, nature and sky





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Psalm 13:6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 13, 2022
 
Psalm 13:6 “I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.”
[At this point David still did not have an answer, he was still in danger, but this is a declaration of his trust in God to answer and save–based on his past experience of God’s help.
We also can sing now in praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord, before you act in our troubles, knowing that you will come and work things out, to rescue and save, to empower and carry us through–just as you have helped us in the past, always acting out of your pristine character and your powerful faithfulness to your Word.
It is in this certainty that, while still in trouble, we can sing in praise for the help you will bring. Help us to persistently praise you in every difficulty, Lord God, before we see any answers, resting and reveling in your full faithfulness. May you thereby be glorified before the people and the spiritual powers around us today. Amen
May be an image of body of water, nature and tree
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Psalm 13:3-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 12, 2022
The Gift of God’s Faithfulness
Psalm 13:3 “Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;”
[Thank you that we can cry to you in our desperation, as David did here, O Lord. We can always appeal to you, knowing that your faithfulness will flow into our lives like a stream forever. As it says in Psalm 86:7 “In the day of my trouble I will call upon you: for you WILL answer me.”]
Psalm 13:4 “my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”
[Even if we fall, we can stand again, firm in your faithful power, with you as our persistent Shield and Defender. I praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are our unshakable Rock, our faithful Fortress, our high Tower, our almighty Shepherd who can never to be defeated.]
Psalm 13:5 “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.”
[Yes, I look away to you, Lord, and look down the long history of your unfailing love where you–in faithfulness–answered, acted, protected, and guided your people: Abraham, Joseph, David, Daniel, Jesus and Paul. And so you will do with us today. You have a plan and will faithfully carry us through!]
May be an image of cloud, twilight, tree and nature
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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 10, 2022
Psalm 13:1,2 “How long, O LORD?” “How long will my enemy triumph over me?”
[At times the enemy does triumph over us—evil leaders arise in nations (such as ISIS), bad decisions are made by government or mission leaders, churches fall apart, families dissolve in bitterness, hard-working people can suddenly become homeless.
None of these, Lord, are your desired, overall will, but you allow them for greater reasons. For unbelievers, it is to nudge them towards belief (many have come to Christ in the Middle East because of ISIS). For believers, it is an opportunity for trust, growth, glorifying you and earning rewards.
As it says in 1 Pet. 1:6-7, “Now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith…may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
So we can know, no matter what Lord, that you are always there: you are at work for good, moving deeply, quietly, powerfully, patiently, waiting for the right moment to remove the pressure. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” In your goodness we can rest. Help us to do so today.]
May be an image of flower and nature
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Psalm 13:1,2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 9, 2022
The Gift of God’s Goodness
Psalm 13:1,2 “How long, O LORD?”
[There will be times when God seems distant, when He is not answering our prayers on our timetable (like right now in my life), when things are going awry with no help in sight. We pray and wait, but nothing seems to happen. There is no hint of His goodness in the mists and darkness of our lives.
Yet His goodness is still shining over the barrier of our darkness and seeming barrenness. He is at work behind the scenes, working out His greater plans, as He was in the difficulties of Joseph, Daniel and Jesus.]
As David once wrote, “Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?” But in the end God came through.
[There are dark valleys in life, ones we must pass through. These may be sickness, unemployment, relationship problems, depression (like the deep one my dear wife was going through as I wrote this in 2014), the death of a loved one, or fears sparked by governmental chaos and failure, by wars, pandemics or great disasters.
But we can know that you, Lord, in your goodness, have designed or allowed each one to mature us, to give opportunity to bring glory to you through faith, and to demonstrate your power to the world, sweeping all who are willing into your Kingdom.
As we know and believe this–even though at times our hearts fail us if we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by disappointment and the immediate circumstances surrounding us–we can choose to look up and have hope in the midst of despair; we can have light in the midst of darkness; we can have joy in the midst of turmoil. Why? Because you are good and we know that you have a plan for good and will faithfully carry it out.
May be an image of flower and nature
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