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Psalm 18:42-45

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 6, 2022
Psalm 18:42 “I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.” [This is what you did for David, Lord Jesus, for you were his shield and strength.
 
Therefore [David could say in his situation] “You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me. As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me. They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.” Psalm 18:43-45.
 
And David did defeat nations and kings. His enemies did fear him because of God’s power at work in his life.
 
We are called to defeat enemies greater. We are called to fight principalities and powers in heavenly places, enemies far too powerful for us.
[Your power, Lord Jesus, triumphs in the end. Praise be to you, O Triune God, for you are faithful to protect, provide and lead us, as you did David, through our daily battles.
Help us to keep on your armor and use well the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, so that Satan may be defeated and you be honored today.]
 
May be an image of tree and cloud
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Victory

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 5, 2022
As King David wrote Psalm 18, he faced human foes; we more often face the unseen ones of the devil and his troops. However, the reality of the battle is the same and the One who vanquishes the enemy is also the same.
As we follow you, Lord Jesus, our Warrior King, I praise you that in the spiritual battle before us, our true enemies, Satan and His hordes, will be defeated as we submit to and trust in you, joining you in what you are doing. Then we can say with David,
Psalm 18:37 [By keeping on the armor of God] “I pursued my enemies [Satan and his demons] and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed [by praise, prayer and persistence in obedience].
18:38 I crushed them [with the Word of God] so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet” [because I joined God in what He is doing].
[This is possible, Lord Jesus, because]
18:39-41 “You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet. You made my [spiritual] enemies turn their backs in flight, and [in your power] I destroyed my foes [Satan’s servants]. They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but he did not answer [for they had rejected Him and His ways].
 
Keep us alert, Lord Jesus, to the daily battle and help us to consistently fight with praise, prayer and persistence in obedience, joining you in what you are doing.
May be an image of 1 person
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Our inheretance

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 4, 2022
The God of the Bible has rescued us from Satan’s dominion of darkness, He has brought us into the Kingdom of Love and Light and Life where we can know where we came from, who we are and where we are going.
We can join Him in His great plans for He has given us belonging, worth and competence (Eph. 1:18,19). In Jesus Christ we are embraced, accepted, cleansed, forgiven, valued, commissioned and equipped for special service to the King (Eph. 1:3-10).
We can do things that will last for eternity–sharing with others about our King, Jesus, and the salvation He offers, and doing the good works He’s prepared for us. We can know that we belong to the winning side, we can give exaltation to God and we can earn glory, praise and honor (1 Peter 1:6,7) which we can then submit to Jesus in worship when we enter Heaven.
Praise you, Lord Jesus, that your death and resurrection brought to us all these marvelous possibilities and more.
 
So, instead of complaining about things we don’t get, help us to focus on these wonderful gifts, on the light, love and life you have granted us. Help us to rejoice in you all through each day, enjoying living in the Truth where there is meaning, purpose and love.
May be an image of twilight, nature, cloud and tree
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Our Great and Good God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 3, 2022
I praise you, Lord God, Creator and Sustainer of all, for the meaning you give us in life, for the possibility of having purpose, which can only flow from you. All else is, from a human perspective, meaningless, random, chaos, and chance.
In contrast, in you there is order, a place in your affections, a part in your great plans, and participation in eternity. We are not caught in a time box with just so many years and then nothing. As we move through the autumn and winter of our lives, we have the definite hope of another spring followed by an endless summer where life will continue with you throughout eternity.
That will be life on a higher, wider, brighter plain, free from brokenness, anguish, disappointment and rebellion. We will walk with you in lightness, fullness, warmth and joy, unhindered by the twistedness of this present, sin-choked existence.
We will be with you, Lord Jesus, in body, soul and spirit, free to obey, worship, work and love without that constant battle with the world, the flesh and the devil.
 
I think, in contrast, of how most people live in the toxic Darwinian, postmodern atmosphere, where meaning is just some chemical reaction we produce in our brains, where might makes right in the survival of the fittest, where everything is natural and therefore acceptable, where morals and ethics are human concepts, changeable at any time, where life ends at death and where worth is nonexistent—this is a description of pure purposelessness.
No one, not even the most ardent atheist who espouses this false philosophy, can live that way. Man without meaning equals despair. As philosophers like Camus and Sartre said, in such a situation, the only serious question is whether to commit suicide or not.
 
For us the question is, am I going to join God in His great plan for today, or am I going to follow my own minuscule ambitions. He invites us to joy, peace, purpose and power to live. The right choice is obvious! What are we choosing?
 
May be an image of flower and nature
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Psalm 18:36

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 2, 2022
Psalm 18:36 “You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.”
[You attend to the details I can’t even think about, like where my next step will be; your capacity to deal with the minutia of our lives is amazing.
 
You protect through provision of exactly what we need, and bring us on to the place of achievement and success that you have designed for each—the good works you prepared for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
All credit, honor, praise and glory must go to you, Heavenly Father. You are the One to be exalted, not us. We play the small role you give, while you move all the events of history along to accomplish your plan: the end of time, of sin and of death–the glorious end you have for us.
I thank you and praise you for the privilege of knowing you, being your child, working as your partner, trusting you by praising in all circumstances.
 
To you be glory and honor in all: may your name be exalted, may your Word be lifted up, may many be drawn to you today through what you are doing in our lives.]
May be an image of lake, nature and sky
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Psalm 18:35

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 1, 2022
Psalm 18:35 “You give me your shield of victory,”
[Your powerful, proficient, positive protection for us goes on and on, Lord, as you give us your shield of victory. But I must take it up and lift it with praise (Eph. 6:16)–and as I do so, you give the victory over the enemy, over temptation, over negative thoughts and emotions, over my old self.]
“and your right hand sustains me;”
[As I tire in the daily battle, I can look to you and you will strengthen me, refresh me, give me more will and energy to press on in the fight against the world, the flesh and the devil. I must look “to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” and “consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that [I] will not grow weary and lose heart” (Heb 12:3).]
“you stoop down to make me great.”
[You in your greatness, as Lord of all creation, must lower yourself from Heaven to enter the universe, then our galaxy, then our solar system, to our world and in the end, come to the location when I’m at. There you reach into my life to do what is necessary to make me successful in following you, as you define success.
You stooped very low to willingly and lovingly redeem us, becoming a man, being weak, dying in our place, being buried, going to the lower parts of the earth to defeat the devil and death. Therefore, you could rise up in power and light, leaving the tomb, rising up to the Father and again filling the whole of the universe (Eph 4:10).
You are astoundingly Great and amazingly Humble. In your grace you stoop down to share your greatness with us so we can push through and win, so can we conquer the enemy, reach the goal and achieve your desires–for without you we can do nothing (John 15:5).]
 
I praise you for choosing to be my Shepherd, to guide and provide every day, to restore my soul and lead me in paths of righteousness. What a wonderful Savior, worthy of worship, of obedience, of love. May I give you these and more today as I walk in the light of your being and revel in your grace and goodness. Amen.
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More thoughts on Psalm 18:34

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 31, 2022
More thoughts on Psalm 18:34 “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
 
You, Lord, have a plan of preparation to get us ready for what is to come. We can trust you in every difficulty by responding with thanksgiving and wholeheartedly embracing our present experiences, knowing that you will use them to prepare us for greater service for you in the future.
 
Right now (2013), you are working in us through my wife’s deep depression to prepare us for some future ministry, unknown to us now. [Now years later, with my wife doing much better, we have seen much growth through these difficulties.]
 
And a few days ago our traffic accident will also be used to equip us for further service.
It is a great comfort to know that nothing comes to us randomly, that every event in the lives of your children flows from your wisdom, plan, purpose and provision.
 
You are in the process of finishing our faith, so we can live in the joy you have for us, enduring whatever cross you bring and despising whatever shame others try to put on us (Heb. 12:2).
Help us to live in the light of this truth, that you are training our hands for the battles to come, so we can effectively join you in your great plan to end history and bring in eternity while sweeping as many as possible into your Heavenly Kingdom.]
May be an image of 1 person and outdoors
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Psalm 18:34

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 30, 2022
Psalm 18:34 “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
[Lord, you prepare your children on every level for what you know will come. We see this in how you put Joseph through training in Potiphar’s house, and then through serving others in prison, making him ready for being the Prime Minister of Egypt.
In the same way you are preparing us, equipping us, strengthening us through challenges and difficulties, getting us ready for the opportunities you are planning to give us.
I think of how you had me study Latin in high school and this prepared me for learning a difficult Asian language for ministry.
I think of how you had me working for years in the tire shop, learning how to manage both people and business, and how to deal with the public, preparing me for leading the field in the Middle East.
I think of how you had me marry late, giving me time to mature and giving me a fine German wife with a vision for missions and an understanding of other cultures, making transition to the Middle East easier and our work there more effective.
To you be glory for your wisdom, for your knowing what will come, for your faithfulness in preparing us, for your unfailing presence with us, for the fact we can praise you now for things we neither understand or like.
 
With a God like you, why would we ever be down, discouraged, distressed? “My soul, find rest in God alone.”
May be an image of nature, body of water, sky and tree
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Psalm 18:33b Living in the high plces

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 29, 2022
Thank you to those who sent us kinds words concerning our accident. We are thankful for friends like you!
 
Psalm 18:33b “…he enables me to stand on the heights.”
[For David, to be on the heights was to be safe, to be the winner. And you, Lord Jesus, make us winners with you by bringing us to the mountain tops of truth, wisdom and faith. You guide us through the valleys, the traps and attacks of the enemy, leading us up onto the high place of victory.
You empower us then to stand on the heights, even though Satan tries to “throw me down [I am just a] leaning wall, a tottering fence. Surely they intend to topple me from my lofty place,” but you, Lord Jesus, are “my rock, my salvation, my high tower,” and as I abide in you “I will never be shaken…for my hope comes from you alone” (Psa. 62:1-5).
As we “put on the whole armor of God” we will “be able to stand in the evil day”—no matter what comes—“and having done all to stand” (Eph. 6:13).
Whatever triumph, whatever victory, whatever accomplishment comes, you are the One who brings it to pass, Lord Jesus, “for without you we can do nothing” (John 15:5).
 
I give you praise, our Mighty Rock, for you are the reigning, equipping and protecting God, fully worthy of our obedience, worthy of our bringing you glory and honor. May it be so today as we stand in high places, such as in this picture.]
Picture from internet: like a goat on the heights
May be an image of one or more people, nature and sky
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Accidental Grace

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 28, 2022
Well it has been an exciting weekend, with many chances to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. God always “checks in” to make sure I’m living what I say I believe.
This week my medicine for my restless legs ran out; I called the doctor’s office and asked for more, but was told that since I had an appointment two days later I would have to wait. I knew that this would give me sleepless nights, but what could I do but offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving?
So that night, without my medication, I had severe restless legs and didn’t sleep at all. I did get a lot done though, both desk work and outside on my construction project.
Off to the doctor in the morning; she prescribed a new medication. One of it side effects was suddenly falling asleep. I took it in the evening but it had zero effect on my restless legs and I was up all night again! Another night of profitable work.
The next day we went to the local fair. On the way home, shortly before our house I “suddenly fell asleep” from my new medication and was awakened when our car hit a telephone pole!
We were basically unhurt and we saw the Lord’s protection: the pole did not land on our car, nor did the electric lines; no other car was involved; if I’d missed the pole we would have hit a stone wall and most likely would have flipped over making it much worse.
After the initial shock, we began to notice pain in our chests. Looking at our car I could see why. We went from 40 mph to 0 mph in 8 inches, the thickness of the pole! The EMT said it was “seat belt bruising.” It seems to be more than a bruise, however, as every move brings shooting pains. I think our sternums are cracked or broken. There is nothing that can be done but wait, as with broken ribs.
Now, logically speaking this accident was actually my doctor’s fault, for if she had done what I asked it would not have happened. So this is an opportunity to “rewrite and forgive.” God allowed this and has a purpose in it, just as He did with Joseph. The doctor meant good not evil. So I forgive her and let go.
Our car is totaled, as seen in the picture and without collision insurance; we will see what God does with this and the other aspects.
It is so good to be in His hand, in His family, in His Kingdom, in HIs plan. So we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving to honor God and open the way so He can show us the salvation of the Lord.
 
May be an image of car and road
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