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Praise in the night

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 14, 2015

Thank you, Lord, for the challenge to believe during the night, as my throat was sore and bothering me, waking me up frequently. An opportunity to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. To you be honor and glory in allowing this potential cold into my life. It is my natural tendency to worry about such things and I pray that I won’t go “over the edge” into a full illness. But whether I do or not, I will praise you, for you have reasons for whatever comes, and I can trust you in it.

Praise be to you, Lord, that you are willing to stoop down from your lofty place in heaven to reach into our minuscule and, humanly speaking, unimportant lives. To you, we are important: chosen, dearly loved and deeply cared for (Col. 3:12), in spite of our microscopic existence in relation to the universe.

Each day you prepare, protect and provide for us. You guide in all, give what is necessary and grace us with your love, wisdom and goodness.  You chasten, correct and continually teach us. You rescue us from our powerful enemies, standing with us in the attacks of our foes who are too strong for us. You bring us out of each battle into a wide and pleasant place, rescuing us because you inexplicably and illogically delight in us (Psa. 18:16-19).

I praise you that your love is not dependent on our actions, responses or obedience. It is wonderful that your love is powerful (warning us when we are in danger of disobedience), patient (letting us stray at times to suffer the consequences of our foolish desires) and persistent (bringing judgment on us so we will repent). You are full-orbed, fully complete and perfect in your wisdom, understanding, knowledge and action.

I praise you for how you will interact with me today, for I can be certain it will be creative, powerful, good and farsighted. You, Lord God, are moving history to a conclusion and taking us with you, so whatever you allow or send today I can accept with full confidence in your wisdom and love. To you be glory and honor in all I do and say this day. Amen.

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Psalm 7:17

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 13, 2015
Psalm 7:17 “I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness”
 
[Yes, to you, O Yahweh, Jehovah, King of glory, the great I AM, the Holy One, to you we bring praise because you are righteous, sinless, pure, positive and good. You are worthy of worship, honor and glory.]
 
“and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.”
 
[You are the highest Authority, the final Decider, the Judge of all. Your decisions are right, made in full knowledge, measured against your own pure character, filled with love, justice, heavenly hatred for evil and a holy love for goodness. You have a powerful desire for an end to evil and a gracious commitment to bringing as many as possible into your Kingdom, that is all who are willing, before you bring judgment.
 
You are worthy of worship, worthy to receive songs of praise, hymns of exaltation, words of glory. In the light of your presence we must bow before you, Lord Jesus, bask in the greatness and power of your love, rise up to obey you in all today. May you be pleased in my obedience, done in the power of the Spirit and the wisdom of your Word.
 
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Psalm 7:12-16

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 12, 2015

Psalm 7:12 ‘If he does not relent,” [and you, Lord, are a faithful God, who follows through. You will not hold back, but make all preparations and at the right time bring judgment on all evil and those who persist in it.]

“he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
Psalm 7:13 He has prepared his deadly weapons; he makes ready his flaming arrows.”

[You have readied all for the final judgment of the world, of sin, of the devil and his forces—a certainty that You will bring the transformation of all that has been warped by sin, bringing back the pristine conditions of the original creation. In the meantime, judgment comes every day on those who persist in evil:]

Psalm 7:14 “He who is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment.” [being evil brings emptiness, not fulfillment.]

Psalm 7:15 “He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.”

[doing evil brings evil. This is the unchanging law of your justice, Lord.]

Psalm 7:16 “The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head.”

[In the end this always happens: think of Hitler, Stalin and Mao; think of Idi Amin of Uganda, of Saddam Huseyin of Iraq, of Mubarek of Egypt; think of me when I make selfish and unkind decisions.

I praise you, Lord, that you do not tolerate evil, that you have prepared the answer to evil and will eliminate it from the new heaven and earth, while all who accept your answer to evil (the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ) will live in sinless and joyful relationship with you forever. In the midst of evil of men and devils today, you are at work and we can rest in that, joining you in returning good for evil, blessing for cursing. Guide us in doing that today.]

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Stability

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 12, 2015

Praise be to you, Lord, that you are the stability in my life. My performance, good or bad, is not the measure, but your love, grace and goodness, your firmness, righteousness and justice are the standard of stability. And among these qualities, your love is the foundation as you grant us life, both now and forever, a gift we do not deserve.

You are the One who loves counter-conditionally, pouring out your grace on the rebellious, evil human race, calling all to enter your shelter, your family, your Kingdom. You patiently wait for the correct time to end history, giving all chance after chance to accept your offer of undeserved forgiveness, cleansing and transformation.

Daily you are so gracious to your children as we repeatedly grieve you with pride, selfishness and unkindness, with rebellion, unbelief and idol worship (an idol being anything we demand to be happy). You graciously correct, teach, chasten and guide, over and over as we stumble and zigzag through life.

You daily walk beside us; you are waiting for us to wake each morning, after watching over us in the night. You desire to meet with us, spend time with us, yet so many of your children decline to do so, sleeping in, rushing off to work or school, rejecting your offer of presence, guidance and teaching.

Forgive us, Lord—and you do. Work powerfully in us to bring us to our knees so we will begin to see what we are rejecting, neglecting, missing. Pin us down so we will pay attention and begin to live a life worthy of your Name.

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Psalm 7:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 10, 2015

Psalm 7:11 “God is a righteous judge,”

[You are absolutely right in your decisions, Lord, you are absolutely certain to judge correctly, you are absolutely sure to do so at the right time. As you did not draw back from crushing your own Son in your righteous wrath, so you will not hesitate to judge all sin at the exactly right time with truth and righteousness, wisdom and impartiality.]

“a God who expresses his wrath every day.”

[Praise you that you move in your wrath constantly, consistently, even now! Today you will move against the evil in the world, holding it back, judging evil-doers, convicting us of our sin, moving us inexorably towards the judgment day. And we, as followers of Jesus, having entered the shelter of your forgiveness, know that on judgment day we will be declared righteous in Christ, forgiven and cleansed. In this we can rest, praise and obey. And call others to enter this shelter.

To you, Lord of All, King of Glory, Shepherd of sinners, God of Grace, Judge of evil, Ruler of Righteousness, to you we bow, to you we give glory, to you we come: open, transparent, humbled, wholehearted and desiring to be obedient. I give you glory with all my mind, soul and strength. Today may you be the ruler of my heart, the King of my thoughts, the Lord of my actions. May you be exalted, praised and glorified in my life today.]

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Stability is found only in Jehovah

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 9, 2015

Praise be to you, Lord, that you are the stability in my life. My performance, good or bad, is not the measure, but your love, grace and goodness, your firmness, righteousness and justice are the standard of stability. And among these qualities, your love is the foundation as you grant us life, both now and forever, a gift we do not deserve.

You are the One who loves counter-conditionally, pouring out your grace on the rebellious, evil human race, calling all to enter your shelter, your family, your Kingdom.  You patiently wait for the correct time to end history, giving all chance after chance to accept your offer of undeserved forgiveness, cleansing and transformation.

Daily you are so gracious to your children as we repeatedly grieve you with pride, selfishness and unkindness, with rebellion, unbelief and idol worship (an idol being anything we demand to be happy). You graciously correct, teach, chasten and guide, over and over as we stumble and zigzag through life.

You daily walk beside us; you are waiting for us to wake each morning, after watching over us in the night. You desire to meet with us, spend time with us, yet so many of your children decline to do so, sleeping in, rushing off to work or school, rejecting your offer of presence, guidance and teaching.

Forgive us, Lord—and you do. Work powerfully in us to bring us to our knees so we will begin to see what we are rejecting, neglecting, missing. Pin us down so we will pay attention and begin to live a life worthy of your Name.

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Psalm 7:9-19

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 8, 2015

Psalm 7:9 “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts,”

[You, Lord God, know the full truth, for from you nothing is hidden as you see our thoughts and intents right to the bottom of our hearts. Your judgments are fully informed and righteous, true and just. To you be praise, honor and glory for your perfect, pure, powerfully positive heart, leading you to act in full knowledge and wisdom, in love and grace to do what is right and best.]

“bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure.”

[Praise you that this is your desire, Lord, to end evil and violence, setting limits on them now, then at the right time locking them up in Hell for good. You are our only hope in the darkness of this world, in the flood of evil, in the failure of human hearts, in the power of the devil to deceive and delude. You are Light and Love and Life in the midst of darkness, hate and death. Praise you for your goodness and the hope you bring.]

Psalm 7:10 “My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.”

[Yes, you are our hope, you are the Most High, you are the Great and Final Authority. You have the last word in every situation; no one can counter your judgments. And in your authority we are safe, for in your love you have shielded us, you protect us from Satan, sin and self. We can rest in your shadow, for you are the Almighty One, undefeatable, all wise and victor in the end of every situation.

I praise you now, O Lord Jesus, for the protection you provide, past, present, future. You are worthy of worship, worthy of our total obedience, worthy of our full affection. May you be honored in my life today in attitude, thought, word and action.]

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Our Astounding God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 7, 2015

Thank you, Lord God–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–for your persistence and faithfulness: you remain rock-solidly the same no matter what happens. Your character, your values, your actions, your grace all continue on the same powerful and positive path, uninfluenced, untouched, unswayed by what any of your creatures do.

You are never taken by surprise, you always have a solution and you always follow through. As king David wrote in Psalm 18, “You reached down from on high, you took hold of me and drew me out of deep waters. You rescued me from my powerful enemies, my foes who were too strong for me. They confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. You brought me out into a spacious place; you rescued me because you delighted in me.”

When you make up your mind, Lord, you will do it, no matter what the effort, no matter what the cost will be.  With king David, you moved powerfully to spare him from Saul. With us, you left the comforts of heaven, came down to live on the sin-twisted earth among unwashed and unclean people who ended up torturing and killing you. Why? To redeem all and save those who are willing to accept your offered forgiveness and eternal life by surrendering to you.

Truly you have brought us out into a spacious place, filled with grace and goodness, strength and transformation, love and provision. And why do you do this? Because you delight in making your enemies your children. You love to take your foes and bring them into your Kingdom as partners in your great plan to end time, eliminate evil and bring in a new heaven and earth.

All this shows again what a good God you are: how gracious, kind and forgiving. It shows what a wise God you are, able to be both just and merciful at the same time. It shows what a persistent God you are, following through on your commitment to send a Savior. It shows what a loving God you are, sending your Spirit to convict the whole world of guilt, even though you know that all will not respond and believe. It shows what a faithful God you are, following through on your promises, always.

It is such a powerful privilege to be your child, to live in your love, to experience your patient forgiveness every day, to join you in your great plan. May I live today in a way worthy of you, bringing you honor before all those I will meet and see.

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Psalm 7:6-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 5, 2015
Psalm 7:6 “Arise, O LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies.”
 
[Praise you, Lord God, our Heavenly Father, that you hate sin and injustice, that your anger and wrath is directed against evil and wrong-doing. Praise you that you act against sin at the right time and in the right way, whether it be in us or our enemies.]
 
“Awake, my God; decree justice.” [This is our hope: that you, O God, are just, that what you decree and judge will be right, pure and good, done in full knowledge of peoples’ motives, thoughts and deeds. Therefore we can trust you fully.]
Psalm 7:7 “Let the assembled peoples gather around you. Rule over them from on high; let the LORD judge the peoples.”
[In you, O Jehovah, is safety; you only are our refuge. You look down from your throne and see the hearts of every person on earth, you observe all that they do, so you know and judge correctly. You are the One we can trust.]
 
Psalm 7:8 “Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.”
[Praise you, O Lord God, that you do not judge me according to my own righteousness–for I have none–but that you judge me according to the righteousness of Christ, in the goodness of Jesus that He has bought for me. You have given me this righteousness in qualifying me to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light! (Col. 1:12) In you I am called, cleansed, transformed, adopted, commissioned and dearly loved.
 
With you there is hope of forgiveness, acceptance, love and grace. I can freely confess my sin to you, for you are good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy and truth to all those who call upon you (Psa. 86:5). And I can stand tall and sure at your side, knowing that I am in the shelter of the Most High; no one can accuse me of anything that you, Lord Jesus, have not covered with your blood.
 
May I live for you today, trusting you in whatever comes, fulfilling the purpose of my life, giving you honor and glory continually.]
 
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Psalm 7:3-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 3, 2015
Psalm 7:3 “O LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands–”
[David faces the possibility of unconfessed sin being a factor here; there is none he knows of, but there is always more sin in our lives than we are aware of. Help us to be open to the conviction of the Spirit of the next sin you want us to confess and repent.]
 
Psalm 7:4-5 “if I have done evil to him who is at peace with me or without cause have robbed my foe, then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.”
 
[This is a powerful prayer of surrender to God’s judgment, a declaration of David’s innocence in these two possible crimes of attacking a man in peace or without cause robbing someone.
 
How sure could I be of my innocence to make such a strong claim? There is much in my life below the level of consciousness–as well as above it–to confess and forsake! Sins like impatience, fear, worry, gossip, pride and unkindness—small things according to human thinking, but all sin is significant in your sight.
 
Yet in you, O Lord, I am forgiven and cleansed. I must deal only with what you show me—help me to be alert and open to the work of your Spirit as He convicts, reveals and teaches me about the sin I need to confess and reject.
 
Help me to be confident in you and your forgiveness while being realistic and transparent before you and myself about my natural depravity–daily dealing with sin in eager confession and wholehearted repentance.
 
Help me then in receiving and embracing the forgiveness and cleansing within that flows from Christ’s sacrifice. Help me to walk in the confidence that I am accepted, dearly loved and holy in your sight as I stand in the righteousness of Jesus. I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your resurrection, redemption and righteousness, all shared with us! ]
 
Selah
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