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Psalm 18:33

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 26, 2022
Psalm 18:33 “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;”
[David had to be quick and sure of foot in his fleeing from King Saul, as well as in his battles. In our battles with the Satan and the people he uses against us, you, Lord Jesus, make it possible for us to run swiftly, surely and gracefully in your paths so that, in your strength, we can endure through whatever comes.
I think of a recent incident where I was excluded from an event; it was painful and I was angry. But you, Lord Jesus, helped me, bringing to mind Scripture: “Trust in the Lord and do good…delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:3-4).
 
So, I let go of my anger and hurt, held on to your commands and promises, and I was able to rise above my natural responses and to be gracious to those who excluded me. I was able to run “gracefully” in the paths of the Lord.
You helped me to “run with perseverance and patience the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:1b,2). The credit for doing these things goes to you, Lord God, for you make our feet like that of a deer. Help us to cooperate with you all through the day.]
May be an image of deer and nature
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Psalm 18:32

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 24, 2022
Psalm 18:32 “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
[It is not my wisdom or effort, my talent or training nor my resources that bring effectiveness. It is you alone, Lord God, who prepares all. You are the Mighty and Wise One who pours strength into my life, who goes before and prepares the way in relationships and opportunities–and in me–making a way perfect.
Help me to run with endurance and patience the race that you have set out for me this day, looking consistently to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Every day there are uncertainties before me, all of which I could worry about. But as I reject worry and actively trust in you by praising you for your help before any appears. As I think the truth of who you are, of how you have laid out a perfect path for me to follow, and as I find my rest in you (Ps. 62:5), I will fulfill the purpose you have gifted me in life: to give you glory and honor before all.
You, out of your eternal riches, have prepared more than I need of strength and grace,
of power and wisdom,
of protection and provision,
and of guidance and goodness (2 Pet. 1:3-4).
 
You are constantly pouring them into my life whether I see them or not, sense them or not– and I will praise you for your goodness and graciousness now before I see them manifest in this day! To you be honor for your grace and goodness.]
May be an image of flower and outdoors
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Psalm 18:32

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 23, 2022
Psalm 18:32 “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
[It is not my wisdom or effort, my talent or training nor my resources that bring effectiveness. It is you alone, Lord God, who prepares all. You are the Mighty and Wise One who pours strength into my life, who goes before and prepares the way in relationships and opportunities–and in me–making a way perfect.
Help me to run with endurance and patience the race that you have set out for me this day, looking consistently to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Every day there are uncertainties before me, all of which I could worry about. But as I reject worry and actively trust in you by praising you for your help before any appears, as I think the truth of who you are, of how you have laid out a perfect path for me to follow, and as I find my rest in you (Ps. 62:5), I will fulfill the purpose you have gifted me in life: to give you glory and honor before all.
You, out of your eternal riches, have prepared more than I need of strength and grace,
of power and wisdom,
of protection and provision,
and of guidance and goodness (2 Pet. 1:3-4).
 
You are constantly pouring them into my life whether I see them or not, sense them or not– and I will praise you for your goodness and graciousness now before I see them manifest in this day! To you be honor for your grace and goodness.]
May be an image of nature, cloud, tree and twilight
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More on Psalm 18:31

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 22, 2022
More on Psalm 18:31 “For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?”
 
You, Lord God, are the solid Rock of Truth, Stability and Love, totally trustable, fully faithful and completely compassionate.
Many times, what appears to be failure from a human perspective, is actually perfection in process. Think of the death of Christ–without this seeming defeat, there would have been no resurrection, no regeneration, no redemption. His death was one part of the perfect plan you were bringing to pass.
In a similar way you as our Rock are at work in our lives today, bringing good to pass through the ups and downs of life. You only are our Lord, you only are The Rock, you only are to be worshiped.
Guide us today, Lord, in resting in you, in your rock-solid goodness, in thinking Truth, in praising you in all, and in seeing the daily God-sightings as you lovingly work in our lives.
May be an image of nature and mountain
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Psalm 18:31

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 21, 2022
Psalm 18:31 “For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?”
There is no one else like you, O LORD, the Eternal One with no beginning or ending–all others are creatures with a finite start, each one designed to be in relation to you. You, as LORD, are the only source of unchanging goodness, unwavering stability and unending grace.
Although you are the great and mighty God of history, of eternity, of all that is to come, you have made yourself “our God.” You are not distant and demanding. No, you are personal and patient, compassionate and kind, concerned and consistent. In your love we find rest.
 
You are the “holy wholly other One,” different from your creatures in essence, in eternalness, in entirety.
 
You are perfect in each part, so there is no need for change or growth, maturing or learning. You know all, you do all in completeness, you make no mistakes.
 
Fellowship with you is the great privilege of being your child. Faith in you is well placed. Finally will be our eternal home with you. Praise be to you our great and perfect Shepherd. Help me to follow you well today.
May be an image of flower and outdoors
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Psalm 18:30b Again

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 20, 2022
More on Psalm 18:30b, “He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”
 
This means our first move in difficulty is to come to you in praise, thanking you for the situation, knowing you have allowed this for a reason; then asking for your help and healing. Then going to the doctor if necessary.
 
This declares our dependence on you, gives you glory and opens the way for you to work through whatever means you choose to bring healing at the right time.
The opposite of this is seen in the life of King Asa: “Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians” (2 Chron. 16:12). And he died in his illness.
When we believe your Word, Lord, and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, you raise up your shield of love and power over us. We hide in you by giving you honor in words of worship, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving; and as we exalt you in faith, you protect us.
To praise in trust ahead for whatever you will bring is a wonderful way of partnering with you, of taking refuge in you, a strong statement of faith, a great giving of glory to you before the unseen hosts.
Praise be to you, the faithful and holy One, the good and wise God who is never too late, never too early, always prepared and powerful enough to work out all the details of life.
 
I give you glory, Lord Jesus, for you are the trustable Teacher, the good God, the powerful Protector and the saving Shepherd.
It is so true, Lord, that you are “a shield for all who take refuge in you.” Therefore you are worthy of all worship. Help me to worship you today by taking refuge in you each moment.
May be an image of tree and nature
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Psalm 18:30b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 19, 2022
Psalm 18:30b, “He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”
[Here is another statement of the perfect partnership you desire with us, Lord: your powerful protection is predicated on our premeditated hiding in you. If we choose to rely on ourselves, refusing to flee to you, to seek your wisdom, to obey what we know to be true, to run in your Way–we place ourselves outside your shelter.
But if we run to you for help, thinking Truth, praying for guidance, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, submitting to your Wisdom–then you swing your shield of protection over us, keeping us safe from all true harm. “He who DWELLS in the shelter of the Most High will REST in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).
How do we run to you? Primarily through four actions: praise in all, praying in all, preemptively thinking your Word, and persistently obeying it.
 
It means taking seriously such statements as “I will boast all the more gladly in my weakness so that the power of Christ may rest on me” (2 Cor. 12:9), and “…call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psa. 50:15).
It means implementing Philippians 4:6,7 “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God [our part]. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [shield] your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” [God’s part].
 
It means living out Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace AS YOU TRUST IN HIM so that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
So the choice is ours several times a day: trust, take shelter, praise and obey.
 
May be an image of flower and nature
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Psalm 18:30b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 18, 2022
Psalm 18:30b “the word of the LORD is flawless.”
[Praise be to you, Lord, that we can trust your Word completely: there is no error, no contradiction, no mistake, no flaw in it. It is a light to our path in this dark world. When you speak, command, direct and teach, we can trust that what you say is right and we can lean on it fully.
Praise you that you carefully had your words recorded in the Bible, using faulty 40 men over 2000 years to produce a perfect product.
We can take it at face value, and then dig deeper by reading, studying, memorizing and meditating to find the profound and powerful aspects hidden beneath.
Sadly, many twist your Word for selfish reasons, cutting it out of context, taking a superficial, separate understanding, even blatantly denying what it clearly says and using it for their own ends, rather than your purposes.
Give us wisdom to discern these perversions of your Word when confronted with them–or are tempted to use them ourselves–and to replace them instead with your clear and clean and complete Truth.
Help us to ever come to your Word to see what you say (exegesis) instead of coming with our preconceptions, looking for some verses to support our position (eisegesis). Seeking your Truth will then lead us away from the very human tendency of asking you to join us in our plans, instead asking you to help us in joining you in your plans.
Protect us from the traps of the enemy and keep us on the pure path, in your perfect provision as revealed in your wonderful Word. Help us to be consistent in reading, memorizing, meditating, believing and living it out every day.
May be an image of sky, nature, tree and twilight
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Psalm 18:30

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 17, 2022
 
 
Psalm 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect;”
[You, O Lord God, make no mistakes. You always do what is right, with excellence and without error. We can trust you to lead us aright, to teach us your wonderful way, to show us what is perfect, true, noble, lovely and praise-worthy so we may follow you there.
 
Thank you that you promise to, “lead us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3). Help us to actively, wholeheartedly follow.
With your Word, you turn the negative values of the world right-side-up because we live in an upside-down-world where selfishness and rebellion are natural, where fear, despair and hopelessness abound.
You teach us instead to live by dying, to get by giving, to grieve by praising, to offer thanks when we’d rather complain, to trust you before there is an outcome. There are so many opportunities to live by faith as we reject the values of the world and instead walk in the light of your powerful Way.
Praise be to you for teaching us that being weak is a wonder, that we should delight in our deficiencies and difficulties. In such weakness, your power is made perfect and Christ’s might comes upon us (2 Cor. 12:9,10).
You teach us that to embrace our neediness and suffering is freeing, empowering and transforming for us and greatly glorifying for you.
Praise you that you give us vision and understanding of your perfect ways. “Teach me your way, O LORD; I will walk in your truth: unite my heart to fear your name” (Psa. 86:11).
Help us to walk in your truth consistently, denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following you, for therein lies the purpose of our lives, the meaning of existence and the hope of glory with you.]
May be an image of African daisy and nature
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Declaration of Dependence Psalm 18:29

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 16, 2022
Written on July 4th, Independence day. Here is a declaration of dependence, a plan for joining God rather than asking Him to join me.
Psalm 18:29 “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.”
[This is a powerful picture of David’s dependence on you, Lord, seeing his own weakness in the light of your wondrous might. Humanly speaking he could, on his own, easily move toward an enemy and climb a wall, but he knew from experience that doing so in your strength is vastly different than doing it on his own.
He moved forward in your power by praying in preparation for the battle, seeking your wisdom, asking your help. Here are examples where this is specifically shown in the Old Testament.
In 1Samuel 30:8. David and his men returned to their town, Ziklag, to find that the Amalekites had come and captured all their families and goods. Instead of rushing off to rescue them, David first went to God in prayer, he “inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?’ ‘Pursue them,’ he answered. ‘You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.’ And David with his few men did that, defeating a much larger force and getting everyone back.
In all the stories of the Old Testament, there is no record of David ever being wounded in battle. He knew your protection, Lord, your power, your provision in the hand-to-hand combat in dozens if not hundreds of battles he participated in.
He declared, “Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle” (Psa. 140:7). Therefore, it was in your active power that he trusted. He saw clearly that even in the common doings of his day, he needed your help and he prayed for it.]
Lord, help me to be that dependent on you as David was, realizing I need your power in even the mundane things of life. Help me to be consistent in praying through my day, in asking for your guidance, protection and power in all that I do.
May prayer be the foundation of all, as I remember your words in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
May be an image of tree, nature and sky
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