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Psalm 21:3-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 11, 2016
Psalm 21:3 “You welcomed him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.”
 
[You crowned David, after his long wait of living as an outlaw; you crowned Jesus, after His 30 year wait, then His intense work and immense suffering; and you crown us now every day with love and compassion (Ps 104:4) as you continually pour out abundant, good and gracious blessings on us.]
 
Psalm 21:4 “He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—length of days, for ever and ever.”
 
[In his death, you granted Jesus resurrection; He rose to eternal life, and passes it on to all who believe in Him, David included. We, as your children, now have eternity before us—length of days forever and ever–and can rejoice now in the certainty of it.]
 
Psalm 21:5 “Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;”
 
[David was given many victories, beginning with Goliath and spanning his whole reign. Jesus, in His incarnation was strengthened by your power and had one long string of victories: no sin, no failure, no losses. The greatest possible defeat, death, led to the greatest possible victory, overcoming the power of death, the devil and destruction. What great glory Jesus earned in His many victories. And so He passes this possibility on to us, calling us to be more than conquerors with Him in His power; and He wants to share His glory with us, as we triumph through our faith in Him (1 Pet 1:7).]
 
“you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.”
 
[David ruled in the golden age of Israel. Jesus now reigns from his throne on high as the mighty and majestic Ruler of creation and all beyond. You have raised Him up above all principalities and powers, above all might, above all names and seated Him, the eternal Victor, at your right hand to reign forever and ever.
 
Evil can now be eliminated. A new and sinless start can be had through our physical death, into the new heaven and earth where the splendor and majesty of Jesus will be on display forever, and we will be ever with Him in wonderful, wide and endless love.]
 
Praise be to you, Heavenly Father, for revealing these things by the pen of David, by the triumph of Christ and by bringing us into your great and beautiful Kingdom. Help us to live daily in this unseen reality, rejoicing in you, in your love for us and in the certainly of what you will bring.
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Psalm 21:1,2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 9, 2016
Psalm 21 For the director of music. A Psalm of David.
[This Psalm has a triple message: first it speaks of David’s relationship with The Lord; secondarily it is a Messianic prophecy, predicting the victory of Jesus over death and the devil; third, it speaks truth about the life of each believer.]
 
“O LORD, the king rejoices in your strength.”
 
[In realizing how weak we are, Lord, it is wonderful to know that your strength is at work in our weakness. David struggled with his own weakness in dealing with inner danger (his general, Joab and his son, Absalom), as well as those who attacked from the outside.
 
Jesus made himself vulnerable and weak as a human being, having to rely on prayer, the help of the Spirit in His ministry and your power to rise from the dead.
 
We, also, on an everyday basis, face enemies who are too strong for us, both human and spiritual, but we have your strength to rely on.]
 
“How great is his joy in the victories you give!”
 
[The victories in our live are gifts from you, and we can rejoice as you help us move ahead, defeat our inner evil (the flesh), the evil one and evil in the world, just as Jesus did. To know you, Lord Jesus, to intentionally live in your Truth, is to experience your power, and to receive your joy.]
 
Psalm 21:2 “You have granted him the desire of his heart and have not withheld the request of his lips.”
 
[You consistently answered David’s prayers, giving guidance, help, protection and victory—in the many battles he was involved in, there is no mention of him ever being wounded. And you answered every one of Jesus’ prayers, Heavenly Father, and so you answer ours, especially when we delight in you so you can put in our heart the right desires and grant these “idol-proofed” requests at the right time.]
 
Help us, Lord, to ask according to your Word, to find our delight in you and to rejoice in whatever answer you give, whether it be “Yes!” “No” or “Wait.”
Selah
 
 
 
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Wondrous, Transforming Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 8, 2016
Praise be to you, Lord, for the wonder of stability in you, in your amazing, unchanging, ever flowing love. I praise you for your gracious and good commitment to us, your beloved children who are so often selfish, unbelieving and rebellious.
 
Every day we grieve your Spirit, choosing to exalt our ideas and agendas over your Word. But you endure this willingly: suffering this pain inflicted by us does not alter the course of your love, your plans or your grace. In your wisdom you take each failure and use it to chasten, teach and bring surrender. You are love itself, so you will never not love.
 
In this truth of your perfect and powerful character, I can rest, sure that my place in your heart is secure, certain, unshakable, “My soul, find rest in God alone, for my hope comes from Him. He only is my rock, my fortress, my high tower, I will never be shaken” (Ps. 62:5)
 
I am deeply thankful, ecstatic, quietly and wildly joyful that you chose me to be your child, to be your partner in your plans, to be a fruitful branch in your vine. Thank you that nothing can separate me from your love and that my place in eternity is secure.
 
To you be honor and glory, Heavenly Father, for inexplicably drawing me to yourself, for giving me a place in your heart, in your family, in your plan, in your Kingdom, in your eternity.
 
I praise you for your never ending flow of grace, forgiveness and transformation in this life. I praise you that today is a gift from your hand, prepared and packaged perfectly so that I might walk with you through every event in the light of your presence, as your ambassador, as your servant-warrior in the attacks from the enemy you will allow.
 
I praise you for the opportunities you have prepared for me to give you honor through faith responses: offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving and willful belief in your Word, living in the light of truth rather than in the darkness of what I can see.
 
I thank you, too, that in each of these you also give the possibility of earning honor which you will bestow on us at the appearing of Christ. We have “all kinds of trials…so that the proven genuineness of [our] faith…may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Pet.1:7,8).
 
This is life on a high and wondrous level, where every event, every interaction is filled with potential significance, if we will join you in what you are doing. Help me to do that today, grant me discernment so I can see what you are doing, Lord, that you may be honored, that the enemy may be defeated and that your light and hope may overflow from me to all those around me. Praise be to you now for what you will do in this day.
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More Meditation Fruits

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 7, 2016
As I continue to memorize and meditate on your rich and powerful Word, Lord, you continue to transform my being. There is a growing grasp of your great supply of significance and honor, poured out upon me every day.
 
There is an ongoing, deep, transformation that flows from basking in the truth that I am yours, that I am with you, treasured by you, delighted in by you, invited to join you in your mighty purposes; that you freely and consistently give me worth, belonging and competence.
 
There is also an ongoing shift away from the fear of man to a fear of God: a desire to please you and a corresponding ability reject what people think, to be free from their disapproval, their denigration. Your approval is enough to rest in, live in, die in.
 
Another aspect of this is a better grasp of the joy of being weak, the opportunity to trust you to work where I am without influence, leverage or power. If I want adventure, trusting you in my weakness is it!
 
This, combined with the daily reminder that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil, brings me a changed perspective of those who oppose me: a compassionate, positive view , even a warmth as I think about them.
 
What a change you are bringing in my being through meditating on your Word, Lord. This is certainly a foretaste of heaven. This is your bringing me out into an ever more spacious place, into growing freedom, into a greater joy. Glory be to you for these changes that carry me forward in every area of my life.
 
I praise you for what you are going to do today, Lord, as you orchestrate the flow of events, protecting and exposing as you know is best. I praise you for the negative feelings that may come: frustration, a sense of uselessness, the perception of failure in my plans, anger, impatience and a feeling of worthlessness.
 
Each of these is an opportunity to think Truth, to surrender to you, to praise you, a chance to use negatives as a stimulus to respond with a positive I’ve memorized from your Word, to be a glory-giver rather than a glory-stealer.
 
I praise you for what you will lead me to accomplish and for what you will block. Before anything happens today, I give you glory now, Lord Jesus, trusting in your Great, Good, Glorious and Gracious character.
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Meditation Transformation

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

I praise you, Lord God, for the way you are using Scripture to transform me, bringing change in my thinking, my will, my emotions, my responses, my values and my motives.

To memorize your Word and meditate on it is powerful. It is pouring your perspective down into my soul, into secret areas where it brings cleansing, transformation and a greater grasp of your glory.

It also brings a wider picture of your power, purposes and plans, which results in a greater trust of you. And this leads me to praise you all the time, knowing that you have a plan to use each event for good, especially those that humanly speaking are distressing, unwanted and uncomfortable.

It is clear that this trust and the resulting praise are the way to trigger the flow of your patience in my life. When I see the big picture of you having absolute control over where the events of the world are going, that you are molding them to fit your overall plans, that whatever comes to me comes with your permission and purpose, then I can reject my natural impatience, take up Truth and patiently move through each event, trusting you to work it out.

This is the outcome of drawing my security from you, Lord, you who are my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my strength and my stronghold. (Psalm 18:1,2). In you I can rest, sure that you will shield my head in the battles of today, that in you is all I need and that my soul can find complete contentment in you, for from you alone comes my hope (Ps. 62:5).

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The Greatest Privilege Possible

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 5, 2016
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1
 
Heavenly Father, I share John’s wonder at this astounding truth: that you, the Holy God, the Righteous One, the Just Judge, the Good Creator King, would take your enemies–evil, depraved, ugly, stubborn, rebellious and destructive as we naturally are—and transform us into new creatures, adopting us as your children! What a turn-around: to bring your adversary into the palace and place him into your family, making him your heir!
 
Your astounding act of justification is the great gem of Truth in the New Testament—you, the Just Judge, by the propitiation of Christ’s shed blood, satisfied the law and bought for us, your enemies, complete forgiveness. By your work, Lord Jesus, we stand justified before the court of heaven.
 
Adoption, however, is another matter all together. Justification is a forensic idea, meeting the demands of the law, coldly correct, handed down in court. In contrast, adoption is a family idea: warm, welcoming, accepting, being exalted to a new position of honor, privilege and grace.
 
This Agape love of yours is astounding. In one way it is a brutal love, brutal to you the Lover, who gives and gives, unswayed by the lack of positive response from the rebellious, self-centered, unbelieving, negative objects of your love–us. This love, so painful to you as you are grieved daily by our rebellion, is so gracious to us: caring, kind, forgiving, correcting, guiding, rebuking, nurturing, providing, directing, cherishing.
 
We must stand in awe, in wonder, in thankfulness, Lord God, at your ability and willingness to love us so. You have made us those in whom you delight and rejoice. You are gloriously great in your patience and goodness as you faithfully work in us, suffering grief every day at our hands. We, in our laziness, selfishness, pride, rebellion and unbelief, choose to disobey you and do our own deadly deeds according to our own puny plans instead of responding to your invitation to join you in your glorious and great scheme for restoring the universe to its pristine pre-fall condition. But you forgive us and continue to work lovingly in our lives.
 
As J.I. Packer puts it in his powerful book, Knowing God, the Judge becomes, “our perfect parent—faithful in love and care, generous and thoughtful, interested in all we do, respecting our individuality, skillful in training us, wise in guidance, always available, helping us to find ourselves in maturity, integrity and uprightness….”
 
In making us your children, Heavenly Father, you have invited us into the deep, intimate relationship you have with the Lord Jesus, giving us what you gave Him in His time on earth: affection, fellowship, honor, and authority. As you loved your only begotten Son, so you love your only adopted children. “Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ”!!! (1 John 1:3).
 
Praise be to you for the greatness of your gift to make me part of your family, your child who is desired, treasured and deeply, dearly loved.
 
However, the real point of these monumental truths is not my acceptance, fulfillment or joy—and these are certainly some of the gifts you pour out on your children—no, actually the point of all this is that you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are worthy of praise and exaltation, worship and honor.
 
You are a wonder—no, you are THE Wonder of the world, of the universe and I praise you, Eternal Ruler, Lord God, my Father; I praise you, Lord Jesus, my brother, my fellow heir, my Savior and God; I praise you Holy Spirit, the indwelling, transforming One. I give you glory and honor, exaltation and praise, for that is what you deserve and more.
 
Prayer: “Forgive us for failing to marvel at, revel in, exalt in and glorify you for this great and uplifting privilege of being your children. I thank you, praise you, rejoice in and honor you. I commit myself to obey you, Father, just as my elder brother, the Lord Jesus, loved you in obedience. May glory be to you forever and ever. Amen.”
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My Beautiful Lord

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 3, 2016

Praise you, O God, my Triune Lord–Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Within your trinity is a great demonstration of unity and diversity, of submission in equality, of perfection beyond comprehension. I praise you that in you there is no lack, that you are totally self sufficient, that there is nothing in all of creation that is necessary for you.

You are the One who exists outside of time, outside of creation, outside of all other relationships, outside of need. All that you give, all that you do flows from a self-sufficient heart of love, for the good of others, out of perfect motives and desires.

Praise you for your engaged, committed, consistent, unwavering love for your creatures and creation, demonstrated clearly in not destroying all evil immediately after the fall, neither of Satan nor of Adam and Eve. You press on with the creation story because you have higher and deeper, longer and wider purposes than your own comfort and ease.

You are the God of Wisdom, the Lord of Understanding, the Ruler of Insight, able to look into the next million years and know all that will come to pass. I praise you that it is with this knowledge that you make all the decisions concerning what will come today, what opportunities you will provide for glory-giving in obedience, what challenges, problems, pains and persecutions you will  allow, what successes, achievements and victories you will bring.

You are trustable, you are worthy of praise in it all, for you are the God of glory, goodness and grace. You are always holy, holy, holy, the Three in One Author of all. I praise you now for all that will come today and for what you will do. To you be honor and glory in my life at each juncture. Amen.

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The Secret Life of Walter M. Christian, Part 2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 2, 2016
On the way home Walter sat quietly on the train looking out the window, polishing his sword by meditating on the passage he’d been memorizing. A billboard swept into view, featuring a semi-clad girl. Although Walter quickly looked away, he’d already been hit with a dart of lust and was taken down.
 
He immediately sprang up and pulled the dart out with prayer, confessing “Look at what I just thought, Lord. I agree with you that it is totally selfish, destructive and caustic to my soul. It is pleasing to Satan and grievous to you. I repent and ask your forgiveness.”
 
Then he went on the offensive and in the powerful name of Jesus withdrew any ground he’d given the enemy in this attack, asking God to fill him again with the Spirit.
 
Just in case any more attacks came on the way home, he kept his shield of faith up by thanking God for all that had happened during the day–and he decided not to stare out the window any more.
 
When he came in the door at home, the kids were arguing and his exasperated wife welcomed him with, “Well, I’m glad you’re finally home. See if you can do something with these three fighters!”
 
Walter skillfully got his shield up as the dart of anger flew at him, followed by one of self-justification. “I was hoping for a better reception and some peaceful interaction, Lord–but I thank you for the chance to play the role you have for me in serving and protecting my wife, of helping my 3 boys learn to follow you!” Both darts hit the shield and were extinguished.
 
But then the dragon of selfishness took a swipe at him and almost knocked the shield out of Walter’s hand. He quickly came around with his sword, “I praise you, Lord, that I can keep my eyes on you; I confess my desire to do my own thing here and have some ‘well deserved relaxation’ before supper, but as your disciple I’m called to deny myself, take up my cross and follow you. I thank you for the chance to obey you in this moment.” This sent the dragon squealing in retreat.
 
Walter strode to the kids and scooped two of them up in his arms. “Hi Dad,” they shouted. “Can we go to the park for a while before supper?”
 
“Sure!” Walter replied. “Get you shoes and coats on.”
 
The three little bodies scurried to the hall while Walter went to the kitchen and gave his wife a hug. “Hard day, huh?”
 
“Sure was! I wish I had a quiet and easy life like yours!”
 
Walter smiled as he deftly raised up his shield with his left hand to quench the flaming arrow of competitiveness. Resting his right hand on his sword, he thought, “If you only knew!” He kissed his wife gently and turned to take the kids to the park.
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The Secret Life of Walter M. Christian, Part 1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 1, 2016
 
Walter ran up the last few steps and walked swiftly to the door. He didn’t want to be late for work and unnecessarily bring any negative attention to himself from the boss. But as he swung open the door and entered the office, there was the boss.
 
“Ah, Walter,” he said, towering over his diminutive employee. “How’s it going with the coding on that new project? It’s really important that we make our deadline on this one.”
 
Walter adjusted his glasses and blinked up at his boss. “It’s going well. In fact, I’m ahead of schedule and have the whole thing mapped out. I should be done by the end of the week.”
 
“Great,” said his boss. “Keep it up the good work.” Walter nodded and headed to his cubical, hung his coat over his chair and got down to work.
 
Walter was well into his coding when something caught his attention. At first he thought maybe he’d imagined it, but no, there it was again: a movement in the back of his mind. He reached for his sword and shield, and swung around just in time to face his foe, the dragon of jealousy.
 
The hot flames of the dragon’s breath swept over him, reminding him of how he’d been passed over for that promotion he’d wanted and a less experienced guy had gotten it–but Walter kept up his shield, warding off the flames, “Thank you, Lord, for your care and protection in all.” He brought his sword up, slashing with skill at the dragon’s vulnerable areas: “You, Lord, are sovereign, and if getting that promotion had been good for me, you would have given it. I can praise you for not allowing me to have it, for your Word says, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.’”
 
The dragon drew back and stumbled off into the brush. Walter leaned on his sword, panting. He wiped the soot from the dragon’s flames off his face, reminding himself, “My soul finds rest in God alone. He only is my rock.”
Then he heard the twang and whirled around, raising his shield in one smooth motion, intercepting the flaming arrow of self-pity. “Thank you, Lord, that you cause my cup to overflow, and lead me in paths of righteousness; I thank you for what you give and what you withhold, for you are good and wise and loving. I can trust you in this situation.” The arrow thunked into the shield and sizzled out.
 
Walter waited for another attack, but when nothing stirred, he went back to his coding, glad that he’d kept his armor on with his sword and shield handy.
 
The rest of the morning went well, but later in the afternoon, there came another sneak attack. Things weren’t progressing as fast as he’d planned, with some unforeseen glitches he’d have to solve.
 
He was somewhat unhappy with himself for not anticipating these problems. As a result, his breastplate was hanging awry and he didn’t get his shield up in time, so a flaming arrow of worry was able to strike him in his chest. He immediately felt the poison of anxiety begin to seep into his heart.
 
He reached up and pulled out the arrow with the glove of confession and threw it down. “Lord, forgive me for not trusting you; you promise to lead me through whatever comes, even if it’s the valley of the shadow of death–so I can trust you to help me work out these issues. As it says in Psalm 86:7, ‘I will call upon you in the day of my trouble, for you will answer me.’ I praise you now for how you will guide in overcoming these obstacles in my work.”
 
Stamping out the still smoldering arrow with his shoes of peace, Walter put some truth-salve from Psalm 62 on his wound “My soul, find rest in God alone, for my hope comes from Him. He only is my rock, my salvation and my high tower. I will never be shaken.” That quickly lessened the pain and he was able to think clearly again and get back to his work.
 
–to be continued
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Praising God for His Faithfulness in the Morning, His Love in the Evening

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 31, 2016

[Written in early 2011 while living in Germany to care for Omi, Barbara’s mother.]

Praise you, Lord, for the knowledge that you are the manager of my life: in your goodness, wisdom, grace and love you are constantly at work, arranging events, filtering out evil, giving guidance, protecting and directing.

Thank you for the surety that, as I pray about the day, you hear, you answer, you reach down from on high and take hold of me, you draw me out of deep waters, you rescue me from my powerful enemy, from my foe who is too strong for me. You bring me forth into a spacious place. You rescue me because you delight in me. (Psalm 18:16-19)

What wonderful, rich, peace-giving, joy-providing, rest-producing Truth. Whatever comes I can praise and wait for your wise and good timing in bringing me through it.

In relation to Omi and the potential end of our time here, whether we leave in August or December, it’s fine: your timing is perfect. I can trust you to work things out: Omi’s accepting the change; a place opening up at the right time in the nursing home; the selling of her house; the outworking of disposing of all her goods; the shutting down of all utilities; the closing up of our apartment; the actual leaving.

Praise you, Lord, that you have all these things in hand, will guide us through the maze and will cause each thing to happen at the right time. Praise be to you ahead of time because you are always good, gracious and righteous.

Epilogue: the Lord answered and brought every one of these events to pass, later than we expected (almost a year later, by March of 2012), but at the right time and in the right way, including providing Omi a place in a brand new, beautiful nursing home, with her being willing to go and then in the last week of our time in Germany, the selling of Omi’s house for the price she wanted.

Truly, Lord God, you are the God of hope, who wants to fill us with all joy and peace, if we will only trust in you. Then you will cause our lives to overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit, blessing all those around us (Rom. 15:13). Help us, Lord Jesus, to trust in you continually, fully, richly and willfully so we can be carriers of hope to all those around us.

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