Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Psalm 18:9-15

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 4, 2022
Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice.
 
Psalm 18:9-15 tells how He answered:
“He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.”
[What a display of powerful, righteous and compassionate anger! Far bigger than any star wars episode! You, Lord God, Breather of the stars, Spinner of the earth and Bringer of the Dawn, bent the elements to your will and acted in passion, bringing a storm at the right time to protect your own.
You are the God of wisdom and power, passion and might, mercy and action.
As David said in the beginning of this Psalm, you are our Rock, our Fortress and our Deliverer. In you we can trust, no matter how terrible things look. You have a plan to rescue us, and as we cry out to you, you will work it out at the right time and carry us forward along with you.
 
Help us to demonstrate our belief in you today by turning to you first in our needs, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all and praising you for your answers before they come.]
 
(Picture from the internet)
May be an image of lightning
Filed under:

Psalm 18:6-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 3, 2022
Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”
[And when, in faithfulness and love He heard David’s cry, God moved in His might to answer:]
Psalm 18:7 “The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.”
[You, Lord God, are a person of passion: when you are aroused, there is no stopping you. You act in justice, you act in love, you act in conviction, you act in power! Praise be to you for your love so displayed.]
Psalm 18:8 “Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.”
[You wrath is righteous and will not be quenched until there is justice done and wrongs righted. The heat of your heart leads to the rescue of your children in the right way and at the right time. You act in power and swiftness, swooping in at just the right time.
 
Thank you for your great love and wisdom in entering our lives daily. May we recognize this and rejoice in who you are!
May be an image of 2 people, people sitting and indoor
Filed under:

Psalm 18:4-6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 2, 2022
Psalm 18:4,5 “The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.”
[In David’s case, his life was in physical danger as Saul was in hot pursuit of him. This is also the case now for many Christians in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, as groups like ISIS and hostile governments try to eliminate all followers of Jesus.
On another level of danger, we all were entangled by the cords of death, for we lived in the dominion of darkness, in the despairing, depressing world of the dying, ensnared by the traps and tricks of the devil. Death was our certain destiny, there was no hope, no light, no escape in our own strength.]
Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”
[But you, LORD God, Jehovah Elohim, were there to hear us when we cried out to you and have delivered us from the darkness of death and brought us into your Kingdom of light.
You now continually invite us to cry out to you for you hear our cry and act in your undeserved faithfulness and love. Because you are faithful we can be certain that, despite our natural unworthiness, you will hear and answer.]
It is wonderful, comforting and encouraging to know that in all our difficulties we can cry out to you, that you hear us and will answer in what is best and in power. As it says in Psalm 86:7, “In the day of my trouble I will call to you and you WILL answer me.”
May we live in the light and joy of this truth, trusting through thanksgiving before we see any answer, knowing that your timing and wisdom are perfect. To you be honor and glory today in my life as I live in the truth that “my soul finds rest in God alone (Psa. 62:1).
May be an image of nature and grass
Filed under:

Psalm 18:3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 1, 2022
Psalm 18:3 “I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,”
[You, Lord [Jehovah], are worthy of praise because of your holiness. You are completely other than your creatures: eternal, pure, wise, all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, totally independent of all you have created. In contrast, we are weak, tiny, limited and ignorant—we are in total need of knowing you, fully dependent on you, whether we know it or not.
In your holiness, LORD, you are the One who hates sin and must punish it, while at the same time you love your rebellious creatures and have provided for them a way of escape from condemnation. Truly you are worthy of praise!]
“and I am saved from my enemies.”
[You hear my prayers, and in your power, in your love, in your faithfulness you save me from my enemies. You rescued me from the devil’s dominion of darkness, you delivered me from his demonic depression, you freed me from the clutches of sin, you brought me out from under the condemnation of the world.
You saved me from death and despair, and you continue to save me every day from the attacks of sin, selfishness, Satan and his servants. You are my Superb Savior in whom mercy triumphs over justice. You are worthy of continual praise, honor and glory for your incomprehensible love and grace!]  You save me from death and it’s fear, as seen when Barbara visited her mother’s grave last November.
May be an image of 1 person and outdoors
Filed under:

Psalm 18:2b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 31, 2022
Psalm 18:2b “my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
[You, O God, are Elohim, the powerful One who showed your might in creation; and you are the consistent One, who showed your faithfulness in providing salvation as was first promised in the Garden of Eden. You, the triune God, are not just the Rock, but MY Rock to whom I can flee and find refuge. In you is the ultimate in help and safety.
Guide me in consistently taking refuge in you through meditating on your Word, lifting my soul to you and praying about all that is in my life, giving you my burdens, fears, worries and frustrations.]
“He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
[You, O Elohim, are my personal, portable shield, protecting my head in the everyday battles that swirl around me; you are the power of my salvation; you are my sheltering stronghold which the enemy can never penetrate. You are the Ultimate in security, the Eternal in safety, the Almighty in victory. You are the only One to be trusted, believed in and obeyed.]
Praise be to you for how you are going to be my Rock, my Shield, my Fortress and my Deliverer today. Help me to remain in your ever flowing love by obeying what I know to be true, and to honor you by keeping on the armor, standing in the evil day and, having done your all, to stand.
May all those who meet me today also meet the Holy Spirit as He fills and works in me. Thank you now for the answers you will give to these prayers.
May be an image of body of water, tree and nature
Filed under:

Psalm 18:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 30, 2022
Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;”
 
[You, Jehovah, the holy and sin-hating God, Creator of the Universe, the Beginner and Ender of time, are our mighty Rock: unshakable, unmovable, unending and unchanging, ever stable, ever trustable. On you we can take our stand, on you we can rely, in you alone our souls find rest.
 
On this great Rock of protection, you are also our mighty Fortress in which we can take refuge, hidden away from the enemy and his hoards.
 
This Fortress is indestructable, impregnable and impenetrable. The enemy can never breach the walls of your love, can never touch us without your permission, can never defeat your plans.
 
You are also our faithful Deliverer, outside the walls of the fortress, fighting for us in your might, wisdom and love. You foil the plans of the nations and thwart the purposes of the peoples.
 
The enemy can never trick you, surprise you or defeat you. You are ever on guard, ever alert and active.
 
Even in your weakness as a man, Lord Jesus, with the possibility of defeat and failure yawning before you as you prayed in the garden, with death overtaking your body, you were solid as a rock.
 
At the right moment, as our deliverer you rose up to win, to defeat death and the devil, to open the way to life for all. You are the God triumphant, the Victor in every battle, the Deliverer of all who are oppressed.
 
And you continue with that battle every day, surrounding us with your grace, goodness and glory in the ongoing spiritual warfare of this dark world. You shine the the moon, showing us the way in the darkness.
 
We can stand with you, in you, by you, for you, clothed with your amour, empowered by your grace, guided by your wisdom, following the plan you have for us each day, partnered with you in victory. Praise be to you!
 
Help us to so stand in you today, Lord Jesus, our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer, so that glory and honor may flow from us to you.]
May be an image of mountain and nature
Filed under:

(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 29, 2022
As it says in Revelation 12:17, “Then [Satan] the dragon was enraged…and went off to wage war against…those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” As in the picture below.
The accuser gives no quarter, and I cannot possibly defend myself against him—but you, O Lord God, are my defender, my salvation and protector.
Later in Psalm 18 David declares that the LORD “reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support” (Psa. 18:16-18).
Praise be to you, Lord God, that your power is made perfect in the poverty of our personal weakness (2 Cor. 12;9). Our lack of strength is your opportunity to bring salvation to us, to display your great power in your love by providing, protecting and prolonging our lives in the midst of attacks by the enemy who is too powerful for us. Glory be to your name!
May I live in your love and under your protection today by keeping on your armor and offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving for whatever comes, trusting you, honoring you and seeing the salvation of the Lord.]
No photo description available.
Filed under:

Psalm 18:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 28, 2022
Psalm 18 is one of my favorite psalms, for it reveals the rich and deep relationship David had with his Lord, who sustained him in the midst of the problems, pressures and the ever present dangers of his life. David is a good example to us, as he takes everything to God and lives in the Lord’s strength, power and protection, not trying to make it on his own.
“For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”
[And we all know how Saul repeatedly sought to kill David and how God protected him from Saul’s anger.]
Psalm 18:1 “I love you, O LORD, my strength.”
[You, Lord, are the intimate and ultimate God, whose deep love for us calls forth an echo of affection from our hearts. To love you is a great privilege, a wonderful freedom, a deep grace, bringing us out from our natural negative notions into the light of your marvelous presence, your mighty power and majestic wisdom. There your love overflows onto us, washing through us, bringing us cleansing, renewing and joy.
You, Jesus, declared in John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
This is an amazing statement: Jesus offers us the great, eternal, all powerful love that the Father has for Him: whole-hearted, enthusiastic, unending, joyful, grace-filled, kind and warm love. So, as Jesus is secure in His relationship with the Father, we can be secure in our relationship with Him. And His love calls forth the desire to love Him back, to remain in His love by obeying him in all that we know to be right.
In verse 11 Jesus continues, “…. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”.
[You are not only the One who loves us but the one who desires to share your joy with us and out of that love and joy your power flows into our lives. You are my strength–I have so little; in fact, practically speaking, no strength of my own, especially in comparison to that of our enemy, Satan, who is much stronger than I am. So I need your power to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Picture: speaking of love, here we are with my loving grandmother in Illinois, probably in 1979
May be an image of 3 people, child, people sitting, people standing and indoor
Filed under:

Invitation to an Adventure

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 27, 2022
 
I praise you, Father, for you have given us full reality, as far as we can comprehend it, from your revelation in the Word.
 
We need to eagerly let go of our natural worldview and leap wholeheartedly into your biblical worldview where you are Sovereign, Powerful, Good and Loving. Where everything is right side up: loving our enemies, forgiving as we have been forgiven, returning good for evil, giving thanks in all things.
 
You are inviting us into the adventure of living for you, in you, by you and with you in bringing history to a conclusion and sweeping as many as possible into an eternity with you, our marvelous and mighty God. To refuse such proffered purpose, meaning, honor and significance is the deepest form of insanity (being detached from reality). To surrender is the highest form of worship.
 
The choice is ours to begin now, surrendering our understanding to you, being filled with your Spirit, learning to think your thoughts, to live in your values and run in your paths of Truth, as laid out in your Word.
 
Lead us on to deeper and deeper surrender, Lord, thinking your thoughts, pursuing your purposes, living in your light, so that we may be more and more useful for you, continually bringing you greater and wider honor.
 
May be an image of nature and tree
Filed under:

Astounding God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 26, 2022
Praise you, my Heavenly Father, King of Glory, Creator of the universe, the Beginner and Ender of time. When you created all the physical universe, Satan was there, as were all the angels, fallen and faithful both.
 
What was there before all we know was created? We don’t know, but certainly there was a place where you dwelt, Lord, where you and all the spiritual beings you had created earlier existed.
 
You are much bigger, much more powerful and far greater than even the vast and deep spaces of the known universe indicate. It is, of course, impossible for our tiny human reasoning to grasp your dimensions, to understand what eternity entails, what it means to have existed forever, without being created, without change or growth because you are already perfect, living forever and ever.
 
Such thoughts are mind-warpingly beyond our comprehension, they are certainly magnificent and stunning—and comforting.
 
They are comforting because you, our Heavenly Father, in spite of your greatness and glory, in spite of your having no need for us, came to our insignificant Milky Way galaxy, crossing it’s 50,000-light-year radius to approach a tiny speck of dust tucked under one arm of our huge galactic spiral, and there, at great cost to yourself, proceeded to redeem the rebellious and repulsive population of sinners.
 
What reason could you possibly have had for this? There is no attractiveness, no usefulness, no positiveness about us–sinful and selfish as we are– to entice you into such a sacrifice. This is utterly illogical to our minds.
 
Yet, you, the Mighty and Majestic One, who has created all we can see and far more, stooped to gather into your embrace all the rebels who will come. You forgive, cleanse, adopt, equip and invite us into significant roles in your great plan to right wrong, infuse good, eliminate evil and bring a re-created universe into eternity with you. Wow!
 
Are we who have believed in you, going to refuse to join you in this great plan? Are we going to continue on in our self-centered, activity-based, feel good focus, taking for granted all you’ve done and given? Or are we going to embrace all you have for us, making you the center of our lives, our being, our day, our activities? A no-brainer if we are looking at reality.
 
And that’s the key: you have given us full reality, as far as we can comprehend it, from your revelation in the Word.
 
We need to eagerly let go of our natural worldview and leap wholeheartedly into your biblical worldview where you are Sovereign, Powerful, Good and Loving; where everything is right side up: loving our enemies, forgiving as we have been forgiven, returning good for evil, giving thanks in all things.
May be an image of flower and nature
Filed under: