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Psalm 118

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 18, 2018
 
Several years ago I wrote, “An entry from the book EDIFIED! is very relevant to me as my little wife continues to live under a weight of multiple negative symptoms without any clear diagnosis or relief in sight. Is this simple depression, or chronic Lyme’s Disease, or something else? No one knows and thus far nothing has helped.
 
“In the midst of this we must keep our eyes on Jesus, for He is the one who knows and will both give grace to pass through it and, at the right time, bring relief. Here is the perspective we must have: ‘Let those who fear the LORD say: ‘His love endures forever.'” Psalm 118:4
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are my Shepherd, that we can know that whatever comes, you have led us into it, as you led your disciples into the storm on the lake, into the opposition of the crowd, into the pain of your death. You have the larger picture, so we can trust and follow you as you walk with us into the future.
 
Psalm 118:5-9 says, “In my anguish I cried to the LORD….” This is the proper response to any situation, going right to you, O God, fleeing from self-pity, worry, fretting and anger to embrace your goodness, wisdom and love.
 
You will respond to our prayer: “In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me” (Ps. 86:7). And your answer begins inside: “I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears” (Ps. 34:4). “In my anguish I cried out to the Lord and he answered by setting me free” (Ps. 118:5).
 
You, Lord God, are the Freedom-giver-freedom from eternal death, from punishment, from condemnation, from selfishness and Satan, as well as from fretting and fear, problems and difficulties. You are always at work to set us free from things that bind us, on a deeper level, in a higher way.
 
Praise be to you for your wisdom, your insight, your understanding. You operate with full knowledge, certain of which thing to work on next, which enemy to defeat, which sin to reveal, which character lack to camp out on until we respond. You don’t guess and fumble as we do in life; you know exactly what is wrong and you know exactly how to deal with it, for you are the Creator, the Healer and the Freedom-bringer.
 
“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid” (Ps.118:6). As we look away to you, fear is defeated, fretting is routed, worry is wiped out, unbelief is banished. They cannot stand in the light of your mighty, majestic, magnificent power, of your gracious, great and good heart, of your perfect, powerful, positive character, of your deep, dynamic, everlasting Love.
 
To trust in you is always wise, to take refuge in you is always good, to rest in you is always right. Praise be to you, Lord Jesus: Creator and King, Lord and Savior, Judge and Victor.
 
Prayer: “To you be glory in my life today and forever more. Help me to flee to you with each challenge, problem and difficulty, so the answer can come from you and bring you glory. Help me today to distrust myself and to trust in you instead. Amen.”
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More on Psalm 62

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 17, 2018
More thoughts on Psalm 62.
 
Psalm 62:6 “[The Lord] alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”
 
[This is an exact copy of verse 2, a repetition of the truth of where real security is found, indicating its importance. As I face each new day, If I seek refuge in the Lord, I will not be shaken, no matter how traumatic the events that come to me.]
 
Psalm 62:7 “My salvation and my honor depend on God;”
 
[We so naturally seek our salvation in our own efforts, and our honor from the opinions of others. However, both our salvation and our honor actually depend fully on God, not on us or others.
 
He has provided salvation both for eternity, and for every day; we know where we are going, and we know He is with us in the nitty-gritty events of life, protecting, guiding and providing.
 
He is the One who has already given us great honor–making us children of the Creator of the Universe, granting us membership in the Kingdom of light, giving us each a special part in His plan. What else could we desire? Yet we stubbornly tend to seek our salvation and honor elsewhere. Forgive us, Lord, help us to seek salvation and honor only from you.]
 
“he is my mighty rock, my refuge.”
 
[The unshakable, unassailable, unconquerable God is the One to be trusted. When all else seems to fall apart, He is there, steady, stable, reliable, good, wise and sure.]
 
Psalm 62:8 “Trust in him at all times, O people;”
 
[There is that command again: “Trust!” When we trust, we can rest. And this is possible all the time because God is always there in His goodness and grace. You, Lord, are sufficient, you are faithful, you are absolutely trustable.]
 
“pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
 
[Lord, It is right, good and necessary to pour out before you all our fears, desires, feelings and thoughts. With our heart emptied of these, with the Spirit’s help we can fill it with Truth and Trust. Then we are safe in your refuge.
 
You will never reject us for being honest with you–you already know all about us–and you are delighted when we are open, transparent and truthful with you. You desire to be our refuge, you call us to yourself, and in you we are safe.]
 
Help us, Lord God, to trust in you more and more, to find our rest, our refuge, our salvation, our honor, our safety, our joy in you. You are worthy of trust, you are worthy of praise, you are worthy of worship. May my life give you honor and glory today as I trust in you alone, demonstrated by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all.
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True Rest

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 16, 2018
I praise you for your wonderful Word, Lord, and the powerful way you use it in our lives. During a very trying time in my life, I wrote the following.
 
Psalm 62:5, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;”
 
[This is a command, not a suggestion. In verse one the same truth is given as a statement “My soul finds rest in God alone,” telling us where rest is possible. Here we are called upon to make a choice to find our rest in You, Lord.
 
We need to turn away from what we naturally pursue for rest–getting what we want, resolution of situations and tensions, positive reactions of people, or removal of conflict.
 
The fact is that each of these solutions is fleeting and superficial, so quickly replaced by other stresses. But finding our rest in you is the true solution, one that is deep, powerful and eternal. Help us to willfully find our rest in you alone.]
 
“my hope comes from him.”
 
[Again, this statement is a bit different from verse one (“my salvation comes from him”). Here is the hope, the certainty of receiving what we desire: rest. But we need to turn from our desire for rest to desiring the One who can grant it.
 
As it says in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.” You. Lord, are to be the focus of our affections; then you can safely give us good things, knowing that they will not become idols.
 
And as we trust, the power of the Spirit comes into our situation; as we intentionally find our rest in you, Lord, then you pour out all kinds of goodness in our lives.]
 
We can trust you because you are Elohim, the incredibly powerful and persistently faithful One. You show your power in creation–you are the star Breather, the galaxy Former, the planet Hanger, the earth Spinner, the dawn Bringer. You are great beyond comprehension.
 
And you are the fully faithful One–you promise and it happens; you plan and it comes to pass. At the right time you came to be our Savior; at the right moment you save us in our daily lives.
 
Therefore, in the midst of present uncertainty and disappointments, I choose now to embrace your character as Elohim–the powerful and faithful One–for you know what you are doing as you shape, guide, change and transform my life. I gladly join you today by wholeheartedly trusting you with total praise.
 
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Psalm 33:21-22

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 15, 2018
Psalm 33:21 “In him our hearts rejoice, ”
 
[You alone are the source of our joy, Lord Jesus. All that is good comes from you, from your gracious heart and grace-filled hand. To know you, to live with you, to be your child, to serve in your power–this is far more than enough for rejoicing, no matter what our circumstances may be.]
 
“for we trust in his holy name.”
 
[Yes, our joy flows because you make it possible for us to trust in you, whose name means “Savior.” You have opened the way so we can know your Name in all its power and purity, its love and light, its faithfulness and forgiveness. You are worthy of trust and submission and obedience.]
Psalm 33:22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,”
 
[Praise you that your love never fails, that your faithfulness never ends, that you character never changes. Praise you for your promise that your love will rest upon us now, today, in the moment of need, and forever!]
 
“even as we put our hope in you.”
 
[Again you remind us that this is a partnership: you provide all, you wait for our participation. May our daily decision be to hope in you , and be ever evidenced by persistent praise in our hearts, minds, souls and mouths.
 
To you be glory forever and ever, Lord Jesus, King of Glory, Lord of lords, Shepherd of power and love. I bow before you in awe and respect, I rise up in submission and obedience to your, your Word, your Spirit, your Truth. Glorify yourself in my life today.
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Help in Life

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 14, 2018
https://www.amazon.com/Edified-Devotionals-Stimulate-Personal-Transformation/dp/1979719446/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518626219&sr=8-2&keywords=s.m.+wibberley&dpID=41N9rlCSmkL&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Got an email from an old friend whose wife, Sue, died last year.
 
He wrote, “I took Chambers’ devotional with me for variety but returned to Edified upon return. Of great interest to me was discovering again the underlining and marginal notes in Sue’s copy. She frequently would place the year in the margin (2014-16) as if to say “amen” to your point.
 
I believe your book benefited her more than any other factor in developing a sweet attitude of submission and peace during her last two years of illness.”
 
You, too, can benefit from the book EDIFIED! 365 devotionals to stimulate personal worship and spark inner transformation–as it did for Sue in her suffering. Click on the link above to see the book.

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Psalm 33:19-20

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 14, 2018
Psalm 33:19 “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him…to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.”
 
[Here is the true picture. You, Lord Jesus, are the only One who can deliver us from death. In the greatest way you have delivered us from eternal separation from you by your own death and resurrection. We are saved and safe now for eternity!
 
And you save us every day. How many times have you saved me from near accidents, including potential head-on crashes–and how you protected us in the one head-on crash we did have. You are at work in seen and unseen ways, delivering us from death daily.
 
On another level, you are the One who keeps us alive by supplying our daily bread, often in great abundance. You see our need and provide it. You are the Source of all, you are the Provider of all that is necessary and far more.
 
Psalm 33:20 “We wait in hope for the LORD;”
 
[Instead of trying to save ourselves in our feeble strength, it is much wiser to pray and wait for you to act, Lord and then join you in it.
 
Sometimes we wait for a long time, but you are faithful and will act at the right time, just as you did with Joseph. You kept him in prison until he had learned all that was necessary. Then at the right moment you brought him out, ready for the great work for which you had prepared him.
 
In you there is hope, a certainty of provision at the right time, the hope of love moved by wisdom and power to bring about what is best.]
 
“he is our help and our shield.”
 
[Your mighty, majestic power moves in love to support us in our weakness. You consistently pour out upon us grace, wisdom, insight, peace, joy and rest. Out of your superb strength you move to shield us from the attacks of the enemy, from all that would harm us spiritually. You hold your hand of power over us to ward off the evil one and evil men. You only are our true help and shield.]
 
You are the God who is beyond our dreams, beyond our hopes, beyond our understanding. You are Great and Powerful, Glorious and Perfect, Gracious and Pure. You are the fulfillment of the longing of our hearts and far more. Glory and honor certainly belong to you alone! May they flow from my life to you today.]
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Psalm 33:18

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 13, 2018
 
Psalm 33:18 “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,”
 
[It is wise to choose to fear You, Lord, rather than people. This means to stand in awe of your wisdom, to care deeply what you think about each thing, and to live in submission to your Truth rather than culture or personal preference. Fearing you leads us to choose what is right rather than just what is comfortable.
 
Our hope must be in your gracious and good heart of love, not in people, or circumstances or our own efforts. We must choose to come to you, to seek your help, to rest in and trust in you. Then you will act on our behalf. You call us to an active partnership role, to live in responses of faith.
 
King Jehoshaphat demonstrated this for us in 2 Chronicles 20 when he was suddenly confronted by a massive invading army. He chose to fear you rather than the enemy and demonstrated this by immediately coming to you for help and guidance rather than turning first to his generals.
 
He then demonstrated his trust of you by sending out a choir before his army to sing praises to you. And as the choir began to sing, you caused the enemy soldiers to turn on each other and the whole attacking army was destroyed.
 
You saved Jehoshaphat and his people by your power poured out in response to praise generated by trust that flowed from fearing you.]
 
Lord help us to find our hope in you, to fear you rather than whatever threatens us. Help us to actively trust you by coming to you first in any challenge, and by offering praise to your name instead of complaining and living in fear, hopelessness and despair.
 
May we walk in the light of the truth that, “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining on ever more brightly until the full light of day” (Prov. 4:18).
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Psalm 33:16-17

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 12, 2018
Psalm 33:16 “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.”
 
[Large armies and great strength are not the deciding factor–God is, as in the following examples.
 
–I think of the huge multinational army that came against King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. He turned to God for help and God caused the enemy soldiers to turn on one another and destroy themselves.
–I think of the great army of Assyria that came against King Hezekiah and how the Lord put to death 185,000 of them in one night by a plague and saved Jerusalem (2 Kings 19:36).
–I Think of David versus Goliath, and of Daniel versus the lions.
–Then there is Paul, attacked and beaten by the Jews at the temple, but God sent the Roman commander to save him.
 
In each case the deciding factor is not might or size, but God.
 
So it is with us, Lord, for we are weak and vulnerable to then powerful forces around us–think of the poor Christians in Syria who flee from one conflict after another. But we can and must turn to you for help, rather than looking to the puny powers of this world.]
 
Psalm 33:17 “A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.”
 
[In David’s days a horse was the strongest weapon available in battle, the most powerful military means, but it was not enough to deliver. The rider needed help from God, or he was doomed.
 
So it is with us: technology, machines and weapons are available, but they are just tools, useless without you, Lord. Your plan is stated in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty.”
 
You alone, Lord, are the Ruler, the Decider, the Helper of all who turn to you. “My salvation and my honor depend on God. He is my mighty rock and my refuge” (Ps. 62:7). “Blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” (Ps. 34:8). We must turn first to you: “This poor man called and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Ps. 34:6).]
 
Lord, forgive me for first looking for help in the wrong places: my own efforts, people, professionals, possessions, money and machines. Help me instead to call out first of all to you. Then deliver me in such a way that you get the glory and that all around me will see that it is your work, not that of mere men. Thank you now for how you will answer this prayer in all that is to come.
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Psalm 33:13-15

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 10, 2018
 
Psalm 33:13-14 “From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth….”
 
[The Lord gazes across the universe, past thousands of galaxies to the Milky Way, then down to one tiny speck under one arm, where He is able to observe every single person, to see everything each does. Such all-encompassing, infinite ability, such penetrating power, such total focus is amazing. No one is hidden from your sight.
 
What a grief it must be to you to see your creatures continually choosing to sin, to hurt others, to dishonor your name, to continually rebel. Yet, in your great love and mercy you keep on looking down and working among us.
 
Psalm 33:15 “he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”
 
You, Lord, don’t just observe, you think about what we are doing, evaluating and weighing each decision and the motives behind it. This should strike fear in the hearts of rebels, and it should give encouragement to us who are your children, knowing that we can be totally honest with you, for you already know all. You are beyond comprehension in your powers and goodness, worthy of our worship and trust!]
 
[You, as our Maker, then go on to empower your children to live according to what is right. “By his divine power he has given us all we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him…” (2 Pet. 1:3)].
 
However, for those who reject your offer of mercy, forgiveness and adoption, who rely on their “good works” to save them, the outcome is very different. As it says in Rev 20:13,15 “each person was judged according to what he had done…If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
 
Our own works bring not salvation, but damnation. However, there is that wonderful “IF” in this sentence “if our names are…written in the book of life.” And praise God that, for believers in Christ, this is a reality: our names are written in that book by the Lamb of God Himself!
 
Glory be to you, mighty and loving Lord, the all-seeing God, for you are worthy to be honored, lifted up and praised throughout this day. May I do so wholeheartedly, continually, persistently, for this is the purpose of my life, to glorify you in whatever comes.
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Psalm 33

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 9, 2018
Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
 
[“Blessed” is, in a way, too weak a word for the wonder of being the people of God, part of the universal Church, being chosen for His inheritance, being included in His Kingdom and future.
 
These great privileges are highlighted when I consider what I actually deserved as an enemy of God, incapable in myself of obeying Him. You, Lord, would have been right and righteous to strike me down upon birth, sending me directly to hell and separating yourself from me for eternity.
 
Yet you called me to be one of your children, a princeling in your family, a brother to Jesus and an ambassador for your Kingdom. You cleansed and transformed me, you chose and cherished me, and I stand before you dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in. Not because of what I am, but because of who you are: Love itself, Light itself, Life itself, breathing new creation into a life born a ruin, giving worth to what was destructive, making useful what was dangerous.
 
To belong to you, O Holy Heavenly Father, is a marvelous shift of fortune, a wonderful change of status, an undeserved privilege of grace, a miraculous outcome–all dependent on your goodness.
 
Praise be to you that you gave worth where there was waste, you gave value where there was viciousness, you gave life where there was death. In you we are wanted, worthwhile and watched over. To be your people is a privilege beyond comprehension.
 
To think on this brings praise to my lips. Truly praise is your due, praise is our privilege, praise is our gift, praise is our joy. You are worthy of this, O Lord, in every way.
 
So we eagerly give you glory, honor and praise for the incredible goodness of your heart, the unbelievable forgiveness of your character, the incomprehensibly lavish love of your being and we bow before you in thankfulness, gratitude and joy. We rise up to return your love through obedience, rejoicing and praise. Glory be to you in our lives today. Amen.
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