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Psalm 8:5-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 4, 2017
Psalm 8:5 “You made him [man] a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
 
[you made us for a specific position in your creation, and in this you granted us glory and honor because you loved us, giving us significant roles:]
 
Psalm 8:6 “You made him ruler over the works of your hands;”
[You gave us position and power, meaning and might, dominion and direction. You called us to partnership with you in administrating what you created. And this is still true, even after the fall, even though we are twisted and imperfect, for you are gracious and good, wanting us to have meaningful work and productive purpose.]
 
Psalm 8:7-8 “you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”
 
[You are so gracious to give such a broad range of responsibility to humans you knew would fail and fall, both in what Adam did, and in how we fail to treat your creation with respect and care—and I praise you that you will restore us to pristine purity again so we may rule further with you in the new heaven and earth!]
 
“O LORD, our Lord,”
 
[Again, you make yourself “our Lord:” the personal, present, passionate, powerful and perfect God, Ruler of all, Lover of all, Redeemer of all–even though you know that many will not accept the forgiveness you have purchased at great cost.]
 
[Truly] “how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
 
Your name is majestic in perfection, in creation, in redemption and in salvation. Therefore you are worthy of worship from every being throughout all the earth, throughout all the universe, throughout all eternity. May that begin today by us giving honor through praise to your majestic name in whatever you allow in our lives throughout this day. Amen.
 
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Psalm 8:3-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 3, 2017
Psalm 8:3 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…,”
[Last night walking back home after dark, the stars were wonderfully bright and clear, the sliver of a new moon so distinct in the sky—and this despite the light pollution of the nearby city.
 
It was a stimulating sight, a reminder of how vast the universe is, of how small and insignificant we are. As we view the unimaginably immense stretches of the heavens, think of the incredible, amazing size and number of stars, galaxies and formations of galaxies—all created by you, Lord–we get a small idea of how infinitely great and powerful you are. And this makes us ask:]
 
Psalm 8:4 “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
 
[We are so little, so unimportant, so insignificant–just tiny creatures hidden away on a speck of cosmic dust tucked under one arm of an insignificant galaxy.
 
Yet you not only think of us, you value us and desire a relationship with each one, in spite of our being twisted by sin and selfishness. And you were willing to pay a huge price to be able to take us into your family.
 
You are consistently mindful of us and you do care deeply for us, in spite of what we are naturally. Praise be to you for your grace, giving us undeserved goodness; for your kindness, returning blessing when we hurt you by disobedience and unbelief; and for your faithfulness, correcting us over and over again as we stumble through life.
 
You are a marvel, Lord, majestic in grace, mighty in love and most worthy of worship by all of your creation. May I give you honor today by giving the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all that comes.]
 
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Psalm 8:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 2, 2017
Psalm 8:2 “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise”
 
[You give the weak, the unrecognized, the unimportant the great possibility of giving glory to you—such a significant task your grant them! Praise you that you give the privilege of praise to all, even infants. May we join them in giving peons of praise to you throughout the day.]
 
“because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
 
[What a wonder: you use the praise of the weak to defeat your powerful enemies, starting with Satan, the avenger, and his forces! What an amazing thought! The deliverance of king Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 comes to mind.
 
As the king faced a great coalition army, he came to you for help, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2Ch 20:12)
 
Then after a prophet foretold that God would deliver them, in faith “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD” (2Ch 20:18).
 
The king then followed the unusual strategy of sending out singers, a choir, before his army as they set out for battle. How would you like to be in an unarmed choir between two armies about to fight? It was a big step of faith for the choir, as well as the king. And God honored this faith.
 
“As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2Ch 20:22).
 
God responded to this praise of trust in Him and sovereignly defeated the enemy. Such praise is a pure act of faith, for there was no discernible reason to praise, except for knowing the powerful and good character of God.
 
So it is with us. As it says in Psalm 50:23, “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving [giving thanks when we don’t want to], honors me [fulfilling the purpose of our lives] and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.”
 
Praise opens the way for God’s help; complaining closes the door. May we follow king Jehoshaphat’s example of going immediately to God, seeking His help and praising Him for it before any answer comes. This honors our Lord greatly and defeats the enemy whether we can see it or not!
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Psalm 8:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 1, 2017
Psalm 8:1 For the director of music. According to gittith. A Psalm of David.
 
“O LORD,”
 
[You are Yahweh, the great I AM, who exists from eternity to eternity, having no beginning, no end–the Creator of stars, Maker of the earth, Bringer of the dawn. You are great and glorious, powerful and pure, the Lord of all.]
 
“our Lord,”
 
[You are THE LORD and you are also OUR Lord. You stoop down to enter our little lives, to walk with us, work with us, watch over us. You invite us to join you in your majestic plans, making meaningful work for each of your children, tailored lovingly to fit our abilities, gifting and situation.
 
You are my Lord: present, alert, watching, ruling, protecting, guiding and deeply involved in every detail of my life. You I can trust, you I can be sure of, you I can praise in every incident because you are good, through and through.]
 
“how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
 
[Your name, O Eternal God, is pure and powerful, holy and great. You move with majesty, unrushed, sure, full of grace and glory. You are high and mighty, the only One with no beginning and no end. You are the One to be extolled and lifted up before all creation.
 
Truly, your name is to be exalted above all in all the earth, in all the universe. It is to be honored by our reverence, our obedience, our awe and worship. You are to be exalted throughout the whole earth, by every person in every place at every time, for all of time and beyond–for you are worthy.]
 
“You have set your glory above the heavens.”
 
[You who spoke and created the stars, who stretched out the heavens with your hand, who set the limits for time and tide, you are far beyond the heavens, you are outside of time, you are beyond human comprehension.
 
Your glory is far above us, far beyond what we can imagine, yet in your grace you give us small glimpses into the beauty of your character. I see echoes of your glory in Springtime with the wealth of flowers, each more lovely than the last. I see your glory In their colors—bright and gentle, rich and wonderful; in their shapes—varied and pleasant, crisp and smooth; in their scents—pleasing and positive, pure and powerful.
 
So it is with you, Lord: you are beautiful, lovely, colorful, richly scented, wonderfully complex and grandly inspiring—and much more so than anything we can imagine in our earth-bound understanding. Truly your glory is great, stretching beyond the limits of the universe.
 
Help me to remember this and to continually stand in awe of you, to honor you today by wholehearted obedience to what I know to be true.]
 
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Towers of Truth

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 31, 2017

From EDIFIED!

“The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.” Psalm 37:30,31
 
Praise be to you this morning, Lord God, for your wonderful Word: living, powerful, deep, transforming and encouraging. It is life-giving, guiding, convicting, protecting.
Psalm 94:18,19 says, “When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me.” This is so true; when I have felt abandoned, a failure, useless, unloved or attacked, you, in love, used your Word to support me. Your Spirit brought to mind passages of power, sections of strength and towers of Truth to flee to for help and protection.
When attacked by others, Psalm 37 is my favorite fortress, providing powerful protection: “Fret not yourself because of evildoers…for they shall be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb” (verse 1). This Psalm is a beacon of Light, giving perspective and guidance: “Trust in the Lord and do good, so shall you dwell in the land and be fed” (verse 3). It is the high and protecting wall of Hope: “Delight yourself in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart” (verse 4).
I praise and thank you, Lord Jesus for sending the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to your love in your Word. I praise you for keeping my foot from slipping—and how often, how faithfully you have done that. “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul” (Ps. 94:19). Praise you that with your Word you combat the worry in my soul and its debilitating cousin, anxiety. You not only defeat them, you replace them with that joy of jubilation in the worship of you.
Again, Psalm 37 is often the light shining in the darkness of my worry, as conflict, false accusations and others’ displaced anger batter my soul: “Commit Your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass, He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noon day sun” (Ps. 37:5,6).
And how often did you, in the end, resolve those conflicts, bringing good out of them. This happened because you are faithful and your Word is right; it is powerful, it is effective, it is True and as we obey it–and you–we see you work all out for good, growth and your glory.
 
Prayer: “Praise you, Lord God, for giving us the living Word, for sending Your good Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the comfort, perspective and truth we need at the moment. Help me to always and immediately flee to your Word in my difficulties. Help me to think Truth, to respond with grace, praise and prayer so you will be glorified. Amen.”
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Psalm 7:17

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 30, 2017
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 7:12-15

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 29, 2017
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. 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.]
 
“He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. 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 from the new Heaven and Earth, 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, you, Lord. are at work and we can rest in that, joining you in returning good for evil, blessing for cursing, prayers for persecution. Guide us in doing that today.]
 
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Psalm 7:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 27, 2017
Psalm 7:11 “God is a righteous judge,”
 
[You are absolutely right in your decisions, Lord God, you are absolutely 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, and 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, even now! 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 we, as followers of Jesus, having entered the shelter of your forgiveness, 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 evil, and Ruler of Righteousness, to you we come, to you we bow, to you we give glory, for you we want to be open, transparent, humbled, whole-hearted and committed 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.]
 
Below: First snowdrops out yesterday, God’s promise of good things to come.
 
 
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Psalm 7:9-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 26, 2017
 
Psalm 7:9 “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts,”
 
[You, Lord God, know the full truth about every person, for nothing is hidden from you, as you discern our thoughts 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, then at the right time locking them up in Hell 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 Most High, you are the Great and Final Authority. 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 protect 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, present and 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 action.]
 
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Psalm 7:6-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 25, 2017
 
Psalm 7:6 “Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies.”
 
[Praise you, Lord God, our Heavenly Father, that you hate sin and injustice, that your anger and wrath, like an avenging fire, are directed against all evil and wrong-doing, against the rage of your enemies Praise you that you act against sin at the right time and in the right way, whether it be in us or our enemies.]
“Awake, my God; decree justice.”
 
[This is our hope: that you, O God, are just, that what you decree and judge will be right, pure and good, done in full knowledge of peoples’ motives, thoughts and deeds. Therefore, we can trust you fully.]
 
Psalm 7:7 “Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high; let the LORD judge the peoples.”
 
[In you, O Jehovah, is safety; you only are our refuge. You look down from your throne and see the hearts of every person on earth, you observe all that they do, so you know and judge correctly. You are the One we can trust.]
 
Psalm 7:8 “Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.”
 
[Praise you, O Lord God, that you do not judge me according to my own righteousness–for I have none–but that you judge me according to the righteousness of Christ, in the goodness of Jesus that He has bought for me at the cross. You have given me this righteousness, qualifying me to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light! (Col. 1:12) In you I am called, cleansed, transformed, claimed as your child, commissioned to special service, deeply cherished and dearly loved.
 
With you there is the hope of forgiveness, the certainty of acceptance, the gift of love and the power of grace. I can freely confess my sin to you, for you are good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy and truth to all those who call upon you (Psa. 86:5). And I can stand tall and sure at your side, knowing that I am in the shelter of the Most High; no one can accuse me of anything that you, Lord Jesus, have not covered with your cleansing blood.
 
May I live for you today, Lord Jesus, trusting you in whatever comes, fulfilling the purpose of my life by giving you honor and glory continually in thanksgiving and praise.]
 
 
 
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