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Psalm 18:25-26

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 13, 2020
 
Psalm 18:25,26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure,”
 
[we can only have these qualities, Lord Jesus, as your Holy Spirit produces them in us. As we cooperate with you in the process of transformation, willfully wanting to be faithful, blameless and pure, you reveal your marvelous qualities to us more and more, giving us greater ground for surrender, worship and wonder–which then bring more transformation.
 
As it says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, who with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” This is the gracious cycle of your goodness poured out more and more on those who are willing to join you in what you are doing.]
 
“but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.”
 
[On the negative side, you interact with rebels in a way that is meaningful to them, a way that gets their attention, a case in point being Jacob. From the beginning he was crooked in his dealings, manipulating and using people all through his life. And he brought on himself the same treatment. Your shrewdness in thus dealing with him brought him, in the end, on his death bed, to surrender before you.
 
You know how to work with people, you are never at a loss, never confused on how to proceed, never without wisdom. Praise be to you for your patience, persistence and perception in the process of wooing to yourself every single person in the world, as the Holy Spirit convicts everyone of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11).
 
How you must grieve at those who stubbornly refuse to bow their knee to Truth, to Wisdom, to Reality, and instead rush headlong down the slope of self will, away from goodness, forgiveness, grace and light. In the end they go over the edge of time, falling into the pit of separation, darkness and desperation, sealed off from all good, getting what they wanted: full independence from you.
 
Praise you, Lord, that you go to great lengths to give them full opportunity to embrace Truth, even though you know they will not accept it. It is wonderful that you are not fair, for then we would all end up in hell. Instead, you are full of grace, offering us freely the opposite of what we deserve: forgiveness, cleansing, transformation, acceptance, belonging, worth, purpose, protection, provision, hope and a certain future with you.
 
Help me to focus today on the wonder of who you are, Lord Jesus, not the minuscule disappointments of life that seek to grab my attention. Thank you for how you are going to guide me today in joining you, exalting you, living for you.
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Psalm 18:20-24

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 12, 2020
Psalm 18:20 “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;”
[O Lord, praise you that you deal with us according to the imputed righteousness you have given us in Christ, not our own–for I have none. You would have to condemn me instantly to Hell if my goodness were the measure. But praise be to your glorious name that you have made me to stand before you in your all-cleansing righteousness: forgiven, transformed, accepted, adopted, dearly loved!]
“according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.”
[My sin-stained hands are now washed in your blood, cleansed of guilt, purified in forgiveness and empowered for good. Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you see me as your dearly loved child, delighted in, cherished and deeply cared for. The cleanness is there because of your great work.]
Psalm 18:21 “For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.”
[By your grace, by your power, by your obedience, Lord Jesus, I am counted as having kept your ways. What my old nature could not do in that it is weak, you did in your power. And you, Heavenly Father, in spite of what I am, have qualified me to be a partaker in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light.]
Psalm 18:22,23 “All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.”
[Again, I cannot say any of this for myself; I continue to be blameworthy, struggling with the sinful, selfish ways of my old nature—but you, Holy Spirit, also continue in transforming me in love and grace. So, I stand before you, Lord Jesus, blameless in your love, a new creature, dearly loved, doted on and deeply cared for. Praise be to you!
You are our hope, our holiness, our purity, our power. In you is goodness, grace and glory, all of which you generously, whole-heartedly share with us, continually, unconditionally, contra-conditionally. Praise be to you!]
Psalm 18:24 “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.”
Praise you, Lord Jesus, for your great and, humanly speaking, impossible, unspeakable work, far beyond what any created being could do. You reward your enemies! You pour out on your foes who come to you, eternal life, eternal relationship, eternal love and eternal goodness–when we deserve the opposite! Praise be to you.
Help us to revel in your love, to bask in your grace, to rejoice in your forgiveness—and to forgive and accept ourselves as you have us. May we each day grasp more of the greatness of your love, which surpasses knowledge, so that we might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).]
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Inner Light

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 10, 2020
Praise you, Lord, that with you, every day is a Sonny one, for your light of love and life shines continually on us and in us, giving encouragement, perspective, purpose, power and joy: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you,” said Jesus, and then “These thing I have spoken to you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full” (John 15:9,11).
There is a condition to receiving this joy: trust. As it says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace AS YOU TRUST IN HIM, so that your lives may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Trusting God involves submitting to Him, to His description of reality, to His Word, to His leadership, to His purpose and meaning.
We can’t walk in the light while keeping our eyes closed, living just in the tiny world in our head. We have to open our eyes wide to the wonderful, awesome, expansive and beautiful reality of God’s Kingdom.
Here we own nothing, but are given everything we need to steward. We are called to hold all with an open hand, telling our gracious and kind, good and wise Heavenly Father, “Take what you want, leave what you want, give what you want. I trust you to do what is best.”
Holding all with an open hand is, on one side, scary at first, because there are plenty of things we don’t want to give up (health, relationships, income, security, savings, etc.).
But as we come to know more and more of God’s beautiful and wise character, our fear lessens (perfect love casts out fear), and is replaced by a sense of security (safety is not the absence of danger, but the presence of Jesus), and a sense of adventure (every day is a battle with spiritual enemies who use people against us; but as we keep on the armor and fight the right enemies, there is a continual string of victories). We begin to understand what it means to be more than conquerors in the midst of challenges (Romans 8:37), and can press on in His strength.
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Being “Car-ed” for

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 9, 2020
On the way home from the hospital after getting my angiogram, Dr. Christian said, “My wife and I would like to give you a car. We bought this one recently and put an ad for our old one in the paper, but for some reason the paper never printed it. I think the Lord did that so we could give it to you!”
 
I was flabbergasted! He wasn’t even a believer, hardly knew me and was making an offer like this! I certainly wasn’t going to refuse it!
 
The only drawback was that Dr. Christian’s car had a standard transmission. We’d hoped to get a car with an automatic so Barbara could drive; but on the other hand, if Barbara didn’t have to drive, it would take some stress out of her life here.
 
The next day we went over to Dr. Christian’s to see the car. And what a car it was! A luxury VW station wagon with four wheel drive, 16 inch tires, a 6 cylinder diesel engine, 6 speed transmission, individually heated seats, and so on. it was a true doctor’s car. And it was a beautiful spruce green, one of my favorite colors. It was everything I’d ever wanted in a vehicle but never had!
 
As I looked it over, Dr. Christian said, “I’ve decided not to give it to you, but to keep it in my name. That way I can put it on my insurance and I will also pay the taxes on it.”
 
Wow! That would save us a bundle of money! The Lord certainly was showering us with His goodness.
 
Later that week Dr. Christian took me with him to register the car and got us “JC 12” for a license plate. “I thought that a plate mentioning Jesus Christ and His 12 disciples would be good for a believer like you!” he said. How thoughtful!
Then the next week when we went to visit Dr. Christian and Melanie, he reached out his hand and said, “Here, take this.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“It’s a credit card. Use if for your diesel fuel purchases and I’ll cover the costs!”
In addition, he proceeded to pay for all the repairs on the car when needed, put new tires on it, changed the summer and winter tires at the proper time and even paid my traffic fines!
This was a whole series of wonderful gifts from God through this man—–much better than being able to sell our old car in Turkey and then buy an ancient one here in Germany. The Lord was filling our cup to more than overflowing!
Moving to Europe from the Turkish economy had meant that our income through supporting churches was not going to cover our expenses very well, especially with the value of the dollar dropping constantly. But now, with Dr. Christian and Melanie’s gifts, more than one third of our expenses were covered. What a wonderful provision from God!
Not only did He provide us with transportation, but this car was so much fun to drive that when Barbara would suggest we go downtown, I was ready to go, just to be able to drive it more! And when it came to driving on the autobahn, we could buzz along at 100 to 110 miles per hour (160 to 180 kilometers per hour) and it felt like we were doing 60, it was so smooth and stable.
We praised Him every time we got in the car, and we thanked Him just as often for Dr. Christian and Melanie’s generosity.
Our friendship with Dr. Christian and Melanie was also a gift. Almost every week I would ride to work with Dr. Christian and while he was in surgery, I would sit in the waiting room and work on email and my writing. It was usually the most productive day of my week.
During the 90-minute ride there and back we had great talks, discussing many of the theological questions Dr. Christian had, as well as doing Bible reading and talking about apologetics. After a year of this he said, “Now I believe. I believe that God exists, that the Bible is true and that Jesus died for my sins. But I’m not ready to surrender my life to Him; at present I have no impetus to do so.”
“Ok…..” I said, “I will treat you as a believer and we’ll move into discipleship lessons. God will bring you across the line when you are ready.” And so God did more than a year later when, in response to a crisis, Dr. Christian prayed on his own to accept Christ as Savior and Lord. We all rejoiced at God’s faithfulness in answering our prayers.
Picture: Dr. Christian and family
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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 9, 2020

Psalm 18:19 “He brought me out into a spacious place;”

[You don’t just rescue us, you bring us into a positive position, a superior situation, a wide and pleasant place with you, like in the picture below. You are the giver of great good and abundant grace.]

“he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

[This statement, in my opinion, is the most important one in this passage. You, Lord, do not act just out of pity or obligation, but because you delight in us, your children. You see us in Christ, transformed, accepted and beloved by you! What an amazing, encouraging, faith-building, wonderful statement! As John wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

You, Lord God,  are powerfully pleased that we belong to you, that we cry out to you, our Abba Father. You are not bothered, irritated or agitated by our coming to you. No, you are richly pleased, mightily happy, deeply delighted, for you have inexplicably made us the objects of your unending, deep and rich love. You have made us the apple of your eye, the delight of your heart, the object of your continual affection.

We do not deserve this–which is all the more reason to praise you for your wonderful, eternal, infinite forgiveness, your unlimited, ever flowing grace and all-encompassing, deep love that gives us the opposite of what we should have gotten: a trip straight to Hell.

I will praise you now, today, and forever because you are worthy of all honor, exaltation and glory. You are the God who loves His enemies, who rescues those who deserve condemnation, who saves those who deserve defeat.

May your name be exalted in my life today and forever through surrender, faith, obedience and thanksgiving. Amen.]

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Psalm 18:16-18

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 8, 2020
The introduction to Psalm 18 says that David “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.”
 
Psalm 18:16 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”
 
[Our God is never too busy to stoop down and help any of His children; He pays close attention to each one and acts to help at the right time, especially as we fall into deep problems and trials. Here David was sinking in deep danger, he needed help right away and God answered.]
 
Psalm 18:17 “He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.”
 
[You, Lord, are such a personal and powerful God; you reach down into time and history to save, protect and deliver us from the great power of our enemy, the devil, from his forces and his pawns. They are far too strong for us, but you are immensely more powerful than they are and have no problem overcoming their plans.
 
As Psalm 33:10,11 says, “He foils the plans of the nations and thwarts the purposes of the people. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
 
In the midst of our difficulties, we can be certain that you, Lord Jesus, will act in the best way, at the best time, with the best means to sustain us and to give help in the right measure. Praise be to you for your faithfulness and goodness.]
 
Psalm 18:18 “They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.”
 
[When all seems lost, when our demise seems certain, you, Lord come in and rescue. As it says in Psalm 46:5, “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” And so you did for Abraham, Joseph, Daniel and Jesus. So you will do with us, your beloved children. Praise be to you.]
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Psalm 18:6-15

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 7, 2020
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, as this next section so graphically illustrates:]
Psalm 18:9-15 “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. (Picture above from the internet)
 
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
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God Will Answer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 6, 2020
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).
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When David was Attacked by Saul.

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 5, 2020
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 ar in total need of knowing you and are 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!]
 
May the words of my mouth and the intents of my heart be acceptable in your sight today, Lord, my mighty Rock and my Refuge.
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Rock, Fortress, Our Deliverer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 3, 2020
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, you 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, humanly speaking, 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 like the moon at night, 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.]

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