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Psalm 5:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 21, 2019
Psalm 5:1 “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing.”
 
[Praise you, LORD Yahweh, for you are the prayer-hearing God: you listen to my sighs, and are glad when I come to you about my burdens, my unrest, my fears, my disappointments, my tiredness. You hear my thoughts and understand them fully. You know my needs and have prepared provision for me, for you are loving and good: “The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all he has made” (Psa. 145:13b).]
 
“Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.”
 
[You, Lord God, are the One we must come to first; prayer is our greatest recourse, our first step, our wonderfully great privilege, the most we can do.
 
You are my King—the Ruler of all, Lord of my life, Commander-in-Chief of the hosts of heaven, Protector and Sovereign One–able and willing to listen and hear and answer. “The Lord is near to those who call upon him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them” (Psa. 145:18-19).
 
And you are my God–that is, my final authority, the decider of what is right and wrong. You call us every day to play out a repetition of the Garden of Eden: will we choose to obey you, or to rebel? Will we choose to believe you or to listen to the siren call of the world, the flesh and the devil? Will we choose to make you the One to decide what is good and what is evil in our lives or do it ourselves? Will we just respond to what is around us, or will we be proactive early on in following your lead?
 
Think what would have happened if Adam had spoken up right away in that conversation between Eve and Satan, telling Satan to talk to him, not Eve, telling Eve to stop listening, pointing out the fallacies and inaccuracies that Satan was subtly inserting into her mind, leading Eve away from that temptation, forbidding her to take the fruit, .
 
If Adam had kept God as his final authority, he would not have fallen; that was a very real possibility and is one that I also have now. Each day I will choose many times: will God be my final authority, deciding for me what is right and wrong, or will I usurp His right and lead myself down the path of the first Adam? The reality is, I can actually make the right choice right now, ahead of time, deciding to obey God before any temptation comes.
 
When I follow you, my King and my God, then I will give you glory. I will honor you before the hosts of heaven, exalt you before the hordes of hell, lift you up before the hearts of humans.
 
May I do that, Lord: with your grace and guidance may I give you honor and praise, glory and exaltation in the choices I make. Help me to surrender to you every day, especially today, in every moment, so you may be lifted up in the worship you deserve.]
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Dangers and Delights

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 20, 2019
Lord, as your peace permeates more and more of my being, it would be easy to become complacent and lazy, unwilling to exert myself to work hard. That is because my security in you removes the pressure to make myself feel good through accomplishment, or to be significant through work.
 
But, may I continue to reject those negative, self-centered motives and act instead out of love for you, a desire to please you in the ways outlined in your Word.
 
My prayer is that Colossians 1:9-11 may be true in my life:
–“Fill me with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
 
that I may “live a life worthy of you, Lord, and please you in every way:
 
–Help me to “bear fruit in every good work [the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of our lips in praise, the fruit of good works, the fruit of leading people to Christ],
 
–“growing in the knowledge of God (being in your Word every day),
 
–“being strengthened with all power according to your glorious might so that I may have great endurance and patience (pressing on in obedience no matter how I may feel),
 
–“joyfully giving thanks to you, Father, who has qualified us to be share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
 
–“For you have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of your Son, whom you love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
 
I praise you that this is your great desire for us: to be fruitful, joyful, godly, walking in wisdom and grace. I whole-heartedly accept and rejoice in these great truths, committing myself to obedience for your glory. I reject being lazy and complacent, which is being a glory-stealer; I choose to be wisely diligent so I can be a glory-giver.
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Psalm 4:8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 18, 2019
Psalm 4:8 “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
 
[In you ONLY, Lord, is security! There is no true safety anywhere else! Nor in anyone else! Everything is shifting, sliding, unstable. In contrast, You are the True God, stable, solid., sure. You are the Only Creator, the One and Only Savior.
 
There is no one like you, no one else who is fully Holy, completely Good, eternally Existent, entirely Self-sufficient. There is no one else who is perfectly balanced, who brings together paradoxical characteristics in perfect harmony: Love and Justice, Grace and Truth, Mercy and Judgment, Patience and Wrath, Hatred for sin and Love for sinners.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are our great Shepherd, our patient Brother, our majestic King, our powerful Savior, our wise Leader, our great Navigator, our ever-present Guide, our loving Rebuker, our eternal Priest.
 
With you we can dwell in certainty, knowing we are fully forgiven, absolutely accepted, warmly welcomed into your Kingdom of power and praise. We can sleep in peace, we can rest in security, we can dwell in joy, we can interact in love—all because you watch over us.
 
Therefore, I bow before you in wonder, praising you with all my heart, all my strength, all my mind, all my soul, for you are worthy of this and much more. You are the perfect, shining, beautiful, good, wonderful God who has made yourself my Citadel, my Refuge, my Shepherd, my King.
 
To you be glory and honor today as I focus the spotlight of praise on you so that others may turn to you and enter the light of your presence! May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be continually pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my mighty Rock and my Refuge (Psa. 19:14).]
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Psalm 4:7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 18, 2019
 
Psalm 4:7 “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.”
 
[Having wealth, security and provision bring joy to the natural heart. However, Lord, you desire to give our hearts much greater joy than anything this world can offer.
 
This is clear in our undeserved and rich relationship with you, in your unbelievably warm and loving grace and your abounding goodness which are personal, pleasant, powerful and profound. “These things I have told you so that my joy might remain in you and your joy might be full” (John 15:11). Truly, to know you is enough for joy!
 
To be your child and to walk with you opens our eyes to see more and more of the unseen, enables us to praise you in the midst of failure, rejection, hurt and pain–for your greatness, goodness and glory continue to be poured out upon us during such times.
 
In fact, the flow may increase during these times as we exercise the privilege of praise when we don’t want to, offering the sacrifice of our lips, the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Help me, Lord, to do this consistently as we ride the unpredictable roller coaster of Barbara’s depression, and now the slow recovery from my bout with encephalitis as well as my eczema, itching terribly from ankles to neck so that I can’t sleep.
 
Oh, that we would practice this all the time, for then we will rise through the levels of growth to greater and greater intimacy with you, to more and more understanding of your Love, to a deeper and broader grasp of your greatness, to a wider and higher vision of who you are.
 
There is no end to our ever-expanding wonder at your beautiful Character, your loving Heart and your mighty Strength, for you, Lord God are infinite in every aspect and are constantly at work in our lives, giving us God sightings daily. I praise you for your care, your protection and provision for us every minute. You only, O Triune Lord God, are worthy of our worship.]
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Psalm 4:6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 17, 2019
Psalm 4:6 “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’”
 
[This is because many are willfully blind to or continually distracted from seeing the constant flow of life-giving goodness you pour out on us every day, Lord. This includes your unending provision, your wonderful protection and the great attention from your heart to the details of our lives.
 
There is so much goodness that we cannot begin to count it all! From your keeping the stars in place to holding together every atom in the universe, you are doing what is beneficial for all human beings on every level, in every situation. You are marvelous, you are majestic, you are mightily good–powerfully, patiently, persistently, paternally so, and we praise you for it.
 
The greatest good you did for all people was coming to earth to redeem all, making it possible for all to become your children, if they will only believe. You knew, Lord Jesus, that you would have massive rejection when you came to live in the world as a man; you knew that from a human standpoint your time on earth would appear to be a failure; but you came anyway because you always know what is best, and do it irrelevant of what people think. And this all ended in a great triumph, the greatest victory in history.
 
“Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.”
 
[And so you do every day, Lord, every minute without ceasing, looking upon us with love and grace and goodness. We praise you for the privilege of having you as our Heavenly Father.
 
In your love, you keep on giving everyone light through creation, through events and through believers. You speak through the Spirit and your Word, giving conviction, insight, wisdom, guidance and direction. And through your creation you provide ongoing good (sun and moon, clouds and rain, seasons and years, crops and animals) even though people take it for granted or complain about it.
 
Many, however, choose not to see your light, even though they have it: “The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world….In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:9,4). But the people of the world prefer darkness because their deeds are evil: the light of Christ makes unbelievers uncomfortable.
 
Help us to see all the God sightings you constantly give us, Lord, to live in the light of your presence, to walk in the light of your Word, to rejoice in the light of your love, seeing all that you provide every day, and giving you honor for your generous, gracious and good heart.]
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Psalm 4:5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 16, 2019
 
 
Psalm 4:5 “Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD.”
 
[In all things, including those that “make me angry,” (that is, actually reveal my own selfish agenda), I must make the right sacrifices by trusting in you, O LORD.
 
It is so easy to do what comes by nature, to offer sacrifices that make me feel good, but do not please you: to punish myself, deny myself to make myself better, try to earn your acceptance by my own “good” works.
 
In contrast, what are the sacrifices you desire? One is this: “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me…” (Psa. 50:23). Or as it is expressed in the New Testament, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Heb. 13:15).
 
This is what God desires, a response based on heavenly wisdom that honors Him with trust and faith. This means believing He has a good and loving plan for each of us and will use whatever He allows into our lives for good. Therefore, we can sacrifice on the altar of trust our natural response to complain, and instead praise in the midst of distress, thank in the midst of pain, delight in the midst of disappointment.
 
This is a right sacrifice, for it is done by faith, not by sight—and by offering this, all is transformed: suffering, disappointment, hurt, persecution, injustice, loss and difficulty–all become platforms for giving God glory and bringing transformation in our lives.
 
As the Word says, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him” (Heb. 11:6). Offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving is an act of faith, a wonderful way to please God.
 
No wonder Paul could say in 2 Corinthians 12:9,10, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” Paul knew that praise brings power from God, that “he who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving…opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord” Ps 50:23b).
 
Paul knew this because God told him directly: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Paul believed this so deeply that when he had difficulties, he rejoiced, he got excited, he embraced them as positive: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties” (2 Cor. 12:10).
 
Paul’s understanding of God’s character, of His way of working, of eternal Truth, of the “right-side-upness” of God’s Kingdom compared to the “upside-downness” of this world’s values, led him to say, “…when I am weak, then I am strong.” That is a faith sacrifice that God wants.
 
Lord, may I live that way today, understanding the unseen so clearly that the power and truth of your Word may flow out of my life in responses of thanksgiving in whatever comes, in a sacrifice of trust that will bring delight to you!]
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2001

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 14, 2019
The year was 2001. Our Net Team was initially made up of three couples. The other two couples were in their thirties with small children, a different generation than us, with different perspectives on how to do things.
 
We are from the first year of the “baby boomers” and also have a lot of the traits of the former generation “the builders.” For me, to get things done quickly, efficiently and inexpensively was very fulfilling.
 
Our teammates had exactly the opposite values: doing things carefully and with excellence was very important to them. As you can imagine, a team comprised of people with opposite approaches to getting things done was a prescription for a collision.
 
Our differences came to a head when we decided to rent the apartment across the hall from the bookstore. This would give us a meeting room, a storage area and a second bathroom. The place had originally been wallpapered and then repainted at some time in the distant past. “Great!” I thought, “All we have to do is put a fresh coat of paint over what’s already there and we are ready to go.”
 
My teammates, however, wanted to have the wallpaper stripped, the walls re-plastered and then painted. This, we found, would cost about $1500.
They were also not happy with the black metal bookshelves we had inherited. They wanted white ones. And, no, painting the ones we had would not do! New white bookshelves would cost another $1500.
 
Not only did I consider this outrageously expensive, but the money they wanted to spend would be coming out of my own work fund!
 
The team meeting where we discussed this was an increasingly “hot” one. As our interaction went on, I got more and more red in the face and talked louder and faster. We ended, at least, on a civil note, agreeing to pray about these proposals, but I was not a happy camper.
 
And pray I did, a lot. “Lord, help them to see where they are off base, help them to see that we need to be more careful with the money you’ve entrusted to us!”
The Lord listened patiently until I wound down. Then, clear as a bell, the thought came, “Let them have their way.”
“But Lord! Their ideas aren’t right!”
“Let them have their way.”
After a long silence on my part, I finally responded, “Ok, Lord, I will follow your lead. After all, the money is yours.”
The next team meeting went much better as I agreed to all their proposals. On the way home one of our teammates rode with us.
“That was a good team meeting,” he commented, “it went really well.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “Did you notice that it went well because I changed my position on every point to support your ideas?”
“Oh….yes, yes, you did, didn’t you?”
 
The anguish I had experienced in going against my desires had not even registered on his radar screen! But then again, it did not matter. Doing what the Lord wants is what is important. And valuing relationships above procedures, policies or money is very important.
 
After that incident, it was evident that my teammates were more willing to listen to my input. By laying down my desires on certain points important to me but unimportant from an eternal perspective, the Lord magnified my influence in the lives of others. That is certainly more valuable than any thing money can buy. And for me, it was stepping out of the trap of selfishness into the freedom of servant hood.
 
Now we could begin to use the bookstore to hold public seminars in an attempt to find spiritually interested people. Looking for subjects that interested people in general, we had sessions on handling stress, on what it means to be wise, on women’s issues, on parenting and on the seven secrets of happiness, among others.
 
Since our meeting room at the bookstore was small, we held these “first level” public seminars in a nearby hotel and made the content general in nature. That way no one could accuse us of trapping them into a Christian presentation.
 
At the end of the seminar we would then invite those interested to attend an additional, nonpublic discussion of the same subject from a biblical perspective. This worked well to identify those with any spiritual interest.
 
By the time we discontinued the seminars, there had been hundreds who had attended our events. The largest one took place when the author of the book Five Languages of Love came and spoke at two large gatherings. Along with the good exposure of biblical truth and the sale of books, we were pleased to hear that a marriage was saved, although the couple did not come to Christ.
 
Drawing from the experience of others who were also holding Christian events in the city, we notified the “Minority Desk” at the police headquarters each time we had plans to hold a seminar. They would send plain-clothes policemen to attend each of our public events.
“For protection,” they said.
“For observation,” we thought.
 
We later learned that as a business we did not need to notify the police, but now that we had, we were on their radar screen. We would later reap the negative consequences of that, all of which the Lord would allow for His good reasons.
On my birthday, 2001
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Psalm 4:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 14, 2019
 
Psalm 4:4 “In your anger do not sin;” [Quoted by Paul in Ephesians 4:26 “ ‘in your anger do not sin.’ Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.”]
 
We will certainly all be angry at times, but the question is, what do we do with our anger? Will it control us or will Truth rule with the Spirit’s power as we look to see what our anger is telling us?
 
Am I prepared to cooperate with the Spirit by daily filling myself with Truth, memorizing and meditating on Scripture so I can let Truth, not anger, have free reign? Am I able to look at each situation from God’s point of view, to have His big picture rather than just focus on my own unhappiness?
 
His point of view is, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:2, 3).
 
Am I living for my own comfort or for God’s glory? Have I been consistently calling upon the Lord in my weakness and seeing Him answer, or just limping along on my own? Have I been delighting in His Word, putting it into practice or have I just been living on a human level in feeble human strength, perspective and selfishness?
 
Each moment of temptation to anger can be viewed through all the previous years’ input, obedience and experience of God working things out, and thereby used for good in my life.]
 
“when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”
 
[When I lie awake at night, emotions riled, hot with anger, blaming others, I must willfully, carefully, realistically look at my own heart and then I will be silenced when I see the sin and selfishness there.
 
I am no better than the others who have offended me. Clearly, I am no good to God in my natural self, yet you, Lord, constantly love me, draw me back to yourself, rebuke, correct, forgive and restore.
 
So I must do with others, seeking to help them rather than attacking them, even in my thoughts. I must lay in your hands the right to blame, accuse, get revenge or fight. Revenge is yours; my job is to bless, to pray for, to do good—wow, what a contrast!
 
I praise you for your grace and goodness, for the privilege of being called to live on your level, to open the floodgates of transforming resources into the lives of those around me, especially on those who are against me, who fight me, who hurt me.
 
It is so important to take the time to be quiet before you, Lord, to listen to you, to get your perspective. Help me to remember that you are the measure, I am the follower, that I must submit my intellect to your Word. Yours is the right to decide, mine is the privilege to obey. If I abide in you, I can be the means of grace, goodness and blessing in the lives of others. May I be so today!
 
Selah Help me to think on these things.
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Psalm 4:3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 13, 2019
Psalm 4:3 “Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;”
 
[This is a most wonderful and mysterious statement. In spite of what we are, You have set your children apart for yourself. And you did it before you laid the foundation of the earth, long before you made us godly in Christ. You knew what was to come, that we would respond to your call, that we would believe and be brought into your family–and you prepared all for it. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29a).
 
I praise you that you desired to have a relationship with us, that you delight in our being in your family, that you designed us to be godly and determinably move us in that direction.
 
You are such a good God, drawing your enemies in to be your children. You are so kind and gracious, even when we grieve you with unbelief and disobedience. You are loving when anyone else would be impatient, insulted and angry.
 
Praise you that you consistently move us on in godly growth; you chasten us, discipline us, rebuke us, shape us and guide us. You are fantastic in your forgiving, forbearing, forever faithful. We belong to you, we are yours alone and rejoice in this fact.
 
“the LORD will hear when I call to him.”
 
Because I belong to you, you hear and answer, you watch over me, care for me and protect me. You are the mighty LORD, the great I AM, the King of Glory–and you are attentive to even the least of your children, giving tender, compassionate, considerate, consistent attention.
 
How wonderful! How unbelievable! How marvelous! I praise you, O Lord, for your great grace, your lavish love, your persistent patience, your powerful provision. To you be glory today for all that you are doing in our lives. To you be glory for who you are!
 
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Psalm 4:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 12, 2019
Psalm 4:1 “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.”
 
[Praise you, O Lord God, that you are righteous: sinless, pure, without fault, full of good motives and faithfulness. You do only what is right, you never fail. You are the light shining in my darkness, bringing beauty out of each storm. You are a wonder, a marvel, amazing, the paragon of goodness, the epitome of love, the pinnacle of mercy. Therefore you are absolutely trustable.
 
I praise you that you answered my original prayer for help–that you reached down and, in spite of what I am in my sin and rebellion, you drew me to yourself to make me your child. You wanted me, you chose me, you bought me. Now you delight in me and rejoice in our relationship, ever giving me the opposite of what I deserve. This is beyond human understanding, showing the beauty of your grace-filled heart.]
 
“Give me relief from my distress;”
 
[You, Lord Jesus, in your power, your wisdom, your creativity are able to bring relief in the right way at the right time, for you exist outside of time and are the Master of all.
 
You know how long to leave us in distress to bring growth and deepening, to teach and equip, to strengthen and train. You know how much pain and suffering I have at the moment and you give all the grace I need to move through it.
 
In fact, you gave grace even before the distress starts, more than enough grace to be prepared, to endure, to pass through with power. You enable me to embrace and utilize what may appear be an attack of the enemy, but is actually a gift from your hand.
 
I must wholeheartedly move into this opportunity with your grace and with praise, to embrace it with obedience, and emerge from it with glory for you, empowered as better and stronger. And with your power, grace and help this is possible!
 
You have made yourself my God and I bow before you in thankfulness. Help me to join you in what you are doing in every distress by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving at each point of pain, that you may be honored before all around me.
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