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Psalm 30:4,5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 15, 2016
Psalm 30:4 “Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.”
 
[YES! This must be our response to you, Lord, singing and praising you for your marvelous character, which is displayed in your holy name.
 
You are sinless, separate, and strong; you are glorious, gracious, and great; you are worthy of worship, worthy of praise, worthy of our surrender, love and obedience. To you be honor in song, glory in praise, exaltation in thanksgiving.]
 
Psalm 30:5 “For his anger lasts only a moment,”
 
[Praise you that you are angry with sin, that you move to judge and punish, that you don’t draw back from chastening us. And that your anger ends when your desire is accomplished.]
 
“but his favor lasts a lifetime;”
 
[You are a God of forgiveness, of grace and of goodness, pouring out your undeserved favor on us forever. As it says in Psalm 18:19, “He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because he delighted in me.”
 
Praise be to you that you can delight in your redeemed but far from perfect adopted children. We rejoice in your favor, we exalt in your goodness, we revel in your love, we bask in your grace. You are wonderful, you are marvelous, you are incredibly, unbelievably, beyond conception good!]
 
“weeping may remain for a night,”
 
[You do take us through loss, disappointment, difficulty and heartbreak, but for good and wise reasons. Some of them are to mature us, to shape us, to deepen us that we may be more useful for you, share more in your glory and earn a greater reward in heaven.]
 
“but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
 
[Weeping in the night, especially the weeping of repentance, is followed by joy in the morning as we see what you have done, how you have forgiven, how you embrace, accept and love us. As we move out of the darkness of our limited understanding into the light of your deep and broad wisdom, we are able to comprehend more of your great and marvelous mind.
 
To you be glory, O Lord, to you be honor, to you be trust, praise and thanksgiving, for you are worthy of worship at all times, in all circumstances, in all outcomes. May you be honored today in my heart, my mind, my soul and my strength. Amen.
 
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Romans 15:13

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 14, 2016
Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of Hope….” and that is what you are, Lord, the God who is the source of hope, who offers hope to all, who calls us to hope. And your hope is not a “maybe,” “perhaps,” or ‘I wish it were so” uncertainty. It is a rock-solid surety—you promise, you carry through, you deliver.
 
You desire to fill your children “with all joy and peace….” This says so much about you, my Lord God. You desire good for us, to give us the joy and peace that every person longs for. We desire a joy that is unquenchable, undefeatable by the difficulties, tragedies and suffering of life; and we can have it because you, the unchanging God, are its source. You don’t do things half way: you don’t offer just some joy but ALL joy.
 
You give us a purchased peace: sure and sound, deep and dynamic, restful and responsible. We can have peace with you by eagerly confessing our sin and sins, then receiving your rich, healing forgiveness. We can have peace with ourselves by forgiving ourselves as you have forgiven us. And we can have peace with others by forgiving them as we have been forgiven.
There is, however, a condition in this: you promise this joy and peace, “as [we] trust in him….” Our part is to believe you, to live in the truth of what you are. As we look away from the aggravations, disappointments and difficulties of life to you, it is clear that we can trust you, the Great Shepherd.
 
In trust we can respond with praise, no matter how painful the situation is, because you, in your wisdom, grace and mercy have allowed this for good in our lives and for glory in yours. Forgive us for the many times each day we trust ourselves instead of you. Help us to ever grow in our trust as we see you in the Word, in your work, in the world.
 
Trusting then brings more grace from you for us to live in and to pass on to others: “trust…so that your lives may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Here is your plan: the more we know you, the more we can trust you; the more we trust you, the more joy and peace you give us, and the more hope we can have.
 
This hope is the certainty of your goodness, power, wisdom and love surrounding us, guiding us, protecting us, filtering all that comes to us, carrying us through to the end and then will come our translation into your presence.
 
When we trust in you, we become the source of hope, the spring of hope, the stream of hope, the river of hope to everyone we meet, for it will flow out in our attitude, in our words, in our actions, in our reactions.
 
Those around us are thirsty for hope, and we can bring it to them by trusting in you.
 
Help us to be daily in the Word and in personal worship, living in the light of your presence all through the day. May we trust in you so that all peace and joy and hope may overflow from our lives onto those around us, giving you growing glory. Amen.”
 
–From the devotional book EDIFIED!
 
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Psalm 30:2,3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 13, 2016
Psalm 30:2 “ O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.”
 
[You, O Triune God, are revealed in your names: you are the final authority (Yahweh); you are the infinitely Powerful One (Elohim); you are the absolutely Faithful One (Adonai).
 
To you I can call in my distress, for I know that in your authority, power and faithfulness you answer in wisdom, goodness, and grace. Although I don’t deserve it, you answer, you act, you help, you heal. Praise you that you are real, you are loving, you are present and you are powerful. I can trust you in all.]
 
Psalm 30:3 “O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.”
 
[You can heal when all hope is lost, you can restore when no possibility remains, you can give life when death is imminent. I praise you for your grace in preserving us when we deserve destruction.
To know you is to have a rich life, a full life, eternal life; to trust you is freedom from worry, fear and anxiety; to rest in you is true, lasting and powerful peace.
 
I give you glory for your goodness to me, Lord, for the certainty of your activity in my life, and for the joy of a future with you. I am so blessed, so filled with your goodness, so gifted with joy and knowledge and experience with you, so privileged to be able to join you through prayer in what you are doing.
 
To know you, Father God, King of Glory, Lord of the Universe, to be your child, to be given a place at your table, in your family, in your Kingdom, to have instant access to your heart and attention, to be called to work with you—these are great and powerful privileges, undeserved, totally from grace, wonderfully bestowed, gratefully received.
Lord Jesus, may you be exalted in my life today; Heavenly Father, may you be pleased with my life today; Holy Spirit, may you be honored through obedience in my life today.
 
May you, the Triune God, be lifted up, revealed and exalted in me. I praise you now for all you are going to bring to pass, for it can only be good because you are only good.
 
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Psalm 30:1b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 12, 2016
Psalm 30:1b “and did not let my enemies gloat over me.”
 
[You, Lord Jesus, are the Great and Powerful One, the Mighty and Wise One who is my Rock, my Fortress and my Defender. You persistently reach down into the world of sin and evil to protect your children.
You do not want my enemies to gloat over me, so you are consistently at work to deliver me at the right time. You will at times allow me to suffer enough to learn the lessons I need, but it will certainly be far less suffering than I deserve!
 
I praise you that in the day of trouble you will keep me safe in your dwelling, you will set me high upon a rock and exalt my head above the enemies that surround me (Ps. 27).
 
I praise you that as I commit my way to you and trust also in you, you will bring the best to pass, you will bring forth the righteousness you’ve given me as the light and my judgment as the noon day sun (Ps. 37).
 
I praise you that you give us your shield of victory, that you support us with your powerful right arm, that you stoop down from your throne to make us great as your children (Ps. 18).
 
To you be glory and honor and praise, O Lord God, the Triune One, the Perfect One, the Powerful One, the Most High Ruler of all. To you I bow down today, to you I give honor, to you I rise up to live in obedience. Give me the direction and wisdom you know I need, O Lord, and I praise you now that you will.
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From the Devotional Book Edified, August 11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 11, 2016
From the devotional book EDIFIED!
 
“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Psalm 18:1,2
 
The more we are tied to Jesus, the more healthily independent we are of the weather, of circumstances, of our surroundings—for we then live in the unseen, which is higher, more real and more powerful than what we can see and touch.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the Rock in our lives, never shifting, never changing, never shaking. You are our Salvation: from sin, from ourselves, from harm, from evil, from fears, from frivolity, from negatives, from human thinking, from complaining, from idol worship, from laziness, overwork, burn out, selfishness, pride, manipulation and greed–to name a few.
You are the mighty Tower: strong and sure, standing high over the dangers and demons of this world. You are our ever-effective Refuge and Redeemer. As our high Tower, it is as if you lift us up, set us on your shoulder, make us safe, give us a wider view, bring us understanding, hold us near your heart, and give us wisdom and insight.
 
With you, in you, by you, all is good. We can rejoice, for we are protected, our future is secure, we are set free to obey you with joy, to worship you with all our hearts, to love you with all our mind, strength and will.
 
When we look to you and truly see you in your beauty and glory, greatness and goodness, we are dizzy with delight, for you are beyond what we could possibly have thought up in our limited imaginations. We tend to think of you in human terms, which are far below what you really are.
 
Where we imagine you to be like us, you are completely other: holy, sinless, entirely good, perfectly balanced, immensely powerful, totally independent, full of contra-conditional love, ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all who call upon you. You are a wonder, you are wonderful, you are fully worthy of our worship.
 
Prayer: “Glory be to you, Lord Jesus, my God and King, for you are worthy of all my wonder and worship! Help me to follow you into the freedom you have prepared for your children. Amen.”
 
 
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Out of the Dark

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 10, 2016
Psalm 30:1 A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.
 
“I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths….”
 
[To exalt you, Lord, is to enthusiastically declare that you are worthy of honor, of worship, of praise and of glory. You are the gracious and faithful, wise, powerful and loving One.
 
You are totally other than any of your creatures, totally independent of your creation; you have no need of anything or anyone. You are perfect and sinless, you hate sin and will punish it and eliminate all evil.
 
Yet you love sinners and have made a way for us to be forgiven, transformed and adopted into your family, to escape the punishment that will come on all who refuse your refuge.
 
You have lifted us out of the depths of Satan’s dominion of darkness, out of death, out of the prison of our evil desires and selfish rebellion. You have brought us out into your light, into your love and into your life where we will live forever. You have made us your children, your partners, your friends.
 
So I exalt you, Lord Jesus, for you are a marvel, a wonder–too good to be true, yet Truth itself.
 
I exalt you for cleansing us in your blood, washing us with the water of the Word and setting us upon the Rock. You are worthy of praise for bringing us into the light of your presence, into the warmth of your love, the acceptance of your grace and the wonder of your goodness.
 
You brought us out into a spacious place because you delighted in us, even before we believed in you; you did this because of your great love that works against all reason, against all odds, against all human idea of justice.
 
You are worthy of exaltation, Jesus, for you are the LORD Yahweh, King of glory, Savior of the world, Shepherd of the redeemed and Leader of all who will follow.
Help us, Lord, to live in the light of your goodness, to be your disciples by denying ourselves so we can obey your Word, to take up our cross daily and to follow you with all our hearts. May we today run with endurance the race you have set before us.
 
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When Things are Dark

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 9, 2016
 
From an entry in my worship journal during a difficult time of my life:
 
Lord, we are weak; in ourselves we are defenseless against the wiles of the enemy. You are the only One to whom we turn, for you are our Rock, our Fortress, our Defender. You are our Shelter, our Shield, our Strength and our Stronghold. Help us to quickly seek shelter in you when trouble comes, to trust you, to join you and to be more than conquerors in you.
 
Lord, there are a number of difficult situations going on around me now that weigh on my heart:
–A previously successful team has been torn apart by internal conflicts
–A newly married wife has left her husband.
–A leader is under great pressure personally, in his work and in his leading.
–A disciple is being hit with multiple disappointments and injustice.
 
I pray for each one with these thoughts from Psalm 37 and 2 Corinthians 12:9,10
–May each person involved hear what God is saying and heed Him.
–May they “trust in the Lord and do good.”
–May they “delight themselves in God” so that He may place proper desires in their hearts and then “give them the desires of their hearts.”
–May they “commit their ways to the Lord and trust in Him.”
–May He “bring forth their righteousness as light, their judgment as the noon day sun.”
–May they delight in their weaknesses so Christ’s power can come.
–May they willingly be broken (learning to trust in God, not in themselves).
–May God thwart the plans of Satan in each person’s life.
–May there be repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation on every level.
–May God be glorified rather than shamed by the outcomes.
 
I praise you, Father, that in each case you are there, at work, chastening and protecting, shaping and guiding, exposing and shielding. Lord, help each one to turn to you, to follow hard after you, to embrace their suffering, disappointment and pressure, to take up and use your grace.
 
I praise you that our eyes must be on you, for we know not what to do. To be weak is unpleasant, but it is good when we are driven into your arms, into your truth, into your goodness, into prayer and your Word. May that be my response and that of each one involved in these difficulties.
 
I praise you now, Lord, for your gracious provision before I see it worked out. Thank you, that you are the Almighty One who breathed the stars, who holds all atoms together, who loves your children and answers prayer. To you be glory for what you are doing in each of these people.
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Psalm 29:11b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 8, 2016
Psalm 29:11b, “the LORD blesses his people with peace.”
 
[You, Lord Jesus, are the Prince of Peace, the Purchaser of Peace, the Purveyor of Peace. I praise you that in your willing sacrifice for our sins, you opened the way for a three dimensional peace—peace with you, with ourselves and with others.
 
Thank you that you have placed in our hands you the power to produce peace through forgiveness. This is the power to move against what is in this twisted world where we naturally seek revenge, hold grudges and strike back.
 
Instead we can be both grace receivers and grace givers— receiving your forgiveness as we confess and repent; forgiving ourselves; and forgiving others as you have forgiven us, thereby extending grace by doing what is high and gracious, freeing and healing.
 
In this you have richly blessed us, displaying your marvelous love in your gracious, transforming forgiveness, offered to all, efficacious to all who receive it.
 
I praise you for your love that is higher than the heavens, wider than the universe, longer than eternity, deeper than our imagination.
 
I praise you today for what will come to pass and what will not come to pass, for success and failure, for opportunities to forgive myself and others, thereby giving you glory and passing on your blessings to others.
 
You are worthy of our worship and love, our praise and honor, our surrender and obedience. May we live in these, exalting your name before the nations, before the unseen hosts of angels and the domain of the devil.
 
Today may our obedience to what we know to be right bring you honor in all, Lord Jesus, as we confess our sins to you and receive your forgiveness, as we forgive ourselves and then forgive others.
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Psalm 29:10,11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 7, 2016
Psalm 29:10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;”
 
[You, O Yahweh, as Creator, Sustainer and Ender of All, sit above the flood of time, the flood of events, the flood of nations and peoples.
 
You are unchanging, without age, without growth or alteration, for you are timeless perfection itself. You are mighty, all knowing, all seeing, for you dwell outside of time, you reign over time, and will end time, ushering in eternity,. You are the Most High, the Almighty Ruler, the Everlasting God.]
 
“the LORD is enthroned as King forever.”
 
[There is no end to your righteous rule: your dominion extends through all eternity, your power will never diminish, your plans will always work out.
 
No one can defeat you, no one can fool you, no one can out think you. You are the Savior, the Judge, the Forgiver and the Good Shepherd. To you belongs all honor and glory and awe.]
Psalm 29:11 “The LORD gives strength to his people;”
 
[You in your good graciousness draw us into your embrace and share your power with your people, even though we deserve the opposite. We are by nature rebels, evil, worthy of punishment, failure, suffering and death.
 
But in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are called, cleansed, claimed as your people, commissioned and equipped to special service and cherished as your children.
 
You pour your strength into each area of our lives: spiritual, intellectual, volitional, emotional, physical, social, financial. Therefore, we can continually move forward even when all human resources fail.
 
Praise you, Lord, for all your gracious love and provision. You are totally worthy of honor, of worship, of obedience, and I bow before you today to walk in happy submission, joining you in what you will do, praising you in and for all.
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From the Devotional Book, EDIFIED!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 6, 2016
“Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.”
Psalm 106:3
 
Lord Jesus, you love righteousness and justice. You who are pure and perfect, and you call us to your high and holy standards, promising us blessing when we keep them.
 
But sadly, we do not do this, for we are so self-centered, so self-willed, so self-serving. Just like the Israelites, “We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly…they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled…” (Ps 106:6,7).
 
In our crises, large and small, we, like the Israelites, forget your goodness, forget all the ways you have helped us in the past. Instead we get impatient and wallow in disappointment and self-pity. We look only at our own failed plans and lack of self-fulfillment, forgetting all that you have done in our lives: the protection, the provision, the prayers answered, the many positives.
 
But, Lord God, even when we don’t repent, you are patient and good to us, fulfilling your purpose for us, as you did with the children of Israel: “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known” (Ps. 106:8).
 
We however, persist in our rebellious ways: “Then they despised the pleasant land…” (Ps 106:24a). You, Lord, lay before us what you know to be a pleasant possibility, like the country of Canaan; however we see only the problems, with giants in the land, the walled cities and danger—threats to our lust for self-fulfillment, our security, our comfort.
 
“They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD” (Ps 106:25). We fail to praise you for the difficulties you allow in our lives. We choose not to see them as a call to action, to an adventure with you, to a chance to join you in your great redemptive plan for the universe. We see only our own inconvenience.
 
Therefore we grumble, bringing great dishonor to you—our unbelief, our rebellion against your Word and Character steal glory and praise and honor from you before the unseen hosts of demons and angels, from before the people around us, from our own eyes. We dishonor you for the sake of our own convenience!
 
Prayer: “Help us, Lord, to see the larger picture of your Greatness, your Glory, your Grace. Help us to view all that comes into our lives from your perspective, knowing that you, the Sovereign Lord, the King of Glory, the Ruler of the Universe have filtered every detail for our good, have given all the grace we need, and in every instance give us opportunity to lift your name on high. This is the purpose of our existence.
 
Help us, O Lord, to continually “offer the sacrifice of praise that we may honor you, and open the way that you may show us the salvation of the Lord” (Ps. 50:23). Amen.
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