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Psalm 19:7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 13, 2016
Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect,”
 
[You make no mistakes, Lord; what you revealed is exactly right, perfectly presented, totally trustable. Your law is without flaw, without error, without lack. It is the one thing in this world that we can fully lean on.]

 
“reviving the soul.”
 
[To learn your law, to obey your ordinances brings life, refreshment, growth and strength to our souls: to our minds, our wills our emotions. They are brought more in line with what you originally intended—just a tiny taste of pre-fall goodness, but none-the-less, a touch of eternal reality. Praise you for putting it within our grasp by putting perfection within your Word.]

 
“The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,”
 
[They are absolutely right, fully true, totally correct and therefore we can rest in them. Even if men take some verses out of context and twist them to their own purposes, that does not negate the genuine wisdom stored up in them for those who handle and understand the Word of God correctly, taking it at face value.]

 
“making wise the simple.”
 
[We are are all foolish in the light of your deep and wide, full and powerful wisdom. We are all simple in comparison with you, Lord, and your complexity, your creativity, your designing all with deep detail–just think of the structure of a cell, a complex as any city. Who can understand the power that holds together the positive protons in the nucleus of an atom? Who can know the paths of the stars? Who can know what is right in every situation? Only you, Lord God, and you graciously share much of that wisdom with us in your Word.
 
Praise you for your generosity in sharing your wisdom with us! Help us today to admit our simplistic approach to life and to embrace instead your rich wisdom, submitting ourselves to your Way, your Word, your Wonderful love.]
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Psalm 19:5,6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 12, 2016

“In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

Psalm 19:5  which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

Psalm 19:6  It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.”

[You, O Lord, provide for us through the sun, all the energy, food, light and heat that we need. In your wisdom, goodness and might you created the sun, placed the earth in just the right orbit around it, not too far, not too close. The sun speaks to us of your provision and love, your wisdom and power.

When this is so obvious, why do so many not believe? Your Word tells us that they have a veil over their faces, put there by Satan and held there by our sin and selfishness. Only as we turn to you is it taken away (2 Cor. 3:15, 4:3,4).

Praise be to you, Lord, that you call all to turn, even though you know that all will not believe. Like the sun, you constantly shine out on us your warm love, your light giving grace and your energy providing goodness. You are the God of undying, unending kindness, of supremely positive provision.

In spite of what we are in our nature, you are good to us, because it is your nature: you are Love, you are Light, you are Life. And you will go on doing good to your creatures no matter how they respond.

I praise you for your goodness, for your righteousness, for your holiness, for your loveliness. I praise you that you have caused your face to shine upon us, that you in your great love you have equipped us, that you protect us, that you call us to partnership with you in the great plans you have for the conclusion of the world, for the sweeping of many into your Kingdom, and for the ending of evil in the universe.

You are completely worthy of all worship, you are supremely worthy of honor, glory and praise, you are richly worthy of all exaltation and obedience. I bow before you this morning, Lord, help me to rise up to give you glory and honor and praise by walking in the light of your Word, living an obedient life worthy of you, doing what I know pleases you. I praise you now for your provision.]

 

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Psalm 91:4b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 12, 2016

“Your faithfulness will be my shield and my rampart….”   Psalm 91:4b

Today, Lord Jesus, I walk in amazement under the canopy of your love, knowing that you look at me, not with tolerance, or thinly disguised disgust because of my stubborn selfish responses, but you see me clothed in your righteousness! You look on me with delight, with joy, with pleasure, glad to have me as your child, as your brother, in your family, in your Kingdom.

You call me to meet with you each day as you stoop low to gather me to your heart, enjoying our interacton. I praise you that, contrary to all logic, you revel in our relationship, you delight in doing good to me, you rejoice in being my rampart, you savor shielding me from harm. And all this when I deserve the opposite: there is no earthly reason for your love; no, only heavenly reasons.

I praise you, O Elohim, that in your power and faithfulness you consistently shield my head in the battle of each day, you always stand as the rampart between me and the attack of the enemy; I can rest in you.

You are the Most High, the All-knowing, the All-present One, so you are never caught off guard, are never late, are never out-witted by the enemy. Your defenses are impregnable, your presence is unassailable, your plans are impenetrable: the enemy can never get by you without your permission; you are always the Victor in the end!

You, Lord Jesus, are a wonder, a marvel, majestically awesome, massively powerful. Your great compassion has sowed in me the seed of love for you, the seed of submission, the seed of adoration for you. As I gaze on you in worship with unveiled face, you are moving me towards living those sublime words: “Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).

I adore you, I lift high your name, I revel in you, I exalt you. I offer you praise, glory and worship, O Great and High King, Lord of Glory, Ruler of the Universe, Judge of all, Redeemer of all sinners, Concluder of all history. You only are fully Patient and Profound, Gracious and Good, Pure and Perfect. You only are worthy of worship!

 

Prayer: “To you, Lord Jesus be joy, power, authority, victory and honor today, now and forever. Guide me in giving you glory this day. Amen.”

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Psalm 18:1-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 10, 2016
Psalm 19:1-4
 
Praise you, Lord, that you are the God of communication, that you have laid out before all mankind the message of your existence: the Almighty One who is there. As it says in Psalm 19,
 
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
 
[Even in its fallen and twisted state, creation shouts out that there is a good and wise Creator. Anyone honestly looking at the way things are has to see that they are made–designed, not the result of chance. The beauty, the complexity, the rhythms of life, the power, the expanse—all speak of a Creator.
 
Psa 19:2 “Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.”
 
[We are constantly surrounded with the message of the skies, of the stars, of birds and butterflies, ants and elephants, flowers and babies. Beauty, order and purpose are everywhere–the happy yellow of a daffodil, the royal purple of a tulip–shouting, “There is a Creator and He is wise and wonderful, powerful and present!”]
 
Psa 19:3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
 
Psa 19:4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
 
[I think of my 78 year old Eskimo friend who grew up on the Eastern shore of Siberia at the ends of the earth. As a teen, looking at the beauty of the mountains, sea and animals, he came to the conclusions that the demons they worshiped, who did such ugly things, could never have created all this beauty. “There must be a good creator God,” he thought. And when, at 18, God brought him into contact with a follower of Jesus who opened the Bible for him, he was ready to believe. He had heard the message of creation and understood it, and has believed it for 50 years!
 
Paul echoes this same truth in the New Testament, “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19,20).
 
You have revealed yourself to all through creation, Lord, giving all a chance to see and understand that there is a good Creator God. You give them enough light to make them think, and if they want to know more, you will bring further light into their life. Praise be to you for your great love for your rebellious creatures, your marvelous grace and your persistent pursuit of sinners, saving all who are willing. You are the One we can trust, if we will just look around us!]
 

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Is God Fair? Post 3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 9, 2016

In answering the question, “Is God fair?”,  does He give everyone the same things? We have looked at the first two parts of the answer: “No” and “Yes.” Here we look at the final part.

The third answer to this question is another, “No. ” In His dealings with us, God is divinely, magnificently and magnanimously unfair, humanly speaking, in what He gives to His creatures in general and His beloved children in specific. God loves diversity and we see it how He works in our lives. He is able to take the negative effects of the Fall, where all creation was twisted, and use them for good in us.  In this scheme of things each gets what he or she needs.

–Some people He creates with great intelligence, others with simple minds.

–Some are born beautiful, others plain, the rest are somewhere in between.

–Some are born healthy , others with birth defects or serious illnesses.

–Some grow up strong and live long, some die as babies, others die in between.

–Some grow up with many opportunities, some with few, others with none.

–Some have wonderful parents, some are totally neglected and abused, most have average ones.

–Some live in wealth, some in poverty, some in middle class income.

–Some have prominent spiritual gifts, like teaching, or leading, while others have gifts used in the background, like mercy or service.

–Some have leading roles, others do not.

Humanly speaking God is unfair in this, but divinely speaking, we know that He is wise and we can trust Him to do what is best. He knows what challenges each person requires to see his or her need for a Savior, and then to grow spiritually.  He does what is best for each, individually tailoring circumstances and events–very “unfair” from the politically correct perspective, but very loving and wise from God’s perspective of truth and wisdom, and his ultimate goal to eliminate evil, save all who are willing and bring in a new and perfect heaven and earth.

God has distributed roles as He sees fit, much to the consternation of many today. This includes roles in the spiritual (gifts), intellectual and physical realms. Here are some very obvious, yet in our society, often rejected examples of the roles He’s given to men and women.

Men are to procreate. Women are to bear and nurse babies.

Men are generally physically stronger than women and are to protect them.

Men are to teach and lead mixed groups in the Kingdom. Women are to teach and lead women and children in the Kingdom.

Men are to voluntarily, wholeheartedly love, be understanding, nurture & encourage their wives. Women are to voluntarily respect and follow their husbands.

Men are to lead their families. Wives are to be helpers to their husbands.

In this “unfair” distribution of roles God knows and does what is best.  We can trust Him in His wisdom, love, grace and sovereignty to give to each person what that one needs to come to Him, to live a useful and meaningful life, to develop in a healthy and effective way.

So is God fair? “No,” “Yes,” and “No.”  Does God have the right to be so?  Absolutely: He is the Creator of all, the Most High, the Almighty, the Beginner and Ender of time.  There is no one who can challenge Him (as Job found in chapters 38-41 of his book), for the Lord God is perfect in every way.

No human could think up such a wonderful God whose character is multifacetedly perfect and beyond comprehension in His Wisdom, Power and Love. He is completely independent from His creation in His triuneness, where perfect community, love and completeness have existed forever.  This the God who knows what He’s doing and I choose to trust Him!

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Is God Fair? Post 2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 8, 2016

As stated in post one, fairness, as defined in our age of tolerance, is that everyone should to get the same thing.  In light of this, we have to answer the question, “Is God fair” with “No,” “Yes” and “No.” We looked at the first “No” in part 1, now we will look at this from another perspective.

“Yes, God is fair.”  As you know, He has provided a way of salvation for all, and in this we see His “fairness.” He gives the same potential to everyone.  Here are several points of this fairness.

–In creating all human beings in His image, God bequeathed to all the same worth (Gen. 1:26,27).

–Jesus confirmed this when He died and provided the potential for salvation for all who have ever lived and will live. (1John 2:2, Heb. 2:9, 1 Tim 2:6, 4:10)

–We can only be saved by faith; this is true for everyone no matter what his or her age, intelligence, education, religion, status, wealth, health, strength, home or family.  It’s the same for all.  (Eph 2:8,  Rom. 1:17)

–The Holy Spirit works in the life of every person in the whole world to convince each one of his or her need for Jesus as Savior. (John 16:7-11)

–God watches over each person, is aware of the heart condition of each, and loves each with the same great love. ( Psalm 33:13-15, Psalm 145:10-16,)

–God has the same desire for everyone:  that all be saved, although because of their unbelief, many will refused His salvation.   (1 Tim 2:4,  2 Peter 3:9, John 1:7)

–God will condemn all sin, and anyone who clings to it rather than accepting His offer of grace and protection, will be condemned along with the sin they chose and loved. (John 3:18,

In this non-exhaustive list of  Scriptural points, God offers to all the same possibility of becoming His child, of entering His Kingdom and Family and of receiving the same gifts and privileges–and the way to accept them is the same for all: by faith, a gift He also offers to all. In His mercy God is fair, and I am thankful for it!

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Is God Fair? First of Three Posts

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 7, 2016
 
Fairness, as defined in our age of tolerance, is that everyone should get the same thing, be given “what we deserve.” In light of this, when we ask the question, “Is God fair?” we have to answer the question, with “No,” “Yes” and “No.”
 
So, is God fair? First, “No.” If God were fully fair and gave us what we actually and naturally deserved, all people, as sin-twisted rebels, would all be sent to Hell immediately. As the Word says, we are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), and that in our natural selves there dwells no good thing (Rom 7:18).
 
Since God is righteous, He must punish sin–if He did not punish it, there would be no justice, no hope of change for the good, no solution to the problem of evil. Before a just God, we would naturally all go to Hell right now–if He acted only from fairness.
 
However, praise God, His character is not limited to the low and simplistic standard of being fair. He is also merciful, loving and full of grace. Therefore, in this area, He chooses to not be fair; that is, He does not give us what we deserve, but instead offers the possibility of pardon.
 
An entry in my worship journal expands on this.
 
You, Lord Jesus are faithful–faithful to Your righteousness, to your holiness, to your justice, to perfect judgment of evil. You will always follow through on who you are. And you, Heavenly Father, being love itself, are faithful in your hatred of sin, of evil, of anything contrary to your character. In your love you judge sin, rebellion, and all that does not measure up to your righteousness; if you didn’t judge, you would not be love, for righteous, pure and perfect love cannot abide with anything that is tainted by unlove: selfishness, pride and evil.
 
I praise you, O Lord God,that you rise far above our ability to comprehend. How could One who hates sin so profoundly, provide, against all logic we know, a pardon for your creatures who are so thoroughly sinful, selfish, evil and rebellious–so contrary to you?
 
Yet, in your wonderful, rich grace, you opened the way, at great personal expense, providing reconciliation through crushing your Son without mercy that mercy might flow to all your enemies (us), giving us the potential for redemption, reconciliation, transformation, and eternal life with you.
 
Praise you that you are forcefully faithful to your character–you are Light, your are Love, you are Life itself and you are altogether lovely. You have not been fair, but have given us the opposite of what we deserve, and we praise you for it!
 
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The Giver of Victories

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 6, 2016

Psalm 18:50  “He gives his king great victories;”

[You, Lord, give us opportunity to participate in your victories each day, in every temptation, every stress, every desire to grumble–each an opportunity to take up your grace and glorify you with the sacrifice of thanksgiving. You help us in each opportunity, making it possible to deny self and obey Truth, to let go of what is temporary, to hold on to what is eternal and to rise above the frustrations, disappointments and problems of life. And in so doing you help us fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring you, revealing you to those around us by our trusting you in every circumstance. You are sufficient, you are powerful and you are loving, fully worthy of our complete obedience.]

“he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,”

[your faithfulness endures forever, your grace flows endlessly, your goodness never fails. In your kindness you are ever the trustable One, always carrying us through the battle as we rest in you and keep on your armor; you carry us onto the heights and to new victories beyond.]

“to David and his descendants forever.”

[And so you have proved faithful in protecting the line of David, and bringing the promised Savior, confirming your unfailing kindness to all people, both Jews and  Gentiles. You are the Lover of the twisted ones, Redeemer of the rebels, Savior of your evil enemies and Shepherd of the scattered flock.

Praise be to you for your unreasonable Love, your illogical grace, your outrageous kindness, your amazing goodness, all poured out upon us day by day when we actually deserve the opposite. Glory be to you, the Great and Good God!]

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Psalm 18:46-49

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 5, 2016

In the midst of his battles David could shout:

Psa 18:46,47  “The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me,
who subdues nations under me,”

[As far as we know, David was never defeated in battle and never seriously wounded because God protected him. “The LORD is my rock…my deliverer… my shield” (Psalm 18:2) And David remembered this, giving God the credit.]

Psa 18:48  “He is the God…who saves me from my enemies.”

[Yes, O Lord God, “I call to you, who are worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies…You reach down from on high, you take hold of me, you draw me out of deep waters.” (Ps 18:3,16). You are the faithful One who constantly watches over me, not primarily for my comfort, but for my being able to give you glory before the nations.]

“You exalted me above my foes;”

[“You rescue me from my strong enemies, from my foes who are too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:17)]

“from violent men you rescued me.”

[They “confronted me on 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.” (Ps. 18:18,19)]

Psa 18:49  “Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD;
I will sing praises to your name.”

[You, Lord God who fights for us, are worthy of glory and honor and exaltation and praise, for you are the Savior of all, especially of those who believe in you. You are worthy of being lifted up among the nations. You are God, you are Lord, you are Sovereign, you are Good, all the time.]

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Walking in the Light

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

I’ve been meditating more on Psalm 89:15, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,” meaning those who are learning to recognize you in every detail, to be aware of your constant work in their lives and therefore to praise you in every circumstance. They see frequent “God sightings,” as you clearly meet their needs.

These believers, “… walk in the light of your presence….” They are aware of your faithful attendance to them, of your being with them, shining your wisdom into their lives, lighting the way.

“They rejoice in your name all day long, they exalt in your righteousness….” You are their focus, your qualities are guiding their thoughts, and therefore their actions and reactions, “for you are their glory and strength.” They are constantly looking to you for help, drawing their significance from you, aware that belonging to you is a great joy, that you are the meaning of life, the importance of existence, the greatness of their lives.

And you are their security, for you are strong and with your strength you protect them, give them power in the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical realms.

They recognize you as the source of all, the goal of all, the God of all, the glory of all, the end of all. As they live in the light of your presence, they rest in the shadow of your power, they bask in the warmth of your love, they rejoice in the privilege of knowing you intimately, the Creator of all, the Shepherd of the weak, the King of the needy. They choose to live in the truth that knowing you is enough for joy!

Praise be to You, Lord Jesus, for being the infinite God–you know all things and therefore you can lead us through the maze of mixed, murky motives, confused emotions and tangled thoughts that tend to trip us up.

I praise you that as we come and ask for wisdom and understanding, you help us to see what is going on, shining your light of knowledge and insight into the inner workings of our lives. In this you are gracious, you are patient, you are kind, you are good, you are wonderful, you are wise, and you are firm. You are what we need, for we were made to live with you! Praise be to you forever.

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, I bow before you, exalting you as the Most High, my final authority. I agree to obey you in all I know to be true. Help me to see where I am unthinkingly walking in natural ways instead of your supernatural ones. Help me to think your thoughts, speak your words, do your work. Amen”

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