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Psalm 18:20-24

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 1, 2016

Psalm 18:20 “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness;”

[O Lord, praise you that you deal with us according to your imputed righteousness, not our own, for I have none; you would have to condemn me instantly to hell if my goodness were the measure. But praise be to your glorious name that you have made me to stand before you in your all-cleansing righteousness: forgiven, transformed, accepted, adopted, beloved!]

“according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.”

[My sin-stained hands are now washed in your blood, cleansed of guilt, purified in forgiveness and empowered for good. Praise you that you see me as your dearly loved child, delighted in, cherished and deeply cared for. The cleanness is there because of your great work, Lord Jesus.]

Psalm 18:21 “For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.”

[By your grace, by your power, by your obedience, Lord Jesus, I am counted as having kept your ways. What my old nature could not do in that is was weak, you did, my Savior. And you, Heavenly Father, in spite of what I am, have qualified me to be a partaker in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light.]

Psalm 18:22,23 “All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.”

[Again, I cannot say any of this, for in myself I continue to be blameworthy, struggling with the sinful, selfish ways of my old nature—but you, Holy Spirit, also continue in transformation, love and grace, so I stand before you, Lord Jesus, blameless in your love, a new creature, dearly loved, doted on and deeply cared for. Praise be to you! You are our hope, our holiness, our purity, our power. In you are goodness, grace and glory, all of which you generously, whole-heartedly share with us, unconditionally, contra-conditionally. Praise be to you!]

Psalm 18:24 “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.”

[It is wonderful that you have rewarded me, Lord, not according to my righteousness, but according to the righteousness of Christ, to the cleanness of His hands, for in your sight I am in Christ, I am cleansed, claimed and commissioned as your dearly beloved child.

Praise you, Lord Jesus, for your great and, humanly speaking, impossible, unspeakable work, far beyond what any created being could do. You reward your enemies! You pour out on your foes who come to you eternal life, eternal relationship, eternal love and unending goodness, when we deserve the opposite! Praise be to you.

Help us to revel in your love, to bask in your grace, to rejoice in your forgiveness—and to forgive and accept ourselves as you have us. May we grasp the greatness of your love which surpasses knowledge so that we might be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19).]

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Lightness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 30, 2016

Praise you, Lord, that with you every day is a sunny one, for your light of love and life shines continually on us, giving us encouragement, perspective, purpose, power and joy: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you,” said Jesus, and then “These thing I have spoken to you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full” (John 15:9,11).

There is a condition to receiving this joy: trust. As it says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you will all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that your lives may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Trusting God involves submitting to Him, to His description of reality, to His Word, to His leadership, to His purpose and meaning.

We can’t walk in the light while keeping our eyes closed, living in the tiny world in our head. We have to open our eyes wide to the wonderful, awesome, expansive and beautiful reality of God’s Kingdom. Here we own nothing, but are given everything we need. We are called to hold all with an open hand, telling our gracious and kind, good and wise Heavenly Father, “Take what you want, leave what you want, give what you want. I trust you to do what is best.”

Holding all with an open hand is, on one side, scary at first, because there are plenty of things we don’t want to give up (health, relationships, income, security, savings, etc.). But as we come to know more and more of God’s beautiful and wise character, our fear lessens (perfect love casts out fear), and is replaced by a sense of security (safety is not the absence of danger, but the presence of Jesus), and a sense of adventure (every day is a battle with spiritual enemies who use people against us; but as we keep on the armor and fight the right enemies, there is a continual string of victories). We begin to understand what it means to be more than conquerors in the midst of challenges (Romans 8:37).

As we develop a greater dependence on our Shepherd Jesus, there comes a healthy emotional independence from those around us. Their ups and downs, cutting comments and negative attitudes don’t affect us as much, for we are finding our rest in God alone (Ps. 62:1) and we live in the truth that God is “our rock, our fortress and our deliverer” (Ps. 18:2). We cease to live for the approval of those around us, because we have the approval of the only One who counts.

Living this way entails a fundamental change, a worldview shift from our natural thinking to God’s thinking. We no longer live in a world where most things around us are out of control (certainly out of our control), but in a world where all is in God’s control, where whatever comes to us comes with His wise permission, for His expansive purpose, in His great love for us.

What a difference it makes to live in this new Kingdom where we have multiple opportunities daily to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, sacrificing our perspective for His, rising above the natural to live in the supernatural, the eternal.

What a God we have, what a life He gives us, what a future He’s prepared. To live in the wonder of getting the opposite of what we deserve, to revel in His unconditional love, to bask in His unending goodness (instead of thinking all the natural negative thoughts the devil throws at us), this is part of the joy He desires for us. Why not embrace it?

 

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Psalm 18:16-19

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 29, 2016

Psalm 18:16 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”

[Ours is a God who is not too busy to stoop down and help any one of His children; He pays attention and acts at the right time. David was sinking in deep danger, he needed help right away and God answered.]

Psalm 18:17 “He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.”

[You, Lord, are such a personal God; you reach into time and history to save, protect and deliver us from the great power of our enemy, the devil, and his forces. They are far too strong for us, but you are immensely more powerful than they and have no problem overcoming their plans.

In the midst of our difficulties, we can be certain that you, Lord Jesus, will act in the best way, the best time, the best means to sustain us and to give help in the right measure. Praise be to you for your faithfulness and goodness.]

Psalm 18:18 “They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.”

[When all seemed lost, when our demise seems certain, you, Lord come in and rescue.]

Psalm 18:19 “He brought me out into a spacious place;”

[You don’t just rescue us, you bring us into a positive position, a superior situation, a wide and pleasant place with you. You are the giver of good and grace.]

“he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

[This statement is the most important one in this passage, in my opinion. You did not act just out of pity or obligation, but because you delight in us! What an amazing, encouraging, faith-building, wonderful statement!

You are powerfully pleased that we belong to you, that we cry out to you, our Abba Father. You are not bothered, irritated or agitated by our coming to you. No, you are richly pleased, mightily happy, deeply delighted, for you have inexplicably made us the objects of your unending, deep and rich love. You have made us the apple of your eye, the delight of your heart, the object of your continual kindness.

We do not deserve this, so we praise you for your wonderful, eternal, infinite forgiveness, your unlimited grace and all-encompassing love that gives us the opposite of what we should get.

I praise you now, today and forever because you are worthy of all honor, praise and glory. You are the God who loves His enemies, who rescues those who deserve condemnation, who saves those who deserve defeat. May your name be exalted through faith, obedience and thanksgiving in my life today and forever. Amen.]

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Psalm 18:6-15

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 28, 2016

Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

[And when He heard David’s cry, He moved to answer:]

Psa 18:7 “The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.”

[You, Lord God, are a person of passion: when you are aroused, there is no stopping you. You act in justice, you act in love, you act in conviction, you act in power! Praise be to you for your love so displayed.]

Psa 18:8 “Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.”

[You anger is righteous and will not be quenched until there is justice done and wrongs righted. The heat of your anger leads to the rescue of your children in the right way and at the right time. You act in power and swiftness, as this next section so graphically illustrates:]

Psalm 18:9 “He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.

Psalm 18:10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.

Psalm 18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Psalm 18:12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

Psalm 18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

Psalm 18:14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.

Psalm 18:15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.”

[What a display of powerful, righteous and compassionate anger! Bigger than any star wars episode! You, Lord God, Breather of the stars, bent the elements to your will and acted in passion, bringing a storm at the right time to protect your own.

You are the God of wisdom and power, passion and might, mercy and action.

As David said in the beginning of this Psalm, you are our Rock, our Fortress and our Deliverer. In you we can trust, no matter how terrible things look. You have a plan to rescue us, you will work it out at the right time and carry us along with you.

Help us to demonstrate our belief in you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all, in turning to you first in our needs and to praise you for your answers before they come.]

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Psalm 18:3-6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 27, 2016

Psalm 18:3 “I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,”

[You, Jehovah, are worthy of praise because of your holiness. You are completely other than your creatures: eternal, pure, wise, all powerful, all knowing, all seeing, totally independent of all you have created. In contrast, we are weak, tiny, finite and ignorant, in total need of knowing you, fully dependent on you, whether we know it our not.

In your holiness you, LORD, are the One who hates sin and must punish it, while at the same time you love your rebellious creatures and have provided for them a way of escape from condemnation. Truly you are worthy of praise!]

“and I am saved from my enemies.”

[You hear my prayers. In your power, in your love, in your faithfulness you save me from my enemies. You rescued me from the dominion of darkness, you delivered me from the oppression of the devil, you freed me from the clutches of sin, you brought me out from under the condemnation of the world.

You saved me from danger and death, and you continue to save me every day from the attacks of sin, selfishness, Satan and his servants. You are my Superb Savior in whom mercy triumphs over justice. For your incomprehensible love and grace you are worthy of continual praise, honor and glory!]

Psalm 18:4,5 “The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.”

[In David’s case, his life was in physical danger as Saul was in hot pursuit of him. This is also the case now for many Christians in Africa and the Middle East as groups like ISIS try to eliminate all followers of Jesus.

On another level of danger, we all were entangled by the cords of death, for we lived in the dominion of darkness, in the dark, depressing world of the dying, ensnared by the traps and tricks of the devil. Death was our certain destiny, there was no hope, no light, no escape in our own strength.]

Psalm 18:6 “In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”

[But you, LORD God, Jehovah Elohim, were there to hear us when we cried out to you and have delivered us from the darkness and brought us into your light. You now continually invite us to cry out to you and you hear our cry and act in your undeserved faithfulness and love. Because you are faithful we can be certain that, despite our unworthiness, you will hear and answer.]

It is wonderful, comforting and encouraging to know that in all our difficulties we can cry out to you, that you hear us and will answer in what is best and in power.

As it says in Psalm 86:7, “In the day of my trouble I will call to you and you will answer me.” May we live in the light and joy of this truth, trusting through thanksgiving before we see any answer, knowing that your timing and wisdom are perfect.

To you be honor and glory today in my life as I live in the truth that “my soul finds rest in God alone (Psa. 62:1).

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Psalm 18:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 26, 2016

Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;”

[You, Jehovah, the holy and sin-hating God, are our mighty Rock: unshakable, unmovable, unending and unchanging, ever stable, ever trustable. On you we can rely, in you alone our souls find rest.

On this great Rock of safety, you are also our great Fortress in which we can take refuge, hidden away from the enemy. Your Fortress is undefeatable, impregnable and impenetrable. The enemy can never breach the walls of your love, can never touch us without your permission, can never defeat your plans.

You are also our Deliverer, fighting for us in your might, wisdom and love. You foil the plans of the nations and thwart the purposes of the peoples. The enemy can never trick you, surprise you or defeat you.

Even in your weakness as a man, Lord Jesus, with the possibility of defeat and failure yawning before you, with death overtaking your body, at the right moment you rose up to win, to defeat death and the devil, to open the way to life for all. You are the God triumphant, the Deliverer of all who are oppressed.

And you continue with that every day, surrounding us with your grace, goodness and glory in the ongoing spiritual warfare. We can stand with you, in you, for you, clothed with your amour, empowered by your grace, guided by your wisdom, partnered with you in victory. Praise be to you!]

“my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”

[You, O God, are Elohim, the powerful One who showed your might in creation; you are the consistent One who showed your faithfulness in providing salvation as promised. You, the triune God, are not just the Rock, but my Rock to whom I can flee and find refuge. In you is the ultimate in help and safety.]

“He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

[You, O Elohim, are my personal shield, protecting my head in the day of battle; you are the power of my salvation; you are my sheltering stronghold which the enemy can never penetrate. You are the ultimate in security, the eternal in safety, the almighty in victory. You are the only One to be trusted, believed in and obeyed.]

Praise be to you now for how you are going to be my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer today. Help me to remain in your love, to obey what I know to be true and to honor you by keeping on the armor, standing in the evil day and doing all that you desire. Thank you now for the answer to this prayer. Amen.

 

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Psalm 18:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 25, 2016
Psalm 18
 
This is one of my favorite psalms, for it reveals the rich and deep relationship David had with his Lord in the midst of the problems. pressures and dangers of real life. David is a good example to us of taking everything to God and living in the Lord’s strength, power and protection, not trying to make it on his own.
 
For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
 
Psalm 18:1 “I love you, O LORD, my strength.”
 
[You, Lord, are the intimate and ultimate God, whose deep love for us calls forth an echo of response from our hearts. To love you is a great privilege, a wonderful freedom, a deep grace, bringing us forth from our natural negative notions into the light of your marvelous presence, power and wisdom. There your love overflows us, washes through us, brings us cleansing and renewing and joy.
 
You, Jesus, declared, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love…. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:9,11).
 
You are not only the One who loves us but the one who shares your power with us. You are my strength–I have very little–in fact, practically speaking, none of my own, especially in comparison to that of our enemies. Satan is much stronger than me.
 
As it says in Revelation 12:17, “Then [Satan] the dragon was enraged…and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring–those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” The accuser gives no quarter, and I cannot possibly defend myself against him—but you, O Lord God, are my defender, my salvation and protector.
 
Later in this psalm David declares that the LORD “reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support” (Psa. 18:16-18).
 
Praise be to you, Lord God, that you give strength for each day, that your power is made perfect in the poverty of our personal weakness. Our lack of strength is your opportunity to bring salvation to us, to display your great power in your love by providing, protecting and prolonging our lives in the midst of attacks by the enemy who is too powerful for us. Glory be to your name!
 
May I live in your love and under your strength today by keeping on your armor and offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving for whatever comes, trusting you, honoring you and seeing the salvation of the Lord.
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Truth and Trust

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 23, 2016

Praise you, my Heavenly Father, King of Glory, Creator of the universe, Beginner and Ender of History.

Last night at the initial Truth Project class (Focus on the Family), it was mentioned how Satan was there when God created all we can see. So were all the angels, fallen and faithful both.

This hints at all that existed previously, all that was created before you, Lord God, brought out of nothing our universe and all that is in it. What was there before this? We don’t know, but certainly there was a place where you dwelt, where you and all the spiritual beings you had created earlier existed.

You are much bigger, more more powerful and far greater than even the vast and deep spaces of the known universe indicate. It is, of course, impossible for our tiny human reasoning to grasp your dimensions, to understand what eternity entails, what it means to have existed forever, without being created, without change or growth because you are already perfect, and will last forever and ever.

How many other things have you created that we have no word of (worlds, places, universes)? We can only speculate, but such mighty, majestic acts are certainly within the realm of possibility for you, considering your infinite power and unlimited wisdom. Such thoughts are mind-warpingly beyond our comprehension, they are majestic, magnificent, mighty—and comforting.

They are comforting because you, our Heavenly Father, in spite of your greatness and glory, your having no need for us, came to our insignificant Milky Way galaxy, crossing it’s 500,000 light year radius to approach a tiny speck of dust tucked under one arm of the huge spiral and there at great cost to yourself, proceeded to redeem the rebellious and repulsive population.

What reason could you possibly have had for this? There is no attractiveness, no usefulness, no positiveness about us, sinful and selfish as we are, to entice you into such a sacrifice. This is utterly illogical to our minds.

Yet, you, the mighty and majestic One, who has created all we can see and far more, stoop to gather into your embrace all who will come. You forgive, cleanse, adopt, equip and invite us into significant roles in your great plan to right wrong, infuse good, eliminate evil and bring a recreated universe into eternity with you. Wow!

Are we who have believed going to refuse to join you in this? Are we going to continue on in our self-centered, activity-based, feel good focus, taking for granted all you’ve done and given? Or are we going to embrace all you have for us, making you the center of our lives, our being, our day, our activities? A no brainer if we are looking at reality.

And that’s the key: full reality, as far as we can comprehend it from your revelation. This means eagerly letting go of our natural worldview and leaping into your worldview where you are sovereign, powerful, good and loving, where you are inviting us into the adventure of living for you, in you, by you and with you in bringing history to a conclusion and sweeping as many as possible into an eternity with our marvelous and mighty God.

To refuse such proffered purpose, meaning, honor and significance is the deepest form of insanity (being detached from reality). To surrender is the highest form of worship.

The choice is ours to begin now, surrendering our understanding to you, being filled with your Spirit, learning to think your thoughts, live in your values and run in your paths of Truth, as laid out in your Word. Lead us on to deeper and deeper surrender, Lord, that we may be more and more useful for you, continually bringing you greater and wider honor.

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Psalm 17:15

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 22, 2016

Psalm 17:15 “And I—in righteousness I will see your face;”

[Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you have given me your righteousness and opened the way so that I will see you in eternity, face to face. What a wonder, what a hope, what a high and wide security to face the future knowing where we are going. And what joy to see more and more of you here on earth in your Word, in your Works, and in your Wisdom.]
“when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”

[When I awake each morning, you are there, Lord Jesus, watching over me, having a prepared day with all that is needed: grace, wisdom, insight, discernment, challenges and opportunities.

Seeing you now, knowing now you is enough for joy—what an understatement! Seeing you through your word and works, veiled and dim as it is, is overwhelming, stupendous, enormous, majestic, transforming, marvelous and far more than enough.

When I awake from death you will be there, too. But how much more stupendous it will be when I awake in your full presence, seeing you without the veil of sin and selfishness. It will be indescribable.

I praise you for the daily revelations you give now from your Word and through your Spirit, as you remind of us truths taught and lessons learned so we can apply them again.

You are a marvel, a joy, a wonder, a glory. I praise you for the deep, rich, powerful and glorious privilege of being yours, of being with you, being in you.

As one who knows you so, may I be a hope carrier, a perspective bringer, and faith supplier to those around me as I pass through life. May the wonder of your love flow into and through me to those I meet today, giving you glory and honor and bringing further surrender and obedience in us all.]

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Psalm 17:12-14

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 21, 2016
Psalm 17:12 “…the wicked who assail me…are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover.”
 
[Like a beast desperate for food, our enemies (primarily Satan and his hordes who use men for their purposes) are dangerous, destructive and determined. They are terrifying, terrible and too strong for me. I am in desperate need help before they overcome me.]
 
Psalm 17:13 “Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;”
 
[In your might, Lord, you can easily win this battle. You are the Creator of the universe, the Breather of the stars, Bringer of the dawn, Captain of history and Ender of time. You are strong enough to deliver us from any enemy.]
 
“rescue me from the wicked by your sword.”
 
[No one can withstand the onslaught of your sword of Truth and the Power of your right hand, Jesus. As John wrote in Rev. 19:11.21, “…there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war….[those who fought against God] were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse….”]
 
Psalm 17:14 “O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life”
 
[The wicked are in the hand of the wicked one; they live only for this world: they are shortsighted, short-lived and live for what they can get in the short run.
 
Praise you, Lord, that in contrast you have given us the long range perspective of living for eternity, living for you, living for greater things than the values of this world. You have lifted us from the narrow, dark pit of sin and slavery, and brought us into a wide, pleasant position before you, into the light of your Word, into the place of your presence, into the peace and joy of your love.
 
Praise be to you for all the good you share, for all the beauty you bring, for all the gifts you give. Looking at those forces of men and devils which attack us and what they want to force on us—slavery, fear, despair, hopelessness and death–and then to look at where you have brought us—into the Kingdom of light, into your grace, into your embrace–the contrast is stark, deep, powerful and wonderful.
 
To you be glory and honor for sharing your goodness with the godless like me, making us your children, putting your divine nature in us, placing us in your family, your Kingdom, your plan and your heart.
 
May you be glorified in my life today through gratitude, gratefulness and godliness. Help me to be a glory giver in each instance, each decision, each challenge by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, that you may be honored and that all around may see your glory.
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