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Psalm 18:30b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 21, 2018
Psalm 18:30b, “He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”
 
[Here is another statement of the perfect partnership you desire with us, Lord: your powerful protection is predicated on our premeditated hiding in you. If we choose to rely on ourselves, refusing to flee to you, to seek your wisdom, to obey what we know to be true, to run in your Way–we place ourselves outside your shelter.
 
But if we run to you for help, thinking Truth, praying for guidance, submitting to your Wisdom–then you swing your shield of protection over us, keeping us safe from all true harm. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).
 
How do we run to you? Primarily through the three actions of praise: praying, thinking your Word, and obeying it. It means taking seriously such statements as “I will boast all the more gladly in my weakness so that the power of Christ may rest on me” (2 Cor. 12:9), and “…call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psa. 50:15).
 
It means implementing Philippians 4:6,7 “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God [our part]. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [shield] your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” [God’s part].
 
So, for example, when we are sick, taking refuge in you means our first move is to praise, thanking you for the situation, then asking for your help and healing. Then going to the doctor if necessary. This declares our dependence on you, gives you glory and opens the way for you to work through whatever means you choose to bring healing at the right time.
 
The opposite of this is seen in the life of King Asa: “Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians” (2 Chron. 16:12). And he died in his illness.
 
When we believe your Word, Lord, and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, you raise up your shield of love and power over us. We hide in you by giving you honor in words of worship, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving; and as we exalt you in faith, you protect us.
 
To praise in trust ahead for whatever you will bring is a wonderful partnering with you, a taking refuge in you, a strong statement of faith, a great giving of glory to you before the unseen hosts.
 
Praise be to you, the faithful and holy One, the good and wise God who is never too late, never too early, always prepared and powerful enough to work out all the details of life. I give you glory, Lord Jesus, for you are the trustable Teacher, the good God, the powerful Protector and the saving Shepherd.
 
It is so true, Lord, that you are “a shield for all who take refuge in you.” You are worthy of all worship. Help me to worship you today by taking refuge in you each moment.
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Psalm 18:30b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 20, 2018
Psalm 18:30b “the word of the LORD is flawless.”
 
[Praise be to you, Lord, that we can trust your Word completely: there is no error, no contradiction, no mistake, no flaw in it. It is a light to our path in this dark world. When you speak, command, direct and teach, we can trust that what you say is right and we can lean on it fully.
 
Praise you that you carefully had your words recorded in the Bible, using faulty men to produce a perfect product.
 
We can take it at face value, and then dig deeper by reading, studying, memorizing and meditating to find the profound and powerful aspects hidden beneath.
 
Sadly, many twist your Word for selfish reasons, cutting it out of context, taking a superficial, separate understanding, even blatantly denying what it clearly says and using it for their own ends, rather than your purposes.
 
Give us wisdom to discern these perversions of your Word when confronted with them–or are tempted to use them ourselves–and to replace them instead with your clear and clean and complete Truth.
 
Help us to ever come to your Word to see what you say (exegesis) instead of coming with our preconceptions, looking for some verses to support our position (eisegesis). Seeking your Truth will then lead us away from the very human tendency of asking you to join us in our plans, instead asking you to help us in joining you in your plans.
 
Protect us from the traps of the enemy and keep us on the pure path, in your perfect provision as revealed in your wonderful Word. Help us to be consistent in reading, meditating, believing and living it out every day.
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Psalm 18:30

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 19, 2018
Psalm 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect;”
 
[You, O Lord God, make no mistakes. You always do what is right, with excellence and without error. We can trust you to lead us aright, to teach us your wonderful way, to show us what is perfect, true, noble, lovely and praise-worthy so we may follow you there. Thank you that you promise to, “lead us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3). Help us to actively, wholeheartedly follow.
 
With your Word, you turn the negative values of the world right-side-up because we live in the upside-down-world where selfishness and rebellion are natural, where fear, despair and hopelessness abound.
 
You teach us instead to live by dying, to get by giving, to grieve by praising, to offer thanks when we’d rather complain, to trust you before there is an outcome. There are so many opportunities to live by faith as we reject the values of the world and instead walk in the light of your powerful Way.
 
Praise be to you for teaching us that being weak is a wonder, that we should delight in our deficiencies and difficulties. In such weakness, your power is made perfect and Christ’s might comes upon us (2 Cor. 12:9,10). You teach us that to embrace our neediness and suffering is freeing, empowering and transforming for us and greatly glorifying for you.
 
Praise you that you give us vision and understanding of your perfect ways. “Teach me your way, O LORD; I will walk in your truth: unite my heart to fear your name” (Psa. 86:11).
 
Help us to walk in your truth consistently, denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following you, for therein lies the purpose of our lives, the meaning of existence and the hope of glory with you.]
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More Adventures from 1980

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 18, 2018
 
In order to stay In our new country long term, I needed a job. My best bet was teaching English, so I went to one of the many private tutoring schools in the city and was hired. However, before I could begin work, I had to have a work visa and to get that, I had to go to an embassy outside of the country and have it stamped in my passport.
 
Our team leader, John, wanted to buy a car from Germany, so he and I decided to fly there, get a car for him, a visa for me and then drive back together.
 
However, in order to leave the country, I had to put my car into customs, because it was written into my passport. This proved to be a difficult, convoluted process, requiring the collection of signatures from a variety of offices in different places in the city.
 
Much later I realized that each step in the process was designed to thwart a particular form of evasion of the law. The locals are masters at finding ways around the intricate and omnipresent bureaucracy in their country, and each evasion that was uncovered produced a new step in the process.
 
At the same time, I found this work with customs was very educational, with opportunities for language learning, gaining cultural insights, and recognizing appointments with “angels.” Often some local in an office would take me under his wing and usher me through that part of the process. Each incident was another God sighting.
 
Barbara and the boys moved in with John’s wife while we were gone. Everything went well for us, and our trip back from Germany was faster than our first one, even though it was snowy and cold.
 
While I was driving through the night in Yugoslavia, a large elk bounded up the bank beside the road and stopped, his great head and antlers hanging over the road. It happened so fast that I didn’t have time to swerve, but just before I hit him, the elk turned his head away and we slipped by. One of the many God sightings on this trip.
 
After our return, I went through the process of getting my car out of customs. Finally at the last step, the woman behind the counter held up my passport, just out of my reach and said, “Ok, I did my part, now you have to give me a present!” Here was another new experience for me in this culture, my first encounter with bribes. I pulled out a 500 lira note (about $10).
 
“That’s not enough,” she said, drawing back my passport. I tried a 1000 lira note. She hesitated, then accepted it. I walked away relieved that it hadn’t cost me more. Some things would take more getting used to than others. It became my practice to not pay bribes if at all possible, but in this situation, there was no way around it, since the woman had my passport.
 
As time went on and we slogged on through language studyby day, teaching English at night and the difficulties of everyday life, I was personally amazed and encouraged to see how much joy God gave me in being where He wanted me. Leaving behind the physical work of the tire shop, the mental stimulation, the success of business, and the beauty of home had not had the deleterious effect I’d expected. Obedience brings joy and God was setting me free from my natural inclinations.
 
In making these adjustments, however, tensions did surface between us. One morning Barbara and I had a strong discussion. At one point I pounded my fist on the table and said, “Who’s the boss here anyway?!!!” Josh immediately replied, “The landlord!” We burst out laughing. His comment brought us to our senses and we were able to resolve the issue in harmony.
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Psalm 18:29

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 17, 2018
Written on July 4th, Independence day. Here is a declaration of dependence, a plan for joining God rather than asking Him to join me.
 
Psalm 18:29 “With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.”
 
[This is a powerful picture of David’s dependence on you, Lord, seeing his own weakness in the light of your wondrous might. Humanly speaking he could, on his own, easily move toward an enemy and climb a wall, but he knew from experience that doing so in your power is vastly different than doing it on his own.
 
He moved forward in your power by praying in preparation for the battle, seeking your wisdom, asking your help. Here an instance where this is specifically shown in the Old Testament.
 
In 1Samuel 30:8. David and his men returned to their town, Ziklag, to find that the Amalekites had come and captured all their families and goods. Instead of rushing off to rescue them, David first went to God in prayer, he “inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?’ ‘Pursue them,’ he answered. ‘You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.’ And David with his few men did that, defeating a much larger force and getting everyone back.
 
In all the stories of the Old Testament, there is no record of David ever being wounded in battle. He knew your protection, Lord, your power, your provision in the hand-to-hand combat of dozens if not hundreds of battles he participated in.
 
He declared, “Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle” (Psa. 140:7). Therefore, it was in your active power that he trusted. He saw clearly that even in the common doings of his day, he needed your help and he prayed for it.]
 
Lord, help me to be that dependent on you like David, realizing I need your power in even the mundane things of life. Help me to be consistent in praying through my day, in asking for your guidance, protection and power in all that I do.
 
May prayer be the foundation of all, as I remember your words in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
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Psalm 18:27b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 15, 2018
 
Psalm 18:27b “but [you] bring low those whose eyes are haughty.”
 
[This you also do in your love: you humble those who live in the darkness of self-delusion, wanting them to come to you. But they are thinking they are good enough to get to heaven, thinking they are better than those around them.
 
Lord, how easily I get caught up in that same sin, thinking negative, critical thoughts of others, comparing myself to them rather than you. The truth is that the negative I see in them is also potential in me, if not actual; I could easily do the same things I proudly condemn in them. I blithely underestimate the evil of my old nature.
 
Yes, Lord, keep us in the light of your revelation and bring us quickly low when we are proud so that we may immediately repent. Then we may be raised up to living in the luster of your love rather than the darkness of our deception.
 
Praise be to you, for your working in us–gracious and patient, continual and deep–bringing transformation in our mind, will and emotions so that we might walk on ever higher levels with you. Keep our spirits open to your conviction, direction and protection, remembering that “You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.”
 
Psalm 18:28 “You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
 
[You are light itself, Lord, shining brilliantly across the eons of time, shining long before the sun and stars were created.
 
And now you are the source of light for our lives—physical light as well as the light of wisdom, insight, guidance and warning. You actively grant direction when we have no idea what to do. I praise you for your faithful, sure, constant presence, your leading us on in the challenges of life in this dark world.
 
You are the One, Lord Jesus, who brought us out of the dominion of darkness into your Kingdom of Light. As it says in Proverbs 4:18,19, “The way of the wicked (as we were) is like deep darkness, they do not know what makes them stumble.”
 
In contrast, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever more brightly until the full light of day.” Help us, Lord, not to look back on the darkness, but to look ahead at your guiding light, moving ever more into its full strength so that we may see and void what can make us stumble.
 
I praise you that darkness cannot hide anything from you, Lord, for you see all and you let us know what is necessary, giving us enough light so that we can move ahead with you, doing what is best. Help us to live in the light with you, Lord, joining you in what you are doing, thereby bringing you glory.]
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Psalm 18:27

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 15, 2018

Psalm 18:27 “You save the humble”

This, Lord, is your requirement for salvation: humility. It can be defined as “seeing ourselves as you see us.” As we stand before you, the Mighty, Eternal One, the Star-breather, the Galaxy-maker, the History Beginner and the Ender of time, the Pure and Powerful One, what can we do but see our sinfulness, our unworthiness, our puniness, and yes, our putridness. We see the immense contrast between our shriveled, rebellious hearts and the stunning beauty of your gracious Holiness.

To you we must bow in humility, accepting your view of our situation. Somehow you work with our will to bring the desire and the decision to surrender, to reject the illusion of independence for the reality of total, healthy dependence on you.

The reality is that you are the One in charge, who holds together the nucleus of every atom in the universe, who keeps every star in place, who brings the dawn, gives the rain, provides our food—we are totally dependent on you in every area without knowing it! And you give us the added privilege of enhancing that dependency by willfully embracing it in belief and submission– giving you all that we had been holding back, including our future.

Praise be to you for working in the heart of each one whom you know will believe, bringing the wise and persistent pressure that will lead to the break-through and surrender, giving the understanding, the desire to know you, to live for you, to walk in the light, to bring you glory. What a high calling you give us, what a privileged position, what an existence of ongoing, ever growing joy that you offer.

You give us the exact opposite of what we deserve, at great cost to yourself and at great profit to us, naturally your thankless enemies. You are a marvel, a mystery: majestic and mighty in your provision of rich, unending agape love. Such Truth leads us to wholeheartedly and joyfully bow before you and shout, “Glory!”

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Psalm 18:20-24

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 14, 2018
 
Psalm 18:20 “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;”
 
[O Lord, praise you that you deal with us according to the imputed righteousness you have given us in Christ, not our own–for I have none. You would have to condemn me instantly to Hell if my goodness were the measure. But praise be to your glorious name that you have made me to stand before you in your all-cleansing righteousness: forgiven, transformed, accepted, adopted, beloved!]
 
“according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.”
 
[My sin-stained hands are now washed in your blood, cleansed of guilt, purified in forgiveness and empowered for good. Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you see me as your dearly loved child, delighted in, cherished and deeply cared for. The cleanness is there because of your great work.]
 
Psalm 18:21 “For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.”
 
[By your grace, by your power, by your obedience, Lord Jesus, I am counted as having kept your ways. What my old nature could not do in that it is weak, you did in your power. And you, Heavenly Father, in spite of what I am, have qualified me to be a partaker in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light.]
 
Psalm 18:22,23 “All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.”
 
[Again, I cannot say any of this for myself; I continue to be blameworthy, struggling with the sinful, selfish ways of my old nature—but you, Holy Spirit, also continue in transforming me in love and grace. So, I stand before you, Lord Jesus, blameless in your love, a new creature, dearly loved, doted on and deeply cared for. Praise be to you!
 
You are our hope, our holiness, our purity, our power. In you is goodness, grace and glory, all of which you generously, whole-heartedly share with us, graciously, unconditionally, contra-conditionally. Praise be to you!]
 
Psalm 18:24 “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.”
 
[It is wonderful that you have rewarded me, Lord, not according to my righteousness, but according to the righteousness of Christ, according to the cleanness of His hands, for in your sight I am in Christ, I am cleansed, claimed and commissioned as your dearly beloved child.
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, for your great and, humanly speaking, impossible, unspeakable work, far beyond what any created being could do. You reward your enemies! You pour out on your foes who come to you, eternal life, eternal relationship, eternal love and eternal goodness–when we deserve the opposite! Praise be to you.
 
Help us to revel in your love, to bask in your grace, to rejoice in your forgiveness—and to forgive and accept ourselves as you have us. May we each day grasp more of the greatness of your love, which surpasses knowledge, so that we might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).]
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Sonny Weather

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 13, 2018
Praise you, Lord, that with you, every day is a Sonny one, for your light of love and life shines continually on us and in us, giving encouragement, perspective, purpose, power and joy: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you,” said Jesus, and then “These thing I have spoken to you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full” (John 15:9,11).
 
There is a condition to receiving this joy: trust. As it says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace AS YOU TRUST IN HIM, so that your lives may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Trusting God involves submitting to Him, to His description of reality, to His Word, to His leadership, to His purpose and meaning.
 
We can’t walk in the light while keeping our eyes closed, living just in the tiny world in our head. We have to open our eyes wide to the wonderful, awesome, expansive and beautiful reality of God’s Kingdom.
 
Here we own nothing, but are given everything we need to steward. We are called to hold all with an open hand, telling our gracious and kind, good and wise Heavenly Father, “Take what you want, leave what you want, give what you want. I trust you to do what is best.”
 
Holding all with an open hand is, on one side, scary at first, because there are plenty of things we don’t want to give up (health, relationships, income, security, savings, etc.).
 
But as we come to know more and more of God’s beautiful and wise character, our fear lessens (perfect love casts out fear), and is replaced by a sense of security (safety is not the absence of danger, but the presence of Jesus), and a sense of adventure (every day is a battle with spiritual enemies who use people against us; but as we keep on the armor and fight the right enemies, there is a continual string of victories). We begin to understand what it means to be more than conquerors in the midst of challenges (Romans 8:37).
 
As we develop a greater dependence on our Shepherd, Jesus, there comes a healthy emotional independence from those around us. Their ups and downs, cutting comments and negative attitudes don’t affect us as much, for we are finding our rest in God alone (Ps. 62:1) and we live in the truth that God is “our rock, our fortress and our deliverer” (Ps. 18:2). We cease to live for the approval of those around us, because we have the approval of the only One who counts.
 
Living this way entails a fundamental change, a worldview shift from our natural thinking to God’s thinking. We no longer live in a world where most things around us are out of control (certainly out of our control), but in a world where all is in God’s control, where whatever comes to us comes with His wise permission, for His expansive purpose, in His great love for us.
 
What a difference it makes to live in this new Kingdom where we have multiple opportunities daily to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, sacrificing our perspective for His, rising above the natural to live in the supernatural, the eternal.
 
What a God we have, what a life He gives us, what a future He’s prepared! To live in the wonder of getting the opposite of what we deserve, to revel in His unconditional love, to bask in His unending goodness (instead of thinking all the natural negative thoughts the devil throws at us)–this is part of the joy He desires for us. Let us continually embrace these truths while rejecting the lies that contradict them, living instead in the Light of His Love.
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Psalm 18:16-19

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 12, 2018
Psalm 18:16 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”
 
[Our God is never too busy to stoop down and help any of His children; He pays close attention to each one and acts to help at the right time, especially as we fall into deep problems and trials. David was sinking in deep danger, he desperately needed help right away and God answered.]
 
Psalm 18:17 “He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.”
 
[You, Lord, are such a powerful and personal God; you reach down into time and history to save, protect and deliver us from the great power of our enemy, the devil, his forces and his pawns. They are far too strong for us, but you are immensely more powerful than they are and have no problem overcoming their plans.
 
In the midst of our difficulties, we can be certain that you, Lord Jesus, will act in the best way, at the best time, with the best means to sustain us and to give help in the right measure. Praise be to you for your faithfulness and goodness.]
 
Psalm 18:18 “They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.”
 
[When all seems lost, when our demise seems certain, you, Lord come in and rescue. As it says in Psalm 46:5, “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” Even in the small things you help us, like when I could not find the glue for my project, I offered the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and you gave me the idea of where to look, and there it was!]
 
Psalm 18:19 “He brought me out into a spacious place;”
 
[You don’t just rescue us, you bring us into a positive position, a superior situation, a wide and pleasant place with you. You are the giver of great good and abundant grace.]
 
“he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
 
[This statement, in my opinion, is the most significant one in this passage. You, Lord, do not act just out of pity or obligation, but because you delight in us, your children. You see us in Christ, transformed, accepted and beloved by you! What an amazing, encouraging, faith-building, wonderful statement!
 
You are powerfully pleased that we belong to you, that we cry out to you, our Abba Father. You are not bothered, irritated or agitated by our coming to you. No, you are richly pleased, mightily happy, deeply delighted, for you have inexplicably made us the objects of your unending, deep and rich love. You have made us the apple of your eye, the delight of your heart, the object of your continual affection.
 
We do not deserve this–which is all the more reason to praise you for your wonderful, eternal, infinite forgiveness, your unlimited, ever flowing grace and all-encompassing, deep love that gives us the opposite of what we should have gotten: a trip straight to Hell.
 
I will praise you now, today, and forever because you are worthy of all honor, exaltation and glory. You are the God who loves His enemies, who rescues those who deserve condemnation, who saves those who deserve defeat.
 
May your name be exalted in my life today and forever through surrender, faith, obedience and thanksgiving. Amen.]
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