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Psalm 11:5b-7 God’s Righteousness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 17, 2018
Psalm 11:5b “But the wicked and the one who loves violence His [God’s] soul hates.”
 
[Here is one of those seeming paradoxes of the Bible: God loves all, yet hates the wicked. Here are three possible understandings among several, all of them true:
–He hates what they do, but loves them as His creatures;
–He loves them, but when they refuse to come under His protection by surrendering to Christ, they fall under His hatred for sin;
–or here He is speaking of Satan and his hoard of demons.
 
The certainty is that, in God’s character there are no contradictions: He hates sin and will punish it, yet found a way (an extremely expensive one) to redeem sinners within this context.
Psalm 11:6 “Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.”
 
[As part of your plan to eliminate evil, you, Lord God, in your justice will punish rebellious evil doers–those who refuse your gracious forgiveness and instead love violence, those who hate what is good, those who refuse to believe you and accept Truth.
 
This is what you did in Sodom and Gomorrah, what you did in Canaan to those who rejected you, and what you will do to all those who refuse your offer of goodness and grace. There can be no justice without the punishment of evil.]
 
Psalm 11:7 “For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness;”
 
[Praise you, Lord God, that in your there is no evil, no darkness, no sin, no wrong. You are righteous and love what is right. You cannot be corrupted and corrupt no one. You cannot be tempted and you tempt no one. Instead, you call all to righteousness.
 
When we believe your Word, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. Then we get to grow in righteousness as we walk in obedience to what we know to be true:
–loving your Word by reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on it;
–listening to and obeying the conviction of the Spirit, that most often comes through the Word;
— working by and through prayer, living the truth that without you we can do nothing;
–participating in fellowship, knowing that in your church we will learn to give and receive, help and be helped; we will both enjoy and be irritated by others, repent and forgive, love as Christ loves us.
 
Help us to be faithful in participating in your righteousness, Lord, living worthy of you, as sons and daughters of the Most High King, the Creator and Sustainer of all. May our central and deepest goal be to glorify, honor and please you.]
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Psalm 11:3-5 Tests

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 16, 2018
Yesterday ended with a dissatisfying taste, an emptiness which I tried at first to banish with reading and popcorn. But then you, Lord, led me in the right path, reminding me to praise you for it, as this emptiness was a reminder that my soul finds rest in you alone—and the right response is to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
 
Therefore I praise you now, Lord Jesus, for this emptiness that reminds me of the wonder and stability of knowing you, of my being a child of the eternal living, God. You give us all we need for life and godliness and I can praise you for both the pleasant and the painful.
 
As it says in Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
 
[When everything seems to fall apart, we can look away to you, Lord God, the only sure foundation in all of existence. We can rejoice in your character, rest in your love, live in your wisdom. The instability of the world only serves to highlight the surety of your character: Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever!]
 
Psalm 11:4-5 “The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven;”
 
[You are ever ruling, ever awake, ever alert. Nothing escapes your notice and you always act in inexorable power at exactly the right time. You rule wisely, wonderfully, willfully. You are moving events to the great conclusion of history, sweeping as many as are willing into your Kingdom, while giving those who aren’t willing multiple opportunities as well.]
 
“His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous,”
 
[You watch every person, you test each one, first giving opportunities to believe to the not-yet-sons. And then to your children, who have been granted the righteousness of Christ, you give tests that are possibilities to grow, give you glory and display grace.
 
Ah, Lord, help us to remember that difficulties, disappointments, danger and discouragement are tests, each one an opportunity to take up your grace, rise up in praise and defeat the enemy on his own ground.
 
May we not fail in these tests but cooperate with you, join you for your glory! Help us today to live in the light of your lavish love, trusting in your great goodness in each trial, fulfilling the purpose of our lives by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all.]
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True Security

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 15, 2018
More from EDIFIED!
 
“I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.”
Psalm 89:2
 
Every week someone tells me that all their problems would be solved if only they had more money, or a house, or a car, or a better job.
 
The pull of the human heart is ever towards comfort—we may enjoy a challenge for a while, but eventually we want to get to a position where we can kick back and relax. We want to get rid of pressures as much as possible. For many this means having a substantial nest egg so they can live any lifestyle they please. For others it may be a less stressful job.
 
For us believers, however, the situation should be different: our hearts and minds are to be set on things above (Col. 3:1-2). Our desire is really the opposite of the world’s desire to be independent; we want to grow in conscious and committed dependence on God.
 
It is in the midst of uncomfortable situations that we can mature in this, choosing to give Him glory in our weakness and in His strength. One author puts it this way, “We must get away from the idea that deliverance from trial is the highest form of spiritual blessing. We learn more in a few days in the fiery furnace than we would learn in years out of it.” (J. Oswald Sanders. Spiritual Maturity. Chicago: Moody Press, 1962, p. 64.)
 
Life gives us plenty of opportunities to live this way, but I, for one, often find myself shrinking back from many of them. Scripture, fortunately, reminds me of the reality I need to embrace: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps. 23:4).
 
There are dark valleys, and we will go through them, but never alone—and if we enter them with faith in God’s goodness and His plan for us, we will come out of them deepened because Jesus, our Shepherd, is there every day, every moment, every step of the way, leading us on. In the midst of difficulty He offers us grace, love and joy in our relationship with Him, something that material security can never give!
 
It is up to us to take up His grace and love, to live in them, meeting with Him each day, soaking in the Word, joining Him through prayer. He’s waiting there every morning to spend time with us, His beloved children. Are we as eager as He is to meet?
 
Prayer; “Lord, help me every day to meet with you so I can better live out the words of Psalm 89:15, ‘Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim Him, to walk in the light of His presence.’ Amen.”
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More from Edified!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 14, 2018

“Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob…”

Psalm 114:7,8

 

You, O Adonai, are the One to be feared—your power, your purity, your presence are overwhelming, overarching, overcoming all opposition. When you manifested yourself in leading the Israelites,  as the girl in the picture leads her cow, “The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs” (Ps. 114:3,4).

Your power and presence caused the earth to writhe, the seas to flee, the rivers to cease flowing. You, O Elohim, the powerful and faithful One  “…turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.”

You are Mighty and Magnificent, looking down from on High. To view the earth from your lofty position you must stoop down; yet you do that willingly, lovingly, sacrificially.

You call yourself the God of Jacob, identifying yourself with that rascal, that rebellious and unrepentant, self-serving sinner and his descendants. You watched over them; you opened the way, prepared help, protected, guided and loved the Israelites, even though you knew they would rebel, disobey and bring disgrace to your Name.

What a great heart you have; what a mighty love flows from your being, bringing the possibility and power of change to all in this fallen world. Praise be to you for the many who embrace your love, are transformed and become your children.

Praise you for your working with all, even with those who will reject your grace (John 1:9;16:8-11), who choose to remain in darkness and spend eternity without you. Praise you for your pity on them, your death for them (1 John 2:2), your love for them (John 3:16).  You are “the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:10b).

You are the God of all mercy, triumphing over justice, offering an umbrella of forgiveness to all who come. And you will judge sin and evil because you are just, for without justice there can be no holiness, no peace, no freedom from sin.

Praise be to you, O Perfect God, Lord and Savior, Sovereign and King, the Wise and Loving One—for to you belongs all worship and praise, honor and glory, exaltation and obedience.

 

Prayer: “I bow before you today, Lord Jesus. Use me, glorify yourself through me in a way that will make you stand out and me fade from sight. May I be the paint on the wall; may you be the house itself, the one who gets the honor today. Amen.”

 

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God’s Great Plans

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 13, 2018
Procedure went well, my heart is back in rhythm, and I can feel the difference; thanks for praying.
 
Today another word from EDIFIED!
 
I’ve been going through the book of Daniel, which reveals a great deal about God and the way He works. The Lord accomplishes much with one stroke: in bringing judgment on Israel and sending them into captivity, He brought the Word of Life to a king and then to an entire empire.
 
Chapter four is clearly King Nebuchadnezzar’s personal testimony sent out to his whole expansive kingdom and beyond, urging others to believe: “To the peoples, nations and men of every language who live in all the world…It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me….Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven because everything he does is right and all his ways are just” (Dan. 4:1,2,37).
 
Look at how God accomplished this. He had, among the captives taken to Babylon, four young men who were fully submitted to Him. They very obviously knew the character of God and trusted Him to do what was right no matter what the consequences were for them—even though they had been captured, marched as prisoners to a foreign land and were forced into situations they hadn’t chosen.
 
When three of them faced the fiery furnace they replied, “Our God is able to save us….But even if he does not…we will not serve your gods…” (Dan. 3:18). They did not complain, gripe or feel sorry for themselves—we can tell this because they were respectful and gracious in their interactions with those in authority.
 
And what means did God provide so they could be a witness? Crises: life threatening, impossibly difficult crises. In each one Daniel and his friends trusted God, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and saw God answer in spectacular ways, displaying His glory before many.
 
What does this say to us? How do we respond to crises? Do we know the character of God well enough to trust Him in the impossible, to turn to Him in prayer rather than to frantic action? Are we willing to be thrust onto the stage of witness where only God’s power can save us, seeing the unseen as reality? Or are we those who live in the natural: complainers, whiners, self-pitying victims, seeking to escape what is uncomfortable, unwilling to see how we are called to play important roles in the grand scheme of God?
 
One of God’s purposes in giving us the book of Daniel is to give us a sense of how He is moving history to a conclusion. He is able to weave into His plan even the myriad sinful actions of human beings done against His will, moving things inexorably towards the culmination of His great goal of the New Heaven and New Earth.
 
Now when we see crises in our own lives, in the church or in international events we need to remember that we can trust God to use both the good and evil of man for His purposes. A fresh read through the first 6 chapters of Daniel does wonders for re-calibrating our thinking on God’s working in our everyday lives.
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to grow in the knowledge of your character. Help me to respond in faith to the small every day crises and the big ones in my life with the sacrifice of thanksgiving so I may be a witness for you, opening the way for others to believe and grow. Amen.”
 
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September 12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 12, 2018
Off to the hospital this morning to have the cardiologist stop and restart my heart, hoping to get rid of my arrhythmia. Today, an entry from Edified.
 
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”
Psalm 34:17
 
The description of you, Lord God, in Psalm 34:18-22 reveals to us your great heart, your loving kindness, your faithful follow-through and your total trustworthiness—all reasons for worship, praise and exaltation.
 
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” You know those who are in such situations; you don’t draw back from them, but in compassion come close, tenderly drawing them to yourself, flooding them with forgiveness, healing and grace. You, Lord Jesus, are good!
 
“A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;” Your Word, Lord, is realistic: this world is full of troubles, flowing out of the well of sin, permeating all aspects of this twisted and broken creation. But you are there, at work in each trouble, bringing the deliverance that is right and positive, constructive and helpful.
 
“…he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.” What a beautiful reference to your own suffering, Lord Jesus—you, too, had many troubles in your time on earth; you were willing to suffer them, and you were delivered from them–just as you do for us. No one can ever say to you, “But you don’t understand!”
 
“Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned.” The outcome of their lives is certain. Their own decisions will bring about their own end. You are just, O Lord, you are wise in your statement, “I gave them over to the desires of their hearts.”
 
“The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.” We say the word “redeemed” so easily, but it cost you so much. The result of your great willingness to purchase your enemies is that no one who takes refuge in you will be condemned. You know all, you see all, you love all, you save all who are willing to come to you. You alone are worthy of our love, our worship, our obedience, our praise.
 
Glory be to you, Lord Jesus. You fill my vision, you color my world, you overrule every event, you guide in strength, you protect in power. You are unwavering in purpose, you exude faithfulness, you follow through forever. You are perfect, pristine, powerful, passionate, priestly and permanent. You are worthy of worship for your marvelous makeup, your wonderful Word, your awesome acts, your perfect person.
 
Prayer: “May you be exalted in my life today, O Great and Mighty Lord. Amen”
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Psalm 11:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 11, 2018
 
Psalm 11:1 “In the Lord I put my trust;”
 
[Yes, Lord, I willfully choose to trust you, not myself, not people, not circumstances, not power, nor politicians. You alone are the One to rest in, for you alone are All-powerful, All-knowing, All-seeing All-present, and All-loving.
 
Therefore, I choose to praise you in and for all things–all the proof we need for trusting you, Lord, is found in your faithful, sinless, pure and positive character, displayed in the rich outpouring of your Love in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, I choose to trust you.]
 
“How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?”
 
[No mountain will save me, no mountain will love me, no mountain is impregnable. Only You, Lord God Almighty, are the actual, adequate refuge and strength needed; you alone are my High Tower, my Mighty Rock and my Stronghold.
 
To you, Lord, I will flee when worry, fear, danger or loss threaten. To you I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving—praising you when it costs me, when I don’t feel like it–thereby honoring you and opening the way for your salvation to come to me. Your help is all I need.]
 
Psalm 11:2 “For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.”
 
[If I fly to temporal help, I make myself vulnerable to attacks of the enemy. If I set my heart on a desired solution rather than God’s glory, I have made myself open to attack, to loss, to failure, pain and death.
 
However, if I set my heart on praising you, Lord, rather than on having my way, my desire, my plan, than you will shield my head in the day of battle.
 
I may not get what I desire, but I will be able to exalt your name in praise, fulfilling the purpose you have for my life and live in the freedom of knowing you will do what is best.
 
What a privilege to live for you, my Great King, Ruler of the universe, Spinner of the Earth, Bringer of the dawn, Beginner and Ender of time. You are the One to be exalted, praised, honored and worshiped.
 
So I bow before you now in surrender, I will rise up before you to obey you this day with all my heart. May the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you, my mighty Rock and my Redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)]
 
 
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Delighting in Jesus, from EDIFIED!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 10, 2018
 
“‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
Isaiah 40:25, 26
 
Last night, Lord, I thought about context, and how important it is in our walk with you. When we fall into troubles, if all we see is that trouble, we are disappointed, frustrated and discouraged. But if we have the larger context of you and your great and wide plans in the situation, then our response is couched in your perspective and can bring glory to you.
The larger context is this: You are the Great, Glorious, Gracious Creator of all, the Breather of stars, Source of the solar system, Spinner of the earth, Bringer of the Dawn. You are the Sovereign God: All-powerful, Almighty, All-knowing, All-loving.
When your creatures rebelled against your goodness, you in your rich grace and fathomless love, entered this sinful world, suffered greatly, died painfully, rose powerfully and bought us back. We deserved Hell, but instead you gave us Heaven. You chose us before the foundation of the world, in spite of the great cost to you.
You called us, you cleansed, forgave and transformed us. You equipped us for and assigned us to special service wherein we are empowered to do what has eternal importance. You gave us significance and security in yourself. You made us your beloved children. You delight in us, rejoice in us, cherish us.
Everything that comes to us is filtered through your love and power. You give us opportunity to glorify you by faith. You give us opportunity to be weak so that your power may be seen in our lives. You are moving history to a conclusion and taking us with you.
What a difference this context makes! Wow! To live with you, to live for you, to be your child, your ambassador, your herald, your workman, your messenger, your servant, your partner in work, your fellow heir, your brother, and in the end, your bride—what great and marvelous privileges.
You are a wonder, O God, for all these gifts you have given to me, your enemy, the one who rebelled against you for so many years, who is stubborn in selfishness, slow to learn, who gives you pain every day in my willfulness, my self-dependence, my trusting myself instead of you, in my grieving and quenching your Spirit. How great is your love, how great is your forgiveness, how great is your grace.
You, as my Savior-Shepherd, have now allowed a new difficulty (challenge, adventure) into my life. Looking at it from my perspective it is unwanted, painful and negative. Looking at it from your perspective, it is good and profitable possibility. You will give me the grace, not to just cope with it, but to more than triumph over it and to give you honor and glory through praise in the midst of it.
No human being could ever think up a God like you; you are too good to be true! And yet you are more than true as you are Truth itself: pure, clean, shining, solid, sure, unchanging. You are the only One to be trusted fully. We glorify you, we lift you up in praise, we rejoice in you and in your making us your beloved children. Great are you, Lord and wonderful is your name.
 
Prayer: “Today may you be lifted up in my life, glorified in my living, exalted in my being, my Lord Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of the universe, and Shepherd of my soul. Amen.”
 
(Picture from the internet–David Bowman Art)
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God Sightings

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 9, 2018
This week I had a number of God sightings in a potentially humiliating moment. While sitting in my cardiologist’s office, I realized that I’d locked my keys in the van! Immediately the Spirit prompted me to give thanks instead of complaining and castigating myself. And to not worry about making it to two other appointments we had that morning.
 
When we left the office, I tried to get in the van, but to nothing worked. I tried to call a neighbor who could bring me a spare key, but he didn’t answer. Then came the first God sighting: I noticed that the very back “wing” windows of the van were open–a possible way to get in. I tried to force them open further, but to no avail.
 
Then I decided to walk half a mile down the street to the repair shop of a friend who might be able to help, but he was gone. Then I saw the Ace hardware store a little further up the street and the idea came to buy a hacksaw there–that was God sighting number two. I also got another customer to give me a ride back.
 
I then cut the opening mechanism on the right, back window and went into the Dr’s office to get Barbara. When going in I noticed a waste can right by the door; the receptionist said I could borrow it. This was God sighting number three, for without the extra height the waste can gave me, I never could have gotten in the window.
 
Barbara then held the window pane back while I stood on the waste can and wriggled in the very small opening, and was able to lock the doors from inside. Thank you, Lord, for the adventure of seeing you answer our prayers for help.
 
We were than able to make it to two other medical appointments we had that morning. And I could share those God sightings with a good number of other people, encouraging them, too, to trust God in midst of each “adventure.”
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Magnificent Majesty

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 8, 2018

Thank you, Lord, that all which will come to us today, will come from your hand.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your wonderful wisdom, working consistently in the lives of your children, bringing guidance and goodness, difficulties and protection.

You know what is best, you know what is right, you know what is loving, for you are the wise and powerful One, that entirely good One whose heart is set on bringing glory to yourself through doing what is good and merciful.

I praise you that in your mercy, you bring positive pressure on us to see truth, to come to ourselves and surrender to you. You are the One we can trust, the One who is our refuge and strength, our joy and wisdom, our Shepherd and King.

Through challenges and adventures (including suffering, tragedy and persecution) you give us opportunity for faith-responses, for glory-giving, for grace-demonstrations, for clenched-teeth praise, for faith-filled obedience. These provide opportunities to fulfill the purpose of our existence: to bring honor to you, to be reflectors of your glory, exalting your name and your Word above all other things.

I praise you now for another day, another opportunity to live for you, to live by faith, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and thereby honor you while opening the way so your salvation can flow further into my future and that of those around me (Ps. 50:23).

May you be glorified today in my thoughts, actions and words, may those around me be touched by your Spirit overflowing from me. May grace be the fragrance of my life. For your glory may I be a strong aroma of life to those around me who are looking for truth. May many more be swept into your Kingdom. Amen.

 

 

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