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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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Psalm 7:

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 27, 2018
Psalm 7:12 “God is a righteous judge….If he does not relent,”
 
[and you, Lord, are our faithful God, who follows through. You will not hold back from dealing with evil, but at the right time bring judgment on all evil and those who persist in it.]
 
Psalm 7:12,13 “he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.”
 
[You have readied all for the final judgment of the world, of sin, of the devil and his forces—a certainty that You will bring the transformation of all that has been warped by sin, returning it to the pristine conditions of the original creation as the New Heaven and New Earth. In the meantime, judgment comes every day on those who persist in evil:]
 
Psalm 7:14,15, “He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.”
 
[doing and being evil brings emptiness, not fulfillment. As that song from the 60s says “I can’t get no satisfaction.”]
 
“He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. (as in this picture) The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.”
 
[Evil brings evil to the perpetrator. This is the unchanging law of your justice, Lord. In the end this always happens: think of Hitler, Stalin and Mao; think of Idi Amin of Uganda, Saddam Huseyin of Iraq, Mubarek of Egypt; think of me when I make selfish and unkind decisions.
 
I praise you, Lord, that you do not tolerate evil, that you have prepared the answer to evil and will eliminate it, while all who accept your solution to evil (the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) will live in sinless and joyful relationship with you forever.
 
In the midst of the evil of people and devils today, of ISIS, Boko Haram, Hamas and Al Kaida, you, Lord. are at work and we can rest in that, joining you in returning good for evil, blessing for cursing, prayers for persecution, kindness for cruelty. Guide us in doing that today.]
 
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Psalm 7:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 26, 2018
Psalm 7:11 “God is a righteous judge,”
 
[You are absolutely right in your decisions, Lord God, you are certain to judge correctly, you are absolutely sure to do so wisely and at the right time.
 
As you did not draw back from crushing your own Son in your righteous wrath, so you will not hesitate to judge sin to the fullest in the future, at the exactly right time, with truth and righteousness, wisdom and impartiality.]
 
“a God who expresses his wrath every day.”
 
[Praise you that you move in your wrath consistently, constantly! Today you will move against the evil in the world, holding it back, judging evil-doers, allowing them to suffer the natural outcome of rebellion against you.
 
You also will continue convicting us of our sin, seeking repentance in our hearts and moving us inexorably towards the judgment day where you will remove all evil, locking it up in the lake of fire.
 
And, as followers of Jesus, having entered the shelter of your forgiveness, we know that every day you protect us from evil, including our own, while on judgment day we will be declared righteous in Christ, forgiven and cleansed. In this we can rest, praise and obey. And have the privilege and responsibility to call others to enter this shelter.
 
To you, Lord of All, King of Glory, Shepherd of sinners, God of Grace, Judge of justice, and Ruler of Righteousness, to you we come, to you we bow, to you we give glory, before you we want to be open, transparent, humble, whole-hearted and committed to obedience.
 
I give you glory now with all my mind, soul and strength. May you be the Ruler of my heart, the King of my thoughts, the Lord of my actions each moment. May you be exalted, praised and honored in my life today.]
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Psalm 7:9-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 25, 2018
 
Psalm 7:9 “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts,”
 
[You, Lord God, know the full truth about every person, nothing is hidden from you, as you discern our thoughts, desires, motives and intents right to the bottom of our hearts. Therefore Your judgments are fully informed and righteous, true and just.
 
To you be praise, honor and glory for your perfect, pure, powerfully positive heart, leading you to act in full knowledge and wisdom, in love and grace to do what is right and best.]
 
“bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.”
 
[Praise you that this is your desire, Lord, to end evil and violence, setting limits on them now, and then at the right time locking them up in the lake of fire for good.
 
You are our only hope in the darkness of this world, in the flood of evil, in the failure of human hearts, in the power of the devil to deceive and delude. You are Light and Love and Life in the midst of darkness, despair and death. Praise you for your goodness and the hope you bring.]
 
Psalm 7:10 “My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.”
 
[Yes, you are our help and hope, for you are the Great and Final Authority, you are the Most High over all creation. You have the last word in every situation; no one can counter your judgments.
 
And in your authority, we are safe, for in your love you have shielded us through the blood of Christ, you freed us from Satan, sin and self. We can rest, safe in your shadow, for you are the Almighty One, undefeatable, all wise and the Victor in the end of every situation.
 
I praise you now, O Lord Jesus, for the protection you provide: in the past, in our present and in the future. You are worthy of worship, worthy of our total obedience, worthy of our full affection. May you be honored in my life today in attitude, thought, word and practice.]
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Psalm 7:3-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 24, 2018
Psalm 7:3 “O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands–”
 
[David faces the possibility of unconfessed sin being a factor here; there is none he knows, but there is always more sin in our lives than we are aware of. Help us, Lord, to be open to the conviction of the Spirit as He points out the next sin you want us to confess and repent of and lay aside.]
 
Psalm 7:4-5 “if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe, then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.”
 
[This is a powerful prayer of surrender to God’s judgment, a declaration of David’s innocence in these two possible crimes of attacking a man in peace or without cause robbing someone.
 
How sure could I be so sure of my innocence as to make such a strong claim of being without guilt? There is much in my life below the level of consciousness–as well as some above it–to confess and forsake! Sins like impatience, fear, worry, gossip, pride and unkindness—small things according to human thinking, but all sin is significant in your sight.
 
Yet in you, O Lord, I am forgiven and cleansed. I must deal only with what you show me—and I want to do that. Help me to be alert and open to the work of your Spirit as He convicts, reveals and teaches me about the sins I need to confess and reject.
 
Help me to be confident in you and your forgiveness while being realistic and transparent before you and myself about my natural depravity–daily dealing with sin in eager confession and wholehearted repentance.
 
Help me then in receiving and embracing the forgiveness and cleansing within that flows from Christ’s sacrifice, making my sins white as snow. Help me to walk in the confidence that I am accepted, dearly loved and holy in your sight (Col:3:12) as I stand in the righteousness of Jesus. I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your resurrection, redemption and righteousness, all shared with us so graciously! ]
 
Selah [Meditate on these things.]
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Psalm 7:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 23, 2018
 
Psalm 7:1 “O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
 
“O LORD” [You are Jehovah, the God whose glory is in His unapproachable holiness.]
 
“my God,” [You are my Elohim, the incredibly powerful One, who showed your power in creating all in the universe, and the absolutely faithful One, who showed your faithfulness in providing salvation through your Son at just the right time.)
 
“I take refuge in you;”
 
[This, Lord is what you desire: our full trust demonstrated by our consistently taking shelter in your great power, mighty wisdom and unending faithfulness–for in doing so we bring great honor to you. This is what we must be our response to danger: fleeing to you, acknowledging our weakness and your power, our inadequacy and your total competency, trusting in you, not in ourselves.]
 
“save and deliver me from all who pursue me,”
 
[You, O Lord God, are to be our first recourse, our first and final aid. Before any other action, we need to come to you in prayer–as David has done here–and seek your help, for salvation comes from you alone, you who have the power to prevent anyone from pursuing and capturing us successfully.]
 
Psalm 7:2 “or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.”
 
[Our enemies, both supernatural and often human, are too strong for us; we cannot succeed against them–we would be destroyed if we sought to save ourselves. David was a mighty warrior, never defeated in battle, to my knowledge, yet he did not trust in himself, but fled to God here, begging for His help and intervention.
 
In Psalm 18:17-19 David said, “He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”]
 
Lord, help us to remember how desperate a battle we are in each day–fighting against the world, the flesh and the devil–and to turn immediately to you when difficulty, disappointment and danger enter our lives.
 
May our trust be in you, not in ourselves or others. May you be our Rock, our Fortress and our Defender. We praise you now for what you will do in our lives today.
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Suffering, Surrender and God’s Sovereignty: an example for us

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 22, 2018
 
 
In Nigeria, the Islamic group, Boko Haram, has targeted everything and everyone it views as being outside “true Islam.” This includes not only Christians, whom they call infidels, but also secular schools and irreligious Muslims. As a result, tens of thousands of families have been destroyed or torn apart.
One Christian woman, Deborah, was talking with her neighbor when five young men drove up in a pickup, jumped out with their guns, and ran into her house, shot her husband. They scooped up Deborah’s two daughters, aged 9 and 7, and drove off. Three months later her 12 year old boy was ambushed as he walked home from school and killed. Deborah then fled with her pastor and family to a refugee camp.
How did she handle losing her husband, her daughters, her son and home? “I wasn’t in my real mind, “she said. “I lost myself completely. I lost weight. I was going through a lot of trauma.” She struggled with hopelessness for about three years, but eventually began to trust that God had a plan and a future for her. “I feel whatever God’s plan is—if it is His will for me not to get the girls back, then lead them to heaven. But if it is His will to let us come together again, let the men release the girls. That is my prayer. I know that no matter what, we will still meet at God’s feet.” –from Voice of the Martyers Magazine
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Psalm 6:8-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 21, 2018

Psalm 6:8 “Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.”

[Here is a statement of pure faith—nothing has changed, there is no sign of an answer, yet David, after looking to God in prayer, is ready to trust, to act on unseen Truth and believe in the faithfulness of his heavenly Father.]

Psalm 6:9 “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.”

[He is certain, sure, convinced of God’s faithfulness and mercy, so he can state with trust that Jehovah has heard him and will answer. He looks to the character of God, the heart of his Lord, and is sure of an answer in the right time and right way. “I will call upon the Lord in the day of trouble, for he will answer me” (Psa. 86:7). ]

Psalm 6:10 “All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”

[David ends his psalm with the statement of conviction and confidence. He does not have any visible sign of help yet, but he is sure of the outcome because he knows the living God who can and does act in power.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and wonderful character, full of unfailing love, unfailing wisdom, unfailing grace, unfailing help. You see all that is going on in our hearts, you know all our troubles, you hear all our prayers and you always answer in wisdom, power and grace.

We praise and thank you for your wonderful provision out of your glorious riches, your endless grace and your loving heart. May we live today in the light of these truths, bringing honor to you through our trust and confidence in you. Amen.]

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Psalm 6:5-7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 20, 2018
Psalm 6:5 “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?”
 
[While he is right that the dead cannot praise in this world any longer, David here did not seem to have a clear view of what came after death. We as believers will praise you, Lord, forever in Heaven. We will see you face to face, exalt you, and bring you honor as we see your glory more clearly. What a marvelous truth!]
 
Psalm 6:6-7 “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.”
 
[David was overwhelmed with worry, with fears, with anguish over his difficulties, his problems, his many enemies. In the night his mind raced from one problem to the next and sleep eluded him. His attempts to deal with this met with failure; his strength is too little, his resources too meager.
 
So he cried out to you, Lord, the only true source of help, the only actual salvation available. He poured out his heart, hiding nothing. We know from other passages, that in lifting his soul to you, he was able to lay his burdens before you and be open to a renewed filling of the truth.
 
In Psalm 46:5, speaking of Jerusalem, David wrote, “God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” That is, after waiting through the coldest, darkest part of the night, God would come in to help. So often we have to wait in faith for the help we desire, knowing He will come in the right way at the right time.
 
May we turn to you, Lord, early on and not let with our worry and fear control us, not depend on our finite insight and wisdom. Help us to consistently lift our souls to you, telling you what we are thinking, feeling and wanting, and submit this all to your Word.
 
The imprisoned pastor in Turkey has done this, coming to rest in Christ in spite of the strong possibility of spending the next 35 years in prison. In his hearing this week he made this statement “I have forgiven those who have been unjust to me, hurt me, and separated me from my children,” adding, “Of course, suffering for the sake of Christ is also a privilege. I am suffering these anguishes for the sake of His name, I am glad that I share his sorrows.”
 
Lord, we praise you that you are our Rock, our Salvation and our High Tower. May we rush to you for help in each challenge so that you may be lifted up before men and angels as you save us yet again from our enemies who are too strong for us.]
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