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Psalm 16:7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 8, 2022
Psalm 16:7 “I will praise the LORD,”
[Yes, I will wholeheartedly, with every part of my being, praise you–such a wonderful Lord you are, the King of Kings, the God of greatness, the Lord of lords, the Sovereign Shepherd, the Mighty Master, the Creator of all creatures, the Ender of Epochs and the Leader of Love, Light and Life. Out your great love, you pour blessing after undeserved blessing in our lives. You are worthy beyond all measure, worthy of all the worship I can give!]
“who counsels me;”
[You are the God who reaches into my life moment by moment, speaking to me through your Word and through your Spirit, through the insights of others, through realizations and understanding.
When I am confused, uncertain or afraid, you are there to counsel me from your measureless love and infinite knowledge. I can turn to you for wisdom and know for sure that you will give it, for you have promised: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).]
“even at night my heart instructs me.”
[As I wait for sleep and meditate on your Word, you teach me new things, reinforce old truths, reveal insights and bring further transformation.
Even in my dreams you speak to me, as Scripture comes to mind. Sometimes, without realizing I am in a dream and face life-threatening circumstances, or temptations where I can respond with praise and trust and obedience, hearing the leading of your Spirit. Practice for real life!]
 
Thank you, Lord, for your full-orbed love and care. Help me notice how you reach into my life regularly so I may praise you more.
May be an image of cloud and tree
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More of our Delightful Inheritance

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 6, 2022

More on “surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

[Out of your glorious treasures you have prepared a rich inheritance for your undeserving children.

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, Lord Jesus, being in the full presence of our Bridegroom, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Ruler of all, the Holy, Pure, Powerful, Wise and Good God. That will be far more wonderful than we can imagine!]

Lord, help me to walk in the knowledge of the riches of your goodness and all the pleasantness you have for stored up for us. 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 of the temporary, hold on to what is eternal and rise above everyday hassles 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 and glory to you.

 

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

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Psalm 16:6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 5, 2022
Psalm 16:6 “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;”
 
[Where you have placed us, Lord, is more than pleasant: we are within the Kingdom of Light, under the Lordship of the Great Shepherd, within the Family of God, on the right 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 treasures 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.
 
1 Peter 1:7 tells us, “These [trials] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
 
Jesus wants to share his praise, glory and honor with us–if we live by faith, trusting Him in all.
 
As you are infinite and all-powerful, Lord, so these blessings will be unending, uncountable, incomprehensible, truly a “delightful inheritance!!” Thank you. Help me to live in the light of this truth.
May be an image of nature and tree
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Psalm 16:5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 4, 2022
Psalm 16:5 “LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;”
[All I have comes from you, O Holy God: my position, my provision, my protection, my portion. And what you give is good. This includes my body, my brains, my boundaries, my bonds, my bounty; whatever they appear to be from a human perspective, they are good and I will praise you for them.]
“you have made my lot secure.”
[You, Lord, are the God of power and authority. Only you can give security: whatever you choose to protect will be untouched by the enemy; whenever you allow an attack, it will be used for good, no matter how unpleasant it may be.
I can rest in your glorious and endless perfection, knowing you will weave all into your great plan for the end of sin, evil and time, sweeping as many as possible into your Kingdom.
To you be glory and honor today, Lord. May praise and thanksgiving continually well up in my mind and spill off my lips.
 
May the light of your love shine from my being, may you be lifted up in my actions and reactions, my attitude and speech. May praise be the keynote of my life today, may the darkness of complaining and discontent, grumbling and negativeness be swept away in the brightness of your presence so that you may have more glory before both the invisible hosts and visible folks.]
May be an image of flower, nature and tree
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Psalm 16:3-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 3, 2022
 
 
Psalm 16:3 “As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.”
[You, Heavenly Father, made us saints when you caused us to be born again. You qualified us to be partakers in the Kingdom of Light, you rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of your beloved Son. And you have made us glorious in Jesus, giving us His righteousness. Therefore, you delight in us, despite what we were naturally—rebellious, unbelieving, selfish and proud.
You have made us new creations in Christ, welcomed with joy into your presence where we are delighted in, rejoiced over, cherished and treasured. In you we can rest securely, knowing that you have accepted us fully, finally, faithfully. In you alone we are safe, for safety is not the absence of danger but the presence of Jesus.]
Psalm 16:4 “The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods.”
[Every other god is false–the gods of every religion, along with the gods of comfort, power, materialism, politics and business, sex and entertainment, getting my way and controlling others.
Each one is an illusion and leads only to disappointment, bondage, oppression and darkness—the opposite of what you bring, Lord, for you are Light, Love and Life, you bring freedom, joy and peace as well as grace, greatness and goodness. You are the opposite of all other gods, you are the only One worthy of worship.]
“I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.”
[I must avoid involvement in any way with these other gods (likenthe god of comfort, pride, selfishness and self-sufficiency), not offering them any acknowledgement or worship, time or affection; I must not put any hope in them. I must not give them any credence or credit, but look only to you, Lord Jesus, the Creator, Sustainer and Ender of all–the only true Hope there is.]
May be an image of nature and tree
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Psalm 16:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 2, 2022
 
Psalm 16:2 “…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 and 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, as tools, as 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 our existence, the focal point of life, the eternal and infinite God.
Therefore, I choose anew to bow down before you and then to rise up to praise you, love you, glory in you, honor you, exalt your name and your Word, rejoice in you, revel in you, and obey you–all for your honor. May you be exalted in my life today.
May be an image of lake, tree and nature
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Psalm 16:1,2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 1, 2022
Psalm 16:1 “Keep me safe, O God,”
[And You can easily do this, Lord Jesus, my Good Shepherd, for you are incredibly powerful, deeply wise, all-knowing, all-present and all-seeing, living outside of time. You are 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, coming to you, thinking Truth, meditating on Scripture and obeying you: trusting you and, praising before any answer comes. 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, giving us the power of causality, as Pascal said.]
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.”]
Help us, Lord, to walk in wholehearted, consistent obedience to what we know to be true. Amen.
May be an image of nature and tree
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Too Good To Be True!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 30, 2022
You, Lord, are a wonder, too good to be true–but are actually even better than that!
 
I thank you so much, Heavenly Father, 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.
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 instead to find rest in you alone, humbly bowing before you in the fear of God, joyfully accepting all you will bring in your plan for us.
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.
May be an image of lake, nature, sky, grass and tree
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Our Kind God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 29, 2022
Praise be to you, Lord God, for your kind and consistent, detailed and direct involvement in our lives. I exalt you, Lord, for how you are so persistent in pouring pardon 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 are so prone to spiritual amnesia! We so quickly forget the most basic spiritual truths:
–that we deserve only condemnation and rejection, but you constantly give us the opposite;
–that we can do nothing without you;
–that you are our Shepherd so we will not lack anything necessary;
–that we can offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving instead of complaining;
–that we can keep on your full armor and effectively fight the devil rather than people.
But in spite of our forgetfulness, you do not give up on us, Lord Jesus. You are gracefully, lovingly consistent in correcting, reminding, protecting and, when necessary, rebuking us.
 
Praise you that you are our powerful, all knowing and good Shepherd. You make us lie down in green pastures, lead us in paths of righteousness and go with us through the dark valleys. What more could we want in life?!!!
May be an image of flower and nature
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The Embrace of God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 28, 2022
Last night when I went to give a discipleship lesson, the couple I visited 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 would not go to the two females in the house but 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 may be, we can snuggle down in your embrace, knowing that you love us unconditionally.
 
You have already prepared a path through whatever is facing us, and you will accompany us along the way and carry us through. You have a plan, you are faithful, you are able to carry it out.
The only element we must 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. “Trust in Him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to Him, for He is our refuge.” Psalm 62:
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.
May be an image of lake, tree, twilight, nature and sky
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