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Partnering with God in Worship

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 18, 2015
For the past few weeks I’ve been posting commentaries on the Psalms These are taken from my “worship journal” and were written as part of my personal daily worship. High level worship is, I believe, “Praising God for what He is without thinking of how that benefits me.”
That’s hard to do, as we are so naturally self-centered. But I have found that the more I “stay up there” in focusing on God’s character, on His works and Word, the more He moves to change my character to conform more to His.
 
He does this by exposing sin, encouraging surrender, giving insight and bringing worldview shifts away from my natural worldview to a biblical one. For instance, going from feeling sorry for myself when I don’t get my way, to recognizing that this is an opportunity to fulfill the purpose of my life by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps. 50:23).
As you have seen, I moved quite slowly in this worship process: it took over three years for me to make it through the Psalms. It was, and continues to be, a rich, transforming and equipping journey with the Holy Spirit, focusing on the greatness, the glory and the goodness of God.
My hope is that as you read these posts and think through with me how God has revealed His character by the words of the psalmists, that you, too, will be transformed and experience worldview shifts in your life. May it lead us to obeying more and more Psalm 37:4, “delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
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Psalm 8:3-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 17, 2015
Psalm 8:3 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,”
 
[Last night walking back home after dark, the stars were wonderfully bright and clear, the sliver of a new moon so distinct in the sky—and this despite the light pollution of the nearby city. It was a stimulating sight, a reminder of how vast the universe is, of how small and insignificant we are. As we view the unimaginably immense stretches of the heavens, the size and number of stars, galaxies and formations of galaxies—all created by you, Lord, we get a small idea of how infinitely great and powerful you are. And this makes us ask:]
 
Psalm 8:4 “what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?”
 
[We are so little, so unimportant, just tiny creatures hidden away on a speck of cosmic dust tucked under one arm of an insignificant galaxy. Yet you not only think of us, you value us and desire a relationship with each one in spite of our being twisted by sin and selfishness. And you were willing to pay a huge price to be able to take us into your family.
 
You are mindful of us and you do care for us, in spite of what we are naturally. Praise be to you for your grace, giving us undeserved goodness; for your kindness, returning blessing when we hurt you by disobedience and unbelief; and for your faithfulness, correcting us over and over again as we stumble through life.
 
You are a marvel, a wonder and most worthy of worship by all of your creation. May I give you honor today by giving the sacrifice of thanksgiving in all that comes.]
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Psalm 8:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 16, 2015

Psalm 8:2 “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise”

[You give the weak, the unrecognized, the unimportant the great privilege of giving glory to you—such a significant task your grant them! Praise you that you give the privilege of praise to all, even infants. May we join them in giving plenty of praise to you throughout the day.]

“because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

[What a wonder: you use the praise of the weak to defeat your powerful enemies, starting with Satan the avenger and his forces! What an amazing thought! The deliverance of king Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 comes to mind.

As the king faced a great coalition army, he came to you for help, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2Ch 20:12)

Then after a prophet foretold that God would deliver them, in faith, “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD” (2Ch 20:18).

The king then followed the unusual strategy of sending out singers, a choir, before his army as they set out for battle. How would you like to be in an unarmed choir between two armies about to fight? It was a big step of faith for the choir as well as the king. And God honored this faith.

“As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2Ch 20:22).

God responded to this praise of trust in Him and sovereignly defeated the enemy. Such praise is a pure act of faith, for there was no discernable reason to praise, except for knowing the powerful and good character of God.

So it is with us. As it says in Psalm 50:23, “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving [giving thanks when we don’t want to], honors me [fulfilling the purpose of our lives] and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.”

Praise opens the way for God’s help; complaining closes the door. May we follow king Jehoshaphat’s example of going immediately to God, seeking His help and praising Him for it before any answer comes. This honors our Lord greatly and defeats the enemy whether we can see it or not!

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Psalm 8:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 15, 2015
Psalm 8:1 For the director of music. According to gittith. A Psalm of David.
“O LORD,” [You are Yahweh, the great I AM, who exists from eternity to eternity, having no beginning, no end–the Creator of stars, Maker of the earth, Bringer of the dawn. You are great and glorious, powerful and pure, the Lord of all.] “our Lord,” [You are THE LORD and you are also OUR Lord,. You stoop down to enter our little lives, to walk with us, work with us, watch over us. You invite us to join you in your majestic plans, making meaningful work for each of your children, tailored lovingly to fit our abilities, gifting and situation. You are my Lord: present, alert, watching, ruling, protecting, guiding and deeply involved in every detail of my life. You I can trust, you I can be sure of, you I can praise in every incident.] “how majestic is your name in all the earth!” [Your name, O Eternal God, is pure and powerful, holy and great. You move with majesty, unrushed, sure, full of grace and glory. You are high and mighty, the only One with no beginning and no end. You are the One to be extolled and lifted up before all creation. Truly, your name is to be exalted above all in all the earth, in all the universe. It is to be honored by our reverence, our obedience, our awe and worship. You are to be exalted throughout the whole earth, by every person in every place at every time, for all of time and beyond–for you are worthy.] “You have set your glory above the heavens.” [You who spoke and created the stars, who stretched out the heavens with your hand, who set the limits for time and tide, you are far beyond the heavens, you are outside of time, you are beyond human comprehension.
 
Your glory is far above us, far beyond what we can imagine, yet in your grace you give us small glimpses into the beauty of your character. I see echoes of your glory in Spring time with the wealth of flowers, each more lovely than the last. In their colors–bright, gentle, rich and wonderful; in their shapes–varied, pleasant, crisp and smooth; in their scents–pleasing, positive, powerful.
 
So it is with you, Lord: you are beautiful, lovely, colorful, richly scented, wonderfully complex and inspiring—only much more than anything we can imagine in our earth-bound understanding. Truly your glory is great, stretching beyond the limits of the universe.
 
Help me to remember this and to continually stand in awe of you, to honor you by wholehearted obedience to what I know to be true.]
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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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