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Psalm 31:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 19, 2016
 
Psalm 31
For the director of music. A Psalm of David.
“In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge;”
 
[Where else, O Lord, is there for safety? You only are my rock, my salvation, my high tower. From you only comes my rescue. You only are my Lord, my Shepherd, my King, my God.
 
You only are the One in whom I can find refuge, for you are powerful beyond belief, wise beyond comprehension, good beyond hope, loving beyond expectations, faithful beyond understanding. You are the glorious, holy, strong and trustable One, the only true stability in the universe. In you alone is there real refuge.]
 
“let me never be put to shame;”
 
[taking refuge in you will lead to your glory and my safety. You will give me the honor of your love and protection, of your care and compassion, protecting me from the shame your enemies want to heap on me. Grant me a token for good that those who hate me may see it and be shamed instead.]
 
“deliver me in your righteousness.”
 
[Praise you that you are totally right, completely good and always act out of your pure character. I praise you that you are fully righteous in all that you do, totally trustable, totally faithful. I praise you that you will deliver me fully, first from fears, then from troubles.]
 
Praise you, Lord God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–that you are constantly, consistently at work in our lives, bringing all the help, wisdom, protection, ordering and provision that we need.
 
We are so weak, so small, so vulnerable, but you are so wonderfully powerful, majestically mighty and absolutely undefeatable. In you we can hide. In you we can rest. In you we are safe.
 
I am so thankful, Lord Jesus, for your powerful, effective, wonderful salvation, bought at great personal price, giving us value, meaning, a family and a future–a great demonstration of your rich, merciful Love, which continues to flow into our lives every day.
 
Thank you for the challenges that come, the opportunities to trust you, the chances to rest in you and to listen to you rather than the strident, confusing voices of the world, of my flesh and the devil. I praise you, Lord God for how you will care for me today. May I live worthy of you, in thought, motive, word and action. Amen.
 
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Psalm 30:9-12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 18, 2016
Psalm 30:9 “What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?”
 
[This is David’s desperate appeal for help; it is done in logic and in a desire to honor you, Lord; he desires to live for the magnificent purpose you have granted us: giving you glory. Help us to grasp the value of each moment of life and live it to honor you.]
Psalm 30:10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.”
 
[It is a wonderful truth that you, O Lord, do hear and are richly, powerfully merciful–you are our ready help, you will answer in the right way and at the right time. Therefore I can give you praise in and for all.
 
I praise you now for how you are going to work in the situations and relationships that are in flux around me. I praise you for your wonderful help and guidance that flows freely and continually into my life. Praise be to you for your goodness, flowing from your perfect and beautiful character.]
 
Psalm 30:11 “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,”
[You answered David, you brought him through the dark valley, you delivered him from his fears, his enemies, his dangers. And for what purpose?]
 
Psalm 30:12 “that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.”
 
[You saved him so David might have the privilege of exalting you, you who are worthy of worship, of love and obedience.]
 
“O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.”
 
[And you ARE worthy of thanks forever and ever. May we daily live in the power of thanksgiving, of praise, of worship, so that, for the joy set before us, we can endure whatever cross you deem necessary, knowing that we will be set down in heaven with you! What a hope, what a future, what a privilege to live with, for and in you Lord Jesus!]
 
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Psalm 30:6-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 17, 2016
Psalm 30:6,7 “When I felt secure, I said, ‘I will never be shaken.’ O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;”
 
[When we are in a positive situation, when we are safe and see your blessings, it is easy to feel firm and stable. Such times are important for solidification and building up in truth–if we take advantage of them, diving into your Word, exalting in personal worship and basking in your love.
 
But here is little opportunity in this secure situation to go by faith, to trust you as we can when all sense of security is gone, when all is in tumult and uncertainty.]
“but when you hid your face, I was dismayed.”
 
[When my feelings turn negative, when my situation goes down hill, when I am attacked, my health fails, my friends desert me, my financial situation goes bad, or my work does not prosper–then it is easy to be dismayed, to be discouraged, to flag in my strength.
 
But this is also the time to flee to you, to affirm my trust in you, to find shelter in your Word and in your presence. “In times of trouble you will keep me safe in your dwelling, you will hide me in the shelter of your tabernacle and set me high on a rock” (Psalm 27:5).]
 
Psalm 30:8 “To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy:”
 
[This is the proper response, to seek you and your mercy, to recognize my weakness and your strength, to trust you, not myself.
 
I praise you, Lord God, for your goodness and graciousness and for how you answer us in such situations, first delivering us from all our fears, then strengthening us with strength in our souls, then saving us out of all our troubles, whether through deliverance or through giving endurance, or through death (Ps. 34:4-7).
 
You are the God who is there, you are the God who hears, you are the God who answers. “…the angel of the Lord encamps round about those who fear him and delivers them” (Ps. 34:8).]
 
Help me to utilize the times of security to deepen my walk with you, Lord Jesus; help me then to rejoice in the times of difficulty, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, finding my rest and hope in you, exalting you by living in Truth. And I thank you now for how you will answer this prayer.
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Protection and Purpose

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 16, 2016
You, Lord Jesus, are my Security, my Stability, my Surety, my Rock.
 
With all that swirls around us in life, we could not make it without you as our Foundation, our Anchor, our Shepherd, our King.
Praise you that you are our Shield, our Fortress, our Defender, our Stronghold.
 
In you there is no gap, no chink, no forgotten loophole for the enemy to come through. You are both total protection from evil and the gracious gateway through which comes all that is profitable, helpful and positive.
 
Praise you that you protect and provide through your total wisdom, your complete knowledge, your rich love and your perfect patience.
 
You are the One to be trusted, Lord God, Triune God, Holy God. I praise you for what you will bring today in your wisdom and love, your purpose and plan. Help us to follow you well, joining you in what you desire to accomplish today.
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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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