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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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Shaken by His Power

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 4, 2016

Psalm 29:4 “the voice of the LORD is majestic.”

[To stand under the darkened sky, to see the great shafts of lightening flash to the earth, to hear the powerful peals of thunder as they make the ground shake–this is to see a tiny piece of your majestic, overwhelming greatness, Lord. You are awesomely magnificent and incomprehensibly powerful.]

Psalm 29:5  “The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.”

[The power of a storm, the breath of your mouth, can smash the greatest cedar trees; you are unbelievably strong, Lord. We cannot begin to grasp the power of your person, the might of your mind, the strength of your Spirit. A storm like this gives only a tiny inkling of your mighty hand’s ability.]

Psalm 29:6  “He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.”

[By your power you can shake a land with earthquakes, move mountains, shift and split the landscape. You are great, O God.]

Psalm 29:7,8 “The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.”

[Your power moves over the landscape, from the mountains of Lebanon to the great deserts, sweeping away all in your path.]

Psalm 29:9  “The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.”

[Where you have passed, all is carried away, the leaves are gone, the trees stand gaunt. You power is displayed, your might is manifest, our hearts are stirred, and we are filled with awe and fear, reminded of our smallness and your greatness.]

“And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’ “

[You, O Lord God, are Awesome, Overwhelming, Majestic, Powerful, Strong and Mighty. You are worthy of worship, worthy of glory, worthy of our surrender, awe and fear.

We confess our foolish pride, repent of our fruitless rebellion and bow before you, the Worthy and Mighty One. We submit ourselves to you, we rise up to serve you today in joyful obedience, joining you whole-heartedly in what you are doing in and around us.  May you, the all-powerful One, be lifted up and exalted in our lives today!

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Mighty God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 3, 2016
 
Psalm 29:2 “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;”
 
[You, Lord God, deserve all glory, all honor, all praise, all worship, all adoration, for you are the glorious One, the powerful One, the perfect One, the pure One–the only good God. Glory flows from you as light flows from the sun. In giving you worship and honor we are simply reflecting your glory back to you as the moon reflects sun’s shine, illuminating the darkness of the night.]
 
“worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.”
[You, Lord, are glowing in your perfection, shining in your purity, radiant in your otherness, completely different than any creature, for you are the Creator of all, the Sustainer of time, the Ender of history, the Savior of all and the Shepherd of those who believe.
 
Therefore You are marvelously worthy, so we bow before you in admiration, we fall on our faces in worship, we raise our hands in praise, we lift up your Name in awe. We give you honor, glory and exaltation, for you are splendid.
 
Psalm 29:3 “The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.”
 
[You, O Lord God, are mighty. You, the Creator, display your greatness and the power of your voice in storms over the mighty waters of the seas. Such storms can make waves many feet high, crashing them into the shore, tearing down rocky cliffs, washing away shorelines, sending spray high into the air, rushing inland to wipe away all in their path. You, O Lord, are more mighty than we can imagine.]
 
Psalm 29:4 “The voice of the LORD is powerful;”
[With your voice you created the heavens, the earth, the stars: “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Ps. 33:6).
 
With your word you established laws and set limits. “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Ps. 33:8,9). You are unbelievably powerful, shaping and shaking the earth with your voice. You are awesome and overwhelmingly powerful.]
 
As we see your majestic and magnificent might in your creation, and your perfect, pristine splendor in your character, Lord, may we today live in awe, act in wonder, obey in joy and honor you in thought, word and deed.
 
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Amazing Might

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 2, 2016
 
Psalm 29:1 A Psalm of David.
 
“Ascribe to the LORD,”
 
[ O LORD, Yahweh, we proclaim that you are the source of all possible positives. We attribute to you all the beauty and good in the world. We declare that you are righteous, holy and without fault. We shout out before men and angels that you are perfect, pure and powerful, the Paragon of excellence.]
 
“O mighty ones,”
 
[Angels, great in strength, and humans who are, on their level, powerful and strong, with great resources and influence, should freely and eagerly assert that You, Lord God, are the Most High, the Almighty, the Eternal King. For, in spite of their power, the strength of men and angels is monumentally minuscule compared to yours, for which of them could create a star like our sun?]
 
“ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.”
 
[We declare, O Lord, that all glory and strength flow from you, the majestic and mighty One. You are glorious in your greatness, in your grace and your goodness. You are glorious because in you there is no evil, no darkness, no wrong, no sin. You are glorious as you shine out from your Being in holiness, purity and goodness. You, the glorious One, are full of light and splendor, majesty and might; there is no other like you.
 
We see your strength in your speaking the stars into existence, forming the world with your Word, setting it in place, in space, in orbit, in proper tilt to support the carbon-based life you created.
Praise be to you, Lord God, for your infinite, immeasurable, eternal, irresistible, unthwartable power. All might flows from you, from the level of sub atomic particles to the greatest stars and the huge galaxies, you are the Source, you are the Creator, the Sustain who is worthy of worship.
 
So we bow before you this morning, surrendering to you the day you have given us, acknowledging our weakness, our ignorance, our neediness so that in you we may be strong.
 
Help us to keep on your armor, to fight the right enemy with praise, prayer and persistence in obedience, thinking truth and living in the light of your presence. May we bring joy to your heart and credit to your name in all we do. I praise you now for your answers to this prayer. Amen.]
 
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Aging Gracefully

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 1, 2016
We had a chat a while back with an older neighbor. She has given up gardening because it is beyond her strength. May we have such wisdom: realizing what we can no longer do and to give it up willingly, whole-heartedly. Then we can move on to what else the Lord has for us, so we can wisely and graciously make our way through the aging process.
 
Such wisdom will lead us to:
lift our souls to God every day, not storing up negatives, especially bad feelings;
praise in and for all that comes and goes;
let go of what we cannot keep;
let go of what tends to worry us (what will happen if…?) and let God handle them;
let go of our small desires, our focus on details and keep our eyes on the bigger picture;
remember our great purpose in life–to glorify God–and to do so in the small things as well as the big;
to deal with resolvable pain with what’s available: diet, exercise, weight loss, meds, etc.;
to continue to be teachable;
to focus on prayer, the Word, and reading good, edifying material;
to accept offered help;
to speak kindly and with patience;
to think of others;
to be generous;
to not fret about waste;
to make praise the keynote of our lives.
 
Such non-self-centered living will free us to enjoy what God has given us and to focus on the Joy that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, enduring whatever cross we may have, despising whatever shame we may feel, knowing that we are going to be seated with Him in heavenly places (Heb. 12:2). Let us embrace this great hope, great future and great purpose and rise above every situation.
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Freed

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 31, 2016
After pretty good night’s sleep, I woke up at 8:15! Guess I needed the sleep.
 
My initial reaction was unhappiness because I don’t like to get up late, I don’t like to have my worship, quiet time and prayer later in the day.
 
But I praise you, Lord, that your Spirit right away brought to my mind that fact that I can let go of my desires and values, hold on to the truth that you have my day in hand, and eagerly let you guide, rejoicing in a different kind of day and rise above my unhappiness.
 
And this I did and am walking in the freedom and the light of your goodness and presence. Thank you, Lord Jesus, my good Shepherd, that you are leading me well and that I can trust you to carry me in the right direction. Praise be to you.
 
“The Lord is my light and my salvation,” so of whom or what should I be afraid? Not of of change, or having my plans disrupted or of being disappointed. In you I can rest.
 
Thank you for the great freedom you have brought us, Lord Jesus. Help us to walk in it daily by surrender, praise and obedience to what we know to be true and thereby bring you honor.
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