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Amazing Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 8, 2015
After lifting my soul to God, receiving His insight, conviction and forgiveness.
 
Praise you, Lord God, for you are the King of Glory and the Lord of Grace, who reaches down into my life consistently: guiding, providing, protecting, teaching, correcting, forgiving and transforming.
 
It is such a wonder to belong to you, the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all there is. On the level of universe-wide thinking, I live on a tiny speck of cosmic dust, tucked under one arm of the Milky Way, which is a smallish, inconsequential galaxy among millions of others—and yet you have the desire and ability to be intimately, consistently involved in my life.
 
You can do this because you are infinite, you are powerful, you are loving and good.
 
Forgive me to taking for granted your love for me–I so easily forget how great you are, how huge the universe is, and how much I deserve the opposite of your love and tender care.
 
You are marvelous in your love, magnificent in your forgiveness, munificent (splendidly generous) in your provision and magnanimous in your grace. You are truly worthy of wholehearted worship, lavish love, supreme surrender and outlandish obedience.
 
Help me today to remember your greatness, my unworthiness and your rich, redeeming love, so that I may respond by living worthy of your Name and calling.
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Psalm 9:15-16

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 7, 2015
 
Psalm 9:15 “The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.”
 
[Praise you for your faithfulness to judge in righteousness, Lord: you bring on evil doers what they have prepared for others. At the top of the list is Satan himself, who has been judged and will end up in the lake of fire where he has sought to send so many others.
 
I think of the destruction that came on Germany and Japan after WWII for the cruel and oppressive regimes that ruled there. I think of how the dictators ruling in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia were taken down in the Arab Spring. It takes time, but in the end evil doers are consumed by their own plans.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, that you bring justice at the right time: “Fret not yourself because of the man who prospers in his way…for evil men shall be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord shall inherit the land.” (Ps. 37:7,9)]
 
Psalm 9:16 “The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.”
 
[Your justice, O Lord, is strong and broad, sure, right and certain. You will bring judgment on all who, in their evil independence, refuse the refuge of your love and forgiveness. The evil we do will come back to capture us if we refuse your refuge, forgiveness and cleansing. This is good, for evil without justice brings hopelessness.
 
Praise you, Lord God, that your character is the measure of all. You are all we truly seek: the Great Good, the Perfect Peace, the Total Truth, the Wholly Holy and Loving Lord.
 
To you belongs exaltation, glory, praise and honor. To you I bow in worship, for you I rise to obey, with you I go forth into the day to join you in your great and beautiful plans. May you be glorified in my life today.
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My Wonderful God, Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 5, 2015

Hello, Lord Jesus, it’s good to wake up and know that you are waiting for me, ready to spend some time visiting with me, giving encouragement, direction and guidance. I praise you for your wide wisdom and complete knowledge, for you understand what is right and wrong, what is good and evil. You know the outcome of every possible choice and you are willing and desirous of giving me the input I need to make good, healthy, constructive decisions.

I thank you for your deep, rich, powerful love which is unwavering, immutable, gracious and firm. To be loved by you is such a privilege, the opposite of what I, in my natural rebellion and unbelief, deserve. You are kind, patient, gracious, good and wise.

As you embrace me this morning in greeting, sit with your arm around my shoulder and talk with me about yesterday, about today, about my growth, you constantly radiate warm affection, full affirmation and gracious acceptance. These flow out of your pure and pristine heart, out of your beautiful being: you don’t just love, you are love itself, a step far beyond loving; there is no way you can’t love.

I am glad that part of your love is chastening (“for whom the Lord loves he chastens” Heb. 12:6), as well as correction and rebuke when necessary, with ongoing teaching and guidance. I praise you that you don’t let me continue in my own self-centered, unhealthy thinking, but draw me out into a wider place by your wisdom and example. Through your Word and Spirit you help me to see things from your point of view. This gives me a higher, broader, bigger understanding of life, of events, of the role you have given me of being your hands to those around me.

Thank you for your provision of prayer, which is your invitation to join you in your great plans to spread Truth, to proclaim the gospel, to nurture and equip believers for the ministry. Praise you that you call us into eternally significant activity which affirms the meaning, purpose and significance you have bestowed on your creatures by loving them.

I praise you that you have bestowed upon us worth, belonging and competence. As you had Paul express it in Ephesians 1:18-19, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you [belonging], the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people [worth], and his incomparably great power for us who believe [competence].

Help me to live in these great Truths today, Lord, knowing you, living in your presence, joining you in your plans with all you have given to make me an effective instrument in your hands. Glorify yourself in my life today by keeping me resting in the shelter of the Most High.

 

 

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Psalm 9:13-14

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 3, 2015

Psalm 9:13 “O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,”

[Lord, there are many believers around the world who are literally being pursued to the gates of death. Praise you that you are there, helping them, strengthening them, delivering them, whether it be through the gates of splendor into eternity or out of the clutches of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram. You are both faithful and merciful in the help you powerfully provide.

Protect them, engrace them, help them to respond with your thoughts: praise for the privilege of suffering, prayer for the persecutors and blessing for those who misuse them (Matt 5:11,12,43,44). May this result in many coming to faith in Christ.]

Psalm 9:14 “that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion and there rejoice in your salvation.”

[One major purpose of deliverance is to give you glory, Lord, to praise you for your goodness, to rejoice in you–not just to be relieved at the end of our pain and turn back to our self-centered, futile living.

Praise be to you for your power to preserve, for your strength to save, your promise to protect, your commitment to keep. May we live in the light of that today, passing through difficulties with the power of the Spirit, praising you for your deliverences–past, present and future.]

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Prayer for November

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 2, 2015
Prayer for This New Month
 
Praise be to you, Lord, for a new month, a new opportunity to live with you, for you, by your strength. Help us to join you today in your plans, to discern what you are doing and partner with you in it.
 
May we honor you by keeping on the armor of God, effectively fighting the right enemies, keeping up the shield of faith, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, rejecting complaining, no matter how slight it may be.
 
Help us to regularly lift our souls to you, emptying out the bitterness that has collected over the day and fully process with you our thoughts, feelings and desires, aligning with your thoughts and surrendering to your wise and good leadership.
 
Fill us with your Spirit, so that all who meet us will meet you. Help us to choose to live the truth that knowing Jesus is enough for joy.
 
Help us to move towards the position of Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
 
Help us to look at life with the eyes of Asaph, the author of Psalm 73 who wrote, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
 
May we remember the purpose of our lives–honoring you–and that every disappointment, difficulty, frustration and problem is a chance to fulfill this purpose by obeying Psalm 50:23. “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me and opens the way so that I might show him the salvation of the Lord.”
 
Open our eyes to the God sightings you give us daily, causing our understanding of you to expand and our faith to deepen.
 
Help us to remember to pray about everything, especially when we lose things, so we can experience your love that surpasses understanding as you answer in wisdom, grace and power.
 
Praise be to you now for how you will help us by answering these prayers, bringing glory to your name and light to those around us. Amen
 
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Psalm 9:11-12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 1, 2015

Psalm 9:11-12

“Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; for he who avenges blood remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.”

[Praise you, O Great Lord, for you are just; you will avenge evil, you will not forget.   I thank you that you pay close attention to the cry of the afflicted, you know each person’s heart, each person’s suffering, each person’s deep desire for security and significance, for belonging, worth and competence.

As it says in Isaiah 51:12-15, “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the LORD your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar– the LORD Almighty is his name.”

We all long for freedom from the oppression of the enemy, primarily Satan, and you, Lord, have provided for that in the death and resurrection of Christ. I praise you, Heavenly Father, for your care for us, your guidance and your protection. You are truly worthy of worship, glory and honor. Today we offer you praise, exaltation and obedience. Amen.

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God's Character Revealed in the Beauty of Fall

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 31, 2015

From my morning worship journal

October 31, 2015, Saturday, the last day of October. As I step outside on the porch, the moon shines brightly in the west, Mars, Venus and Jupiter form a clear triangle in the east and the Big Dipper points unfailingly to the North Star. The horizon is touched with the fingers of dawn, a golden line against the black of night. A frost lies on the grass; I can’t see it yet, but feel it in the crispness of the morning darkness.

Thank you, Lord, for your greatness, revealed in the glory of this morning. I praise you for your beautiful, pristine character. Like this dawn of darkness and light, brightness of stars and promise of the day, your attributes are perfectly balanced. In you there are both justice and mercy, judgment and love, hatred for sin and love for sinners. You are fully sovereign while bestowing the gift of responsibility on your creatures.

I praise you for your rich display of your being in your Word, showing us that you are eternal, without beginning or end; you are wise and joyful, powerful and kind, mighty and loving, and majestic while paying attention to minute detail. You are all knowing while forgiving and choosing to forget sin. You are wonderful beyond conception, and for that I am glad—for that proves you are God, completely separate and outside your creation—no human being could ever think up a Creator like you!

This fall season’s display of beauty also reminds me of your character, Lord. The trees are clothed in brilliant colors and fiery glory. Some have three colors at once–red, yellow and green—reminding me both of your triuneness and of your love for variety. This is echoed in maples of bright yellow standing next to pines of soft green and oaks of crisp brown. Everywhere there is diversity, a contrast and compliment of colors. This is truly a reflection of your character, where the diversity doesn’t divide but produces a richer beauty, a deeper grace and a more astounding complexity within a powerful unity.

You, Lord God, are the ultimate in every aspect: beauty and wisdom with power, along with judgment and love. I praise you, Lord God for how wonderful you are, worthy of our worship, deserving of our adoration, meriting our obedience.

May we dwell today in the light of your beauty, in the grace of your unified diversity and in awe of your monumental and majestic greatness. To you be honor and glory in all.

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Psalm 9:10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 30, 2015

Psalm 9:10 “Those who know your name will trust in you,”

[Your name, Lord, communicates your commitment to constant and complete provision, to protection and a place in your Kingdom.

Your name, Elohim, means the strong and faithful One, and you have shown your power in creation and your faithfulness in providing salvation through Christ.

Your name, Adonai, means the powerful Authority who has the right to demand obedience, and along with that promises complete provision of all we need to live for and obey you.

Your name Yahweh, means the holy One who is utterly independent of your creation and utterly committed to caring for it. You are the Hater of sin, the Judge of evil and the Lover of your sinful creatures.

You are the great I AM, with no beginning and no end, ever existent, ever powerful, ever present.  You are absolutely, utterly, completely, eternally trustable; to not trust in you is a great sin, denigrating your mighty, majestic, magnificent Name.]

“for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

[The record speaks: you have come to the rescue of all who have called upon you: Adam, Able, Abraham, Moses, the Children of Israel (many, many, times), the Judges of Israel, David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, the Apostles, Paul–and us.

As we seek you, call out to you, you are faithful to answer. As it says in Psalm 34:4-8, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.  The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.  Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

So let us take refuge in the Almighty One who will never forsake us and helps those who take refuge in Him.]

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Psalm 9:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 29, 2015
Psalm 9:11 “Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done.”
[You, Lord God, are worthy of praise and more: to you belong worship, exaltation, honor, glory and thanksgiving for all that you have done. You have provided the possibility of forgiveness for all people, you have redeemed and rescued your children, you have released your saints from the dominion of darkness and ushered us into the Kingdom of Light, the Kingdom of your Son whom you love.
In Him we are forgiven, cleansed, transformed, adopted, commissioned to special service, equipped to join you, dearly loved, doted on and delighted in..
You have glorified your name in millions of instances of doing good to your enemies, being gracious to your rebellious children, being kind to all people, being holy in the face of evil, being patient in the face of rejection and being purposeful in bringing history to a conclusion which will eliminate evil and restore the perfection of pre-fall creation.
In the light of all this, we must worship you, we must exalt you, we must praise you, for there is no other possible response for those who know your name. May you be honored in our lives today, may obedience flow, may praises multiply, may trust reign, may glory rise to you each moment, for you are worthy, O Triune, Glorious and Eternal LORD!
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Psalm 9:9

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 28, 2015

Psalm 9:9 “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,”

[Praise you, Yahweh, the great I AM, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, who is aware of each of the oppressed and calls every one of us to yourself for refuge.

People are oppressed first and foremost by the devil as he keeps them enslaved by fear of death, by desire and deception, by division and distraction.  And he oppresses through evil people, evil persuasions, evil purposes.  Then we are also oppressed by our own negative nature where selfishness, pride, lust and greed successfully seek to rule us.

But you, Lord Jesus, have opened a door out of this miserable mess of darkness and despair into the Kingdom of Light where you are our personal refuge and strength so we may give you ever increasing glory.]

The Lord is “a stronghold in times of trouble.”

[In you we are safe from the attacks of the enemy, in you we find comfort, rest, salvation and protection.  In you we find love, grace, goodness and help.  In you we find forgiveness, pardon, cleansing and transformation. In you there is loving chastening, firm correction and certainty of rebuke when needed.  In you there is deliverance from deception, lust, selfishness and independence. You are our protector from all troubles, sooner or later, as long as we dwell in your shelter.

As it says in Psalm 91:1-4 “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” ]

Lord, help me to willfully take shelter in you today, my mighty rock and my refuge.

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