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Psalm 9:11-12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 14, 2018
 
Psalm 9:11-12 “Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; for he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.”
 
[Praise you, O Great and Mighty Lord, for you are just; you will avenge evil; you will not forget.
 
I thank you that you pay close attention to the cry of the afflicted, that you know each person’s heart, each person’s suffering, each person’s deep desire for security and significance, for belonging, worth and competence.
 
As it says in Isaiah 51:12-15, “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction?
 
For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD Almighty is his name.”
 
We all long for freedom from the oppression of the enemy, and you, the LORD Almighty, have provided that for us in the death and resurrection of Christ.
 
I praise you, Lord, for your consistent care for us, your good guidance and your powerful protection, like a father watching over his son (below Josh watching over Kenan). You are truly worthy of worship, glory and honor. Today we offer you praise, exaltation and obedience in and for all that will come from your good hand.
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God’s Faithfulness to Warn Me

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 12, 2018
Thank you, Lord, for your faithful and good work in my life. I praise you for that disturbing dream this morning, where two attractive, alluring women wanted to hug me long and I cooperated, wanting to. I awoke horrified at what I’d done, but realized immediately this was a warning from you.
 
The warning was that I had grown slack in saying “no” to myself in two areas: eating ice cream out the box (no boundaries) and reading on and on in the L’Amor books when I had determined to stop at the end of the chapter. I had not taken the time to think with you about what was right here.
 
These self-indulgences weakened my resolve to discipline myself well, to set good limits and to organize my day, my eating, my activities according to wisdom, and resulted in self-centered, self-satisfying, unhealthy indulgences.
 
A little erosion in one or two areas will leave me vulnerable when larger temptations come. So, thank you Lord for bringing me up short with a dream rather than a fall in real life. I repent of my selfishness, my lack of seeking your guidance in the simple things and commit myself, with your power, while keeping on the armor, to walking in Godly discipline.
 
I commit afresh to obeying 2 Peter 1:5-7, adding to my faith virtue (full surrender to you); to my virtue, knowledge of the Word, thinking your Truth; to my knowledge self-control according to your Word; and to my self-control, endurance, pressing on in obedience, whatever the difficulty. Help me to stay the course, Lord, to finish well.
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From My Morning Worship Journal

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 11, 2018
 
As I step outside on the porch in the early morning, the moon shines brightly in the west, while Mars, Venus and Jupiter form a clear triangle in the east and the Big Dipper points unfailingly to the North Star.
 
The horizon is touched with the fingers of dawn, a golden line against the lingering black of night. A frost lies on the grass; I can’t see it yet, but feel it in the crispness of the morning darkness.
 
Thank you, Lord, for your greatness, revealed in the glory of this morning. I praise you for your beautiful, pristine character: like this dawn light penetrating the darkness, the brightness of stars and the promise of the day.
 
Your attributes are perfectly balanced. In you there are both justice and mercy, judgment and love, hatred for sin and love for sinners. You are fully sovereign while bestowing the gift of responsibility on your creatures.
 
I praise you for your rich display of your qualties in your Word, showing us that you are eternal, without beginning or end; you are wise and joyful, powerful and kind, mighty and loving, and majestically great while paying attention to every minute detail.
 
You are all knowing while forgiving and choosing to forget sin. You are wonderful beyond conception, and for that I am glad—for that proves you are God, completely separate and outside your creation—no human being could ever think up a Creator like you!
 
This fall season’s display of beauty also reminds me of your character, Lord. The trees are clothed in brilliant shades and fiery glory. Some have three colors at once–red, yellow and green—reminding me both of your triuneness and of your love for variety.
 
This is echoed in maples of bright yellow standing next to pines of soft green and oaks of crisp brown. Everywhere there is diversity, a contrast and compliment of colors. This is truly a reflection of your character, where the diversity doesn’t divide but produces a richer beauty, a deeper grace and a more astounding complexity within a powerful unity.
 
You, Lord God, are the ultimate in every aspect: beauty and wisdom with power, judgment and righteousness with love, sovereignty and control with grace. I praise you, Lord God for how wonderful you are, worthy of our worship, deserving of our adoration, meriting our obedience.
 
May we dwell today in the light of your beauty, in the grace of your unified diversity and in awe of your monumental and majestic greatness. To you be honor and glory in all.
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Psalm 9:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 10, 2018

Psalm 9:11 “Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.”

[You, Lord God, are worthy of praise, and more, for all that you have done; to you belong worship, exaltation, honor, glory and thanksgiving.

You have provided the possibility of forgiveness for all evil doers, you have redeemed and rescued all willing to become your children, you have released your saints from the dominion of darkness and ushered us into the Kingdom of Light, the Kingdom of your Son whom you love.

In Him we are forgiven, cleansed, transformed, adopted, commissioned to special service, equipped to join you in what you are doing. In Jesus we are dearly loved, doted on and delighted in.

You have glorified your name in countless instances of doing good to your enemies, being gracious to your rebellious children, being kind to all people, being holy in the face of evil, being patient in the face of rejection and being purposeful in your work of bringing history to a conclusion where you will eliminate evil and restore the perfection of pre-fall creation.

In the light of all this, what is our response? We must worship you, we must exalt you, we must praise you, for there is no other possible reaction for those who know your name.

May you be honored in our lives today, may obedience flow, may praises multiply, may trust reign, may glory rise to you each moment–for you are worthy, O Triune, Glorious and Eternal LORD!

 

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Psalm 9:10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 9, 2018
Home from the hospital, doing well.
 
Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your name will trust in you,”
 
Your name, Elohim (God), means the powerful and faithful One. You have shown your power in your vast, varied and beautiful creation, as seen in the picture below,
and your faithfulness in following through on your promise to provide salvation through Christ for all, especially for those who will believe.
Your name, Adonai (Lord), means the powerful Authority who has the right to demand full obedience, and along with that, promises complete provision of all we need to live for and obey you. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life…” (2 Pet 1:3).
Your name Yahweh (LORD), means the holy One who is utterly independent of your creation and utterly committed to caring for it. You are the Hater of sin, the Judge of evil and the Lover of your sinful creatures.
 
You are the great I AM, with no beginning and no end, ever existent, ever powerful, ever present. You are absolutely, utterly, completely, eternally trustable. To not trust in you is a great sin, denigrating your mighty, majestic, magnificent Names.]
 
“for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
[The record speaks! You have come to the rescue of all who have called upon you: Adam, Abraham, Moses, the Children of Israel (many, many, times), the Judges of Israel, David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, the Apostles, Paul–and us.
 
As we seek you, call out to you, you are faithful to answer. As it says in Psalm 34:4-8, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
 
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.
 
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
 
“Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
 
So let us take refuge through trust in and obedience to the Almighty One who will never forsake us and helps those who take refuge in Him.]
 
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Psalm 9:9

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 8, 2018
Technical problems have prevented me from posting for several days,  but now we are back!
Psalm 9:9 “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,”
 
[Praise you, Yahweh, the great I AM, Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and earth, the sea and all that is in it. While filling the whole universe, you are aware of each of the oppressed and call every one of us to yourself for refuge.
 
People are oppressed first and foremost by the devil as he keeps them enslaved by fear of death, by desire and deception, by division and distraction. And he oppresses through evil people, evil persuasions, evil purposes. Then we are also oppressed by our own old nature where selfishness, pride, lust and greed consistently seek to rule us.
 
But you, Lord Jesus, have opened a door out of this miserable mess of darkness and despair into the Kingdom of Light where you are our very personal refuge and strength, not just for our comfort but so we may give you ever increasing glory.]
 
The Lord is “a stronghold in times of trouble.”
 
[In you we are safe during the destructive attacks of the enemy, able to turn these assaults into opportunities for growth and helping others. In you we can find comfort and rest, salvation and protection. In you we find love and grace, goodness and help. In you we find forgiveness and pardon, cleansing and transformation.
 
In you there is loving chastening, firm correction and certainty of rebuke when needed. In you there is deliverance from deception, lust, selfishness and stubborn, destructive independence. You are our protector in all troubles, as long as we dwell in your shelter, obeying your Word.
 
As it says in Psalm 91:1-4 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’
 
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” ]
 
Lord, help me to willfully take shelter in you today, my mighty Rock and my Refuge.
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Psalm 8:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 1, 2018
Psalm 8:2 “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise”
 
[You grant the weak, the unrecognized, the unimportant the great possibility of giving glory to you—such a significant task! Praise you that you give the privilege of praise to all, even infants. May we join them in giving peons of praise to you throughout the day.]
 
“because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
 
[What a wonder: you use the praise of the weak to defeat your powerful enemies, starting with Satan, the avenger, and his forces! What an amazing thought! The deliverance of king Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 comes to mind. As the king faced a great coalition army, he came to you for help, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2Ch 20:12)
 
Then after a prophet foretold that God would deliver them, in faith “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD” (2Ch 20:18).
 
The king then followed the unusual strategy of sending out singers, a choir, before his army as they set out for battle. How would you like to be in an unarmed choir between two armies about to fight? It was a big step of faith for the choir, as well as the king. And God honored this faith.
 
“As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2Ch 20:22).
 
God responded to this praise of trust in Him and sovereignly defeated the enemy. Such praise is a pure act of faith, for there was no discernible reason to praise, except for knowing the powerful and good character of God.
 
So it is with us. As it says in Psalm 50:23, “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving [that is, giving thanks when we don’t want to], honors me [that is, fulfilling the purpose of our lives] and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.”
 
Praise opens the way for God’s help; complaining closes the door. May we follow king Jehoshaphat’s example of going immediately to God, seeking His help and praising Him for it before any answer comes. This honors our Lord greatly and defeats the enemy whether we can see it or not!
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Psalm 8:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 31, 2018
Psalm 8:1 For the director of music. According to gittith. A Psalm of David.
 
“O LORD,”
 
[You are Yahweh, the great I AM, who exists from eternity to eternity, having no beginning, no end–the Creator of stars, Spinner of the earth, Bringer of the dawn. You are great and glorious, powerful and pure, the Lord of all.]
 
“our Lord,”
 
[You are THE LORD and you are also OUR Lord. You stoop down to enter our little lives, to walk with us, work with us, watch over us. You invite us to join you in your majestic plans, making meaningful work for each of your children, tailored lovingly to fit our abilities, gifting and situation.
 
You are MY Lord: present, alert, watching, ruling, protecting, guiding and deeply involved in every detail of my life. You I can trust, you I can be sure of, you I can praise in every incident because you are good, through and through.]
 
“how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
 
[Your name, O Eternal God, is pure and powerful, high and holy. You move with majesty, unrushed, sure, full of grace and glory. You are majestic and mighty, the only One with no beginning and no end. You are the One to be extolled and lifted up before all creation.
 
Truly, your name, Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai, is to be exalted above all in all the earth, in all the universe. It is to be honored by our reverence, our obedience, our awe and worship. You are to be exalted throughout the whole earth, by every person in every place at every moment, for all of time and beyond–for you are worthy.]
 
“You have set your glory above the heavens.”
 
[You who spoke and created the stars, who stretched out the heavens with your hand, who set the limits for time and tide, you are far beyond the heavens, you are outside of time, you are beyond human comprehension.
 
Your glory is far above us, far beyond what we can imagine, yet in your grace you give us small glimpses into the beauty of your character. I see echoes of your glory in Springtime with the wealth of flowers, each more lovely than the last. I see your glory In their colors—bright and gentle, rich and wonderful; in their shapes—varied and pleasant, crisp and smooth; in their scents—pleasing and positive, pure and powerful.
 
So it is with you, Lord: you are beautiful, lovely, colorful, richly scented, wonderfully complex and grandly inspiring—and much more so than anything we can imagine in our earth-bound understanding. Truly your glory is great, stretching beyond the limits of the universe.
 
Help me to remember this and to continually stand in awe of you, to honor you today by wholehearted obedience to what I know to be true.]
 
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Thinking Large

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 29, 2018
The Bible is a narrative of redemption and its chief character is Jesus Christ. He came to free people from bondage to themselves, he enabled them to live for his glory and gifted them with an eternity in his presence.
 
This overarching story reflects the fact that our problem as human beings is deeper than the individual sins we commit each day, creating the specific problems that complicate our lives. Our deepest problem is that we seek to find our identity outside the story of redemption.
 
If the entire goal and direction of our lives are wrong, we need much more than practical advice on how to do the right thing in a particular situation. We need a message big enough to overcome our natural human instinct to live for our own glory, pursue our own happiness, and forget that our lives are much, much bigger than this little moment of life.
 
Every day, in some way, we buy the lies of autonomy and self-sufficiency, worshiping the creation rather than its Creator.
It is because our sin problem is so pervasive and so deeply ingrained that we need more from Scripture than insight, principles, understanding, or direction…a problem-solving approach to Scripture is totally inadequate for the true depth of our need.
 
We need something that will change us from the inside out—we need Christ. Only his person and work can fee us from our slavery to self and our tendency to deify the creation. Only as we see our story enfolded in the larger story of redemption will we begin to live God-honoring lives.
 
Lasting change begins when our identity, purpose and sense of direction are defined by God’s story. When we bring this perspective to our relationships, we will have a dramatically different agenda.
 
–from “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands” by Paul David Tripp
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Psalm 7:17

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 28, 2018

Psalm 7:17 “I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness”

[Yes, to you, O Yahweh, Jehovah, King of glory, the great I AM, the Holy One, to you we bring praise because you are righteous, sinless, pure, positive and good. You alone are worthy of worship, honor and glory.]

“and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”

[You are the highest Authority, the final Decider, the Judge of all. Your decisions are right, made in full knowledge, measured against your own pure character, filled with love, justice, heavenly hatred for evil and a holy love for goodness.

You have a powerful desire for an end to evil, for the reign of good and a gracious commitment to bringing as many as possible into your Kingdom–that is, all who are willing to receive your gift of forgiveness and bow before you as King of all–before you bring the final judgment.

You are worthy of worship, worthy to receive songs of praise, hymns of exaltation, words of glory.

In the light of your presence we must bow before you, Lord Jesus, bask in the greatness and power of your love, rise up to obey you in all today. May you be pleased in our obedience, done in the power of the Spirit and according to the wisdom of your Word.

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