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Psalm 9:19-20

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 24, 2018
Psalm 9:19 “Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph;”
 
[Yes, Lord, prevent sinful man from overcoming your plans, your purposes and your people; bring the evil doers low, defeat them in their attempts to bring harm so that your name may be honored.]
 
“let the nations be judged in your presence.”
 
[Let your judgment flow like rivers of waters. Praise you that you will judge the nations in righteousness and people with justice. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Rom. 12:19).
 
We don’t have to carry the burden of making it all right. We are called not to be judges, but to be your lights in our sphere of influence, doing good, sharing the Word and trusting you to bring judgment to the nations.]
 
Psalm 9:20 “Strike them with terror, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men.”
 
[Yes, Lord, may terror overwhelm them because of your greatness, may fear seize them because of your righteousness, may anxiety grip them because of the judgment to come.
 
May many thereby be brought to belief in you and surrender to you by a supernatural fear descending on them: fear of death, fear of judgment and condemnation, fear of the future, fear of what lies beyond death.
 
May they realize clearly that they have nothing to trust in and turn to you—the sovereign Lord who offers them forgiveness, cleansing, adoption and eternal life–instead of trusting in their traditions which can give them nothing in the end.
 
Break through, Lord, bring a great awakening, sweep many in to your Kingdom!]
 
Selah (think on that)
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Psalm 18:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 23, 2018
“…my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
 
Psalm 18:2b
 
A good friend and I were talking about likes and dislikes, and I mentioned that a recent gift was not to my taste. My friend responded with something like, “You’re so fussy, why don’t you stop whining and grow up!” and walked out. I was amazed and hurt at this fierce response, especially since my friend’s opinion is important to me.
As I sat there overwhelmed with feelings of self-pity, almost immediately the Holy Spirit again brought to mind Psalm 62:1, “My soul finds rest in God alone….” Then 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 flashed into my thoughts, “…my power is made perfect in weakness…therefore I delight in weaknesses, hardships, insults….”
 
Those verses, coupled with a willful giving of thanks for this happening brought a sharp change in my emotions, swinging me up to a fierce kind of joy at facing a rebuke and profiting from it. It was like first being swept off the cliff of touchiness and tumbling down towards the valley of self-pity, but on the way down grabbing onto a branch of the tree of Truth and climbing back up to solid ground.
 
Using another analogy, the Spirit led me to let go of my natural thinking and negative emotions (self-pity, pride, anger) so I could hold on to biblical Truth (I am forgiven, accepted in Christ, secure in Him, His love, His affirmation), allowing me to rise above the attack of the world, the flesh and the devil and thereby profit from my friend’s rebuke.
 
At first I fell into a trap of the devil, but with the Spirit’s help and guidance, was able to immediately escape by raising the shield of faith, getting on the helmet of salvation and taking the sword of the Spirit. It was a small incident, lasting only a few minutes, but was a powerful example of how clinging to Truth in the face of life’s negatives frees us to soar above the mundane and to look with spiritual eyes on the eternal. If I hadn’t done this, I would have struggled on with my hurt, probably then hurting others by my poor responses.
 
Being in Scripture and knowing the Word is such an important part of this. Without the every-day soaking in Truth I would not have escaped. Our weapons have to be at hand in order to have victory in the attacks.
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to be consistent in my daily time with you, worshiping you, reading, memorizing and meditating on your Word, and praying in line with your will, so that when the attacks come, I may be able to cooperate with the Spirit and defeat the enemy, for your glory. Amen.”
 
Picture: on the tractor with my grandsons, Simon and Benaya
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Summery

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 22, 2018
[In his book, “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands,” Tripp concludes his talk on the themes of God’s greatness, grace and glory with these words].
 
The central work of God’s Kingdom is change. God accomplishes this work as the Holy Spirit empowers people to bring his Word to others.
 
We bring more than solutions, strategies, principles and commands. We bring the greatest story ever told, the story of the Redeemer. Our goal is to help one another live with a “God’s story” mentality.
 
Our mission is to teach, admonish and encourage one another to rest in his sovereignty, rather than establishing our own; to rely on his grace, rather than performing on our own; and to submit to his glory rather than seeking our own.
 
This is the work of the Kingdom of God: people in the hands of the Redeemer, daily functioning as his tools of lasting change in the lives of those around them.
 
[We do this by living what we say we believe; by offering the sacrifice of praise for each event; by sharing with others about our quiet times and interactions with God; by praying for those around us; by sharing the gospel with as many as possible.
 
Actually it’s pretty simple. It means us fitting into God’s story with Him at the center, living in the light of His sovereignty (He has a plan), His grace (He is always ready to forgive) and His glory (we live to give Him glory and honor through obedience). This is the basic change in orientation we need; if we make this change in our lives, then we can help others to the same. Let’s get with it!]
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God’s Glory

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 21, 2018
Continuing with “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands,” the third grand theme of the Bible: God’s glory.
 
The center of the story of the Bible is the Lord. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen” (Rom. 11:36). We are made for his glory and are called to display his gory in everything we do. However, sin leads us to be glory thieves, [taking His glory for ourselves].
At the bottom of every broken marriage, every shattered family, every forsaken friendship you will always find stolen glory. We want to be the center of our story and are willing to step on one another to get glory, credit, praise and attention. Sin leads us to steal God’s story and rewrite it with ourselves as the lead.
 
But, there is only one stage and it belongs to the Lord. Any attempt to put ourselves in his place puts us in a war with him…a fight for divine glory, a plot to take the very position of God.
 
[Think of how often we use humor to put someone down: “Hey, nerd, how’s your homework coming?” Why? Because it puts us at the center, makes the one who is better, smarter, in control. But it is the Lord who is truly better, smarter and in control because of His character. I just tried to steal His glory by stepping on someone weaker.]
 
We do not suffer well, because suffering interferes with our lust for glory. We do not find relationships easy, because others are always competing with us for glory. We do not serve well, because we want to be served.
 
But the story of Scripture is the story of the Lord’s glory. It calls me to an agenda that if far bigger than myself. It offers me something truly worth living for. There is no deeper personal joy and satisfaction than to live committed to his glory.
 
[This means thinking consistently of how to honor Him, how to please Him, how to serve Him rather than how to make myself look good.] Living for God’s glory would revolutionize every marriage, family, friendship and church.
 
[Let’s consider how we can stop being glory grabbers and instead become glory givers. The most simple and important step is to give thanks in all things. In doing so we affirm that our God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, is sovereign, full of grace and worthy of glory].
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Being Grace Receivers and Grace Givers

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 20, 2018
Continuing with Paul David Tripp’s description of the three great themes of the God’s story. My added comments are in brackets [ ].
 
The second grand theme of the Bible is God’s grace. This theme confronts and encourages me at the deepest personal level, diagnosing the problems that affect my relationship and giving me the only reliable reason to press on. [In spite of what I am and what I have done, God loves me unconditionally, deeply, consistently. Grace is giving us the opposite of what we deserve.]
 
God is not only sovereign, he is also abounding in grace. Immediately after Adam and Eve disobeyed him, God made it clear that he was going to do more than punish them. He would send the seed of the woman (Christ) to defeat the Enemy and provide redemption for his people (see Gen. 3:15). God’s response to the willful rebellion of his creatures was grace!
 
This grace justifies, providing complete forgiveness and unwavering acceptance with God. This grace adopts, welcoming us into his family with all the rights and privileges of true sons and daughters. This grace enables, empowering me to think, say, and do things I could not do in my own strength. This grace transforms, radically changing every aspect of my life.
 
God’s grace is most powerful and effective at the moment of my greatest weakness, [as He forgives and pours out His unending love on me]. Only in the presence of grace, [as we extend to others the opposite of what they deserve] can the biblical principles for healthy relationships bear lasting fruit.
 
[God’s call to us is to be grace receivers (accepting His forgiveness, forgiving ourselves) and grace givers (forgiving others as He has forgiven us). Grace brings God’s Kingdom, opening the way for transformation in us and in those around us. Let’s determine to consistently be grace receivers and grace givers.]
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More from “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hand”

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 20, 2018
In his book, “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands” Paul David Tripp writes about the three grand themes of the story of redemption: God’s sovereignty, His grace and His glory. today we will look at Tripp’s description of God’s sovereignty.
 
Nebuchadnezzar offered one of the best singe summaries of this theme after God had taken away his sanity and then restored it. He wrote:
 
His dominion is an eternal dominion, his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: What have you done?” (Dan. 4:34-35)
 
God’s sovereignty is not only about power and position, but also about a plan. Scripture clearly teaches that God has a plan for his world and the people in it. God is calling a people to himself, forming them into his likeness, and preparing them for an eternity with him.
 
This is his overarching plan of the ages, revealed in history, present in current events and in the lives of everyone who has ever lived. At any moment in time , the right answer to the question, “What is God doing?” is, “Accomplishing his plan.”
 
In response to humanity’s deepest, heartfelt questions, God sweetly speaks of his sovereignty. “Take heart, I am in complete control. I am the definition of holiness and love. All of my ways are right and true, all of my decisions are best, and I will not rest until my plan [for you] has been completed.
 
What does this mean for each of us? It means peace when I can’t understand what is happening, because our peace always rests on the presence, power and character of the Lord. Because He is sovereign and rules all, your life has meaning and purpose as you are included not only in His plan, but also in His family!
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Psalm 9:17-18

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 18, 2018
 
Psalm 9:17 “The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God.”
 
[Those who forget you, Lord, will be forgotten. You are the most important One in existence, the most signficant Being in history, the most central Point of all the Universe.
 
How could we forget you–you who are the source of all good–and not be guilty of the fatal sin of unbelief (John 16:9)? You, O Lord, are worthy, not just of remembering, but of totally absorbing our attention, our affection, our adoration!]
 
Psalm 9:18 “But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.”
 
[You, O Mighty and Loving Heavenly Father, remember and watch over the needy–and we are all needy–you see each one, you care for every one. You are the God of goodness, giving comfort to those who are hurting, support to those who are suffering, help to those who are hopeless. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18).
 
I praise you that you are the God of hope, giving “joy and peace to those who trust in you so” our lives can “overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).
 
In you, Lord God, there is all we need and desire: there is belonging, there is worth, there is meaning, there is purpose, there is a certain and positive future because you are moving history to a definite conclusion and taking us, your children, with you.
 
Help us to keep our eyes on you, Lord Jesus, to let go of what is temporal, to hold on to what is eternal and to rise above the turmoil and tragedy of life in a fallen world. Help us to remember that we are destined for a re-created and perfect world, where there will be no sin, no rebellion, no evil. In you, Lord Jesus, we are safe, secure and can be satisfied, no matter what our situation may be.
 
Help us, Heavenly Father, to live out today this truth of your faithful guidance, your powerful protection, your bountiful provision and your perfect plan, by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in every circumstance (Ps. 50:23), thereby honoring you in faith and cooperating with you in being open to the help you will bring.]
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From My Worship Journal

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 17, 2018
Written after lifting my troubled soul to God (telling Him transparently what I was thinking, feeling, wanting), and receiving His insight, conviction and forgiveness.
 
Praise you, Lord God, for you are the King of Glory and the Lord of Grace, who reaches down into my life consistently: guiding, providing, protecting, teaching, correcting, forgiving and transforming. “You, Lord, are good and ready to forgive, abounding in mercy to all who call on you” (Ps. 86:5).
 
It is such a wonder to belong to you, the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all, the Ender of all. On the level of universe-wide thinking, I live on a tiny speck of cosmic dust, tucked under one arm of the Milky Way, which itself is a small, inconsequential galaxy among millions of others.
 
And yet you, the Great One who stoops to look upon us, have the desire and commitment to be intimately, consistently involved in my life: “From his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do” (Ps. 33:14,15).
 
You can do this because you are infinite, you are powerful, you are loving and good, and you are filled with Grace, giving your enemies the opposite of what we deserve.
 
Forgive me for taking your mighty, rich love for me for granted–I so easily forget how great you are, how huge the universe is, and how much I deserve the opposite of your tender care.
 
You are marvelous in your love, magnificent in your forgiveness, munificent (splendidly generous) in your provision and magnanimous in your grace. You are truly worthy of wholehearted worship, lavish love, supreme surrender and outlandish obedience.
 
Help me today to remember your greatness, my unworthiness and your rich, redeeming love, so that I may respond by living worthy of your Name and the calling you have given me.
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Psalm 9:15-16

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 16, 2018
Psalm 9:15 “The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.”
 
[Praise you for your faithfulness to judge in righteousness, Lord, for evil without justice brings hopelessness. Therefore you bring upon evil doers what they have prepared for others. At the top of the list is Satan himself, who has been judged and will end up in the lake of fire where he has sought to send so many others.
 
I think of the destruction that came on Germany and Japan after WWII for the cruel and oppressive regimes that ruled there. I think of how the dictators ruling in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia were taken down in the Arab Spring. In the end, evil doers are consumed by their own plans.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, that you bring justice at the right time: “Fret not yourself because of the man who prospers in his way…for evil men shall be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord shall inherit the land.” (Ps. 37:7,9)]
 
Psalm 9:16 “The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.”
 
[Your justice, O Lord, is strong and broad, sure and right, certain and consistent. You will bring judgment on all who, in their evil independence, refuse the refuge of your love and forgiveness. This actually is the most wicked thing we can do, to reject the salvation Jesus provided at such great cost.
 
Praise you, Lord God, that your character is the measure of all. You are all we truly seek: Great Good, Perfect Peace, Total Truth, Wholly Holiness and Lavish Love. To you belongs exaltation, glory, praise and honor. To you I bow in worship, for you I rise to obey, with you I go forth into the day to join you in your great and beautiful plans. May you be glorified in my life today.
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Psalm 9:13

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 15, 2018
 
Psalm 9:13 “O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,”
 
[Lord, there are so many believers around the world, in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, India, Nigeria and Eritrea, who are literally being pursued to the gates of death. Recently a suicide bomber entered a church in Egypt and killed dozens of worshipers. In a second incident, the gate keeper prevented a bomber from entering a church, saving many lives, but was himself killed by the blast.
 
Praise you that you are there, helping them, strengthening them, delivering them, whether it be through the gates of splendor into eternity or out of the clutches of groups like ISIS, Al Kaida and Boko Haram. You are both faithful and merciful in the help you powerfully provide.
 
Protect them, Lord, embrace them, help them to respond to persecution with your thoughts: praising for the privilege of suffering, forgiving and praying for their persecutors, blessing those who misuse them (Matt. 5:11,12,43,44).
 
The widow of the martyred gate keeper responded with biblical grace on national television, forgiving the man who killed her husband, astounding the Muslim news commentator listening to her interview. He was literally speechless! May this powerful testimony of Christian grace result in many coming to faith in Christ.]
 
Psalm 9:14 “that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.”
 
[One major purpose of deliverance is to give you glory, Lord, to praise you for your goodness, to rejoice in you–not just to be relieved at the end of our pain and turn back to our self-centered, futile living.
 
Praise be to you for your power to preserve, for your strength to save, for your promise to protect, and your commitment to keep. May we live in the light of that today, passing through difficulties with the power of the Spirit, and praising you for your deliverance–past, present and future.]
 
In the picture below, taken in the bombed church in Egypt, a bloodied page with text from Matthew 16:24-28 includes these words: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
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