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Vindicated!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 25, 2016

Psalm 26:1 “Vindicate me, O LORD,”

[You, Lord Jesus, are the One who clears the accusations against me; I am in myself a sinner worthy of condemnation. But you are the One who, in your death and resurrection, bought forgiveness, honor, power and transformation by giving me your righteousness.

Therefore you can and do vindicate me before Satan and his accusations, before myself and before others. It is your righteousness that declares my innocence: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Rom. 8”:33,34).]

Psalm 26:1b “for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.”

[This I cannot say about myself, Lord. I sin every day; I waver every hour. I need your help in order to be able to trust. And when I do you vindicate me: “Trust in the LORD, and do good… Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday sun” (Ps. 37:3,5,6).

In you, Lord Christ, under your blood, I am blameless and you are leading me on towards trusting you more and more, on to less and less wavering, to consistently praising you in and for all things.

I thank you for your grace and goodness, for your continual working in me, for your good and powerful protection, for your total and effective forgiveness. As you are the One who has the right to declare me forgiven and cleansed, I can and must accept your estimation: as you forgive and accept me, I can forgive and accept myself.

Praise you for the new start every day–actually every minute. I thank you for your grace-filled kindness to me, to your creatures, to your creation.

As we wait for the great and total restoration of perfection, we can heed your call in Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” As we focus on and delight in you, you will put into our hearts the right desires and then fulfill them at the perfect time.

Praise you for your great patience, Lord God, waiting until all who are willing to believe are swept into your kingdom, and then you will bring the day of judgment, righting all wrongs and eliminating all evil, ushering in an eternity of Light and Love and unending Life.

I give you glory and honor, Lord, for you are absolutely worthy of it.

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Our Splendid God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 24, 2016
From the devotional book, EDIFIED!
 
“Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
Psalm 104:1
 
You, O Yahweh, I will praise with my mind, my will, my emotions, with my whole being; without reservation I will exalt you.
 
You are worthy of worship for you are great: you are mighty, immense, immeasurably great, filling the universe with your presence, knowing all, seeing all, performing all that is good.
 
You are glorious, clothed in garments of splendor and grace—rich, beautiful, gorgeous, lovely and majestic. You are lofty, high and lifted up, powerful, overwhelming and wonderful. As the Word says, “He wraps himself in light as with a garment” (Ps. 104:2a). Dressed in light, you are radiant, shining, sparkling, illuminating, revealing, glowing and glorious.
 
You are light itself, light to the core of your being, hiding no evil, covering no sin, harboring no darkness, for there is none of these to be hidden. You are what you are: good, holy, pure, positive, righteous, just, merciful, wise, patient, firm, unchanging, and inexorably loving. No one can rightfully accuse you of any wrong, any injustice, any sin, any evil—your light would reveal such things if there were any, but there are not.
 
You are the God of goodness, the Lord of Love, the King of Kindness, the Judge of Justness, the Sovereign of the Supernatural, the Highest of Heaven, the Ruler of Righteousness, the Protagonist of Purity, the Adopter of antagonists, the Transformer of truants, the Spring of Spirituality, the Spirit of Sanctification, the Paragon of Patience, the Terminator of time, the Ender of the earth, the Extender of eternity, the Eliminator of evil and the God of Glory—you only are worthy of worship!
 
Words fail to express the greatness of your goodness, the perfection of your personality, the beauty of your being. In response to your love, I can only fall before you in wonder and weakness; then I can rise up filled with the Spirit, and move into the day in obedience. To you be glory and exaltation, joy and pleasure in my worship of you all this day.
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Psalm 25:19-22

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 23, 2016
There have been some problems with this blog site, preventing me from posting for a couple of weeks; my apologies! I will pick up here where I’m at in the commentaries on the Psalms.
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Psalm 25:19 “See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!”
 
[Satan is always after me, seeking to trap me, to trip me up—he would kill me if possible, if you, Lord, gave permission. I praise you, Lord that you are aware of this and are at work against him. I praise you that “The angel of the Lord is camped around those who fear Him to deliver them” (Ps. 34:7).]
 
Psalm 25:20 “Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame,”
 
[In every day life I must appeal to you, Lord Jesus, for I am too weak–rescue me from my powerful enemies, from my foes who are too strong for me. Don’t let me be put to shame, for I follow you;thank you that instead of shame you offer us honor, the honor of being your children, of joining you in your work and of living for you.]
 
“for I take refuge in you.”
 
[I flee to you, my High Tower. I do this by offering praise and thanksgiving in my weakness and need. You, O Heavenly Father, are my mighty Shield, my high Fortress, my powerful Defender. You are my God, my great Rock in whom I take refuge, my Protector, the Provider of my salvation and my Stronghold. I call to you, O Lord, who are worthy to be praised and so I am saved from my enemies! (Ps. 18:16-19).]
 
Psalm 25:21 “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.”
 
[I praise you for the integrity and uprightness of your character, Lord Jesus, and that you have imputed these to us, your children. Help me to live in your integrity and uprightness, to give you honor and glory as I keep my eyes on you. Help me to ever do what is pleasing to you, to honor you.
 
Praise you that I can do what is difficult and unnatural (offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving in the midst of trouble) because my hope is in you. In you there is the certainty of help, of guidance, of protection, of truth, of rightness. I can do the hard and right thing, against my own immediate desires because my hope is in you and your wisdom, in your greatness and provision. Praise be to you for what you will do.]
 
Psalm 25:22 “Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!”
 
[Praise you, O God, for your great act of redemption for Israel and for all peoples of the earth, in the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. In this you have provided salvation from all our troubles in the long run. You are righteous and good, great and powerful.
I pray that you will redeem me from my troubles today, too, Lord. Help me in the midst of them to act in wisdom and obedience to you and your Word. I praise you now for how you are going to help me today. Amen.
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Jesus the Incredible

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 1, 2016
You, Lord Jesus, are the King of glory, the God of goodness, the Prince of peace, the Shepherd of supply, the Lord of Love, the Light of life and the Bride-groom of beauty.
 
You are the Creator of All, the Sovereign of Eternity, the Shield of your sheep, the Stronghold of safety, the Fortress of protection, the Rock of stability, the Arm of strength, the Source of support, the Giver of grace, the Provider of power, the Widener of ways and the Protector of all who take refuge in you.
 
Praise you, Lord Jesus, Savior of the universe, Redeemer of all who are born, Transformer of all who believe. You are active, powerful and on time in answering the cry of all who submit to your leadership. You are deeply caring, wisely working, godly in guiding, persistent in protecting. You are the only One we can trust, all others and all else are shifting sands.
 
Praise be to you for your lavish love, your gracious goodness, your wise work, your firm faithfulness, your cherishing in chastening, your reasonable rebuking, your taking us through trials, your shepherding through suffering, your working through our weakness, your maturing us through miserable times.
 
You are marvelous, Lord Jesus, you are majestic, you are mighty, you are magnificent, you are worthy of worship and deserving of dedication. “I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies” (Psa. 18:3).
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, gracious God, King of glory. May you be honored in my life today through faith, obedience, kindness, patience, wisdom and grace. Amen.
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The Perfect Father

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 31, 2016
“…the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Heb. 12:6). I praise you, Lord, for your loving work on us and in us, pointing out the sin, wrong thinking, negative attitudes and unbiblical beliefs that keep us from “really living.”
 
Thank you for chastening us through difficulties so that we might share in your holiness. Thank you for correcting us, even though it may be painful, so that we might respond with faith, confession, surrender and obedience, thereby receiving the fruit of peace and righteousness (Heb. 12:9-11).
 
Praise you, Lord, for your care, your consistency, your chastening to bring patience, power, fullness and maturity (James 1:2-4). Truly you are the perfect Father: wise, loving, good, firm, persistent and forgiving.
 
I praise you that you are full-orbed, perfectly rounded in personality, flawlessly balanced and complete in holiness. In your rich wisdom you leave out nothing when working in our lives, all that is needed comes: pressure and pleasure, loss and love, defeat and delight, wrenching and rest.
 
I praise you for what you allow, for what you send, for what you bring. You are wise, you are good, you are loving, so we can trust you fully, praise you consistently, obey you constantly.
 
Today I want to praise you persistently, Lord, for your wonderful work in our lives. May we glorify you by cooperating with you, joining you, obeying you all through this day.
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Open the Door!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 30, 2016
Psalm 24:9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
 
[The repetition here from verse 7 shows how important it is to open the way for God’s entrance. And why would anyone not want to open up to the King of glory?
 
You, Lord God, bring only what is good, only what is a blessing, only what gives freedom, joy and grace in the end. Therefore to you we give praise, to you we give the glory due your name, lifting you up by obeying your Word, resting in your goodness, praising you in all.]
 
Psalm 24:10 “Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty—he is the King of glory.”
 
[You, O Yahweh, are the Lord of Power, the God of Might, the Commander of all the hosts of Heaven. There is nothing good you cannot do, there is nothing wise you will not do, there is nothing evil you will ever do.
 
To you belongs all glory: you are Ruler, Lord, Creator and King. To you I bow down today and submit myself in obedience to your Word, to your Spirit, to your Way so that you may have more glory.
 
I give you honor and praise, I acclaim your power, your strength, your goodness and your grace, your wisdom, your holiness, your purity and love. To you be rich and deep glory, ever expanding honor and endless praise. May only positives flow from my life to you today, giving you ever increasing exaltation, my Lord and King. Amen.”
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Partnering with God for Joy and Peace

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 29, 2016
Romans 15:13
 
“May the God of hope”
 
[He is the spring of all we hope for, the One wanting to give us all good.]
 
“Fill you with all joy and peace”
 
[This is what we all long for and strive for but fail to get on our own. Our heavenly Father, however, stands ready with ALL joy and peace, eager to pour them into our lives, if we will only join Him in the process.]
 
“As you trust in Him”
 
[This is our part: if we trust, we are given joy and peace; but no trust equals no joy or peace. If we don’t trust Him, we are, in our pride, trusting in ourselves, meaning we are cutting ourselves off from His grace. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). And if we humble ourselves and trust in Him, then He has blessings beyond joy and peace for us.]
 
“So that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
[We then can join God in a new dimension, becoming “people of hope,” a hope that will splash over on all those around us. We will be “hope empowered” by the Holy Spirit, becoming more and more like Jesus, the God of hope.
 
So let’s trust, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each situation and thereby become infused with joy and peace so we can be springs of hope to all we meet.
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Psalm 24:7,8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 28, 2016
Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
 
[As the gates in those ancient cities where cranked upwards to allow entrance, so may the doors of our hearts, our thoughts, our souls be lifted up to allow you, Lord Jesus, entrance into every aspect of our lives, giving you the honor and glory you deserve.
 
May we be in submission to the reality that we were created to be dependent on you, to walk in obedience and trust so that your power may be made perfect in our weakness, that honor may flow to you out of every situation and that we may appear with you in glory when you come again.
 
You alone are the great King of Glory: what you are , what you do, what you say all flow out of your glorious being and serve to bring you the exaltation you deserve before all the created hosts of the universe.]
 
Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”
 
[This is you, Yahweh, the Holy One: completely other than your creation, completely complete in yourself, needing nothing, being One and fully self-sufficient in your Triuneness.
 
You are the Powerful One, undefeatable and ever triumphant. You fight and win against every enemy of what is good. You, Lord Jesus, came to destroy the works of the devil, freeing us from the fear. You have defeated death and hell, sin and evil, rebellion and shame. You have replaced all these with love and light and life, with joy and peace and hope. You are the mighty One, triumphing in your strength, wisdom and power.
 
We give you praise, honor and exaltation for in your might, you are the pure and sinless One, you are the Just One, bringing proper judgment on sin; you are the Loving One, bringing forgiveness for all, especially for those who believe.
 
You are worthy of praise and we bow before you in worship, we open the gates of our hearts to your kingly presence and we rise up to go out with you into the battle of today, knowing that you, the mighty One, will lead us through whatever will come. ]
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Psalm 24:5,6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 27, 2016
Psalm 24, speaking of the person “who has clean hands and a pure heart,” goes on to say,
 
Psalm 24:5 “He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.”
 
[Thank you for this assurance, Lord, that you are my vindicating Savior, that you have saved me and will bless me by helping me live for you. At the moment I do not see much blessing, with two difficult situations before me–but I can trust that you have a plan and will do what is best. To you be glory now and forever. Amen.]
 
Psalm 24:6 “Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
 
[When we seek you, you grant us clean hands and a pure heart through the finished work of Jesus Christ, then you lead us aright, you guide us into obedience.
 
May we seek you only, O Lord, not results, or being comfortable, possessions, success, or our own desires. Instead may we seek you, the King of Glory, the God of Jacob—the Pure One who is willing to identify with those like Jacob–and us–who are selfish, manipulative, stubborn, untrusting and proud.
 
Praise you for your patience in drawing us along into the warm and transforming embrace of your love. Praise you that you do whatever it takes to bring us to surrender in yourself, as you did with Jacob, taking away everything he valued so he would face his need for you. And finally, in his old age, he surrendered: “Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff” (Gen. 47:31).
 
And so it is with us, you do whatever it takes to help us seek you first so that you can bless us with a life in and with you: a new life, an eternal life, an abundant life, a pure life.
 
Help us to surrender to you early on, seeking your face daily so we can be useful instruments in your hands, bringing you honor now, not waiting til later in life.]
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The Wonder of His Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 26, 2016
Praise be to you, Lord God, for the privilege of waking up and knowing that I am at peace with you, that our relationship is good, grace-filled and gloriously positive.
 
Thank you for your wonderful unmerited love, ever flowing to me, over me, around me, as well as going before me. Therefore I can rest in your gentle power, your marvelous majesty, your wide and deep wisdom. I can rest in your wide plans, your deep purposes, your plenteous provision. You are the great God of goodness, the wonderful God of meaning, the strong God of hope. In you I have a future, a stability, a purpose.
 
These are all by-products of your much more significant gift to us: a rich, warm, enthusiastic relationship with you, filled with delight, love and joy. Peace reigns as a I rest in you. Grace flows as I embrace humility. Joy deepens as I move forward in eager submission to your wisdom, to your Word and to your ways.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, the great Triune God, marvelous in majesty, great in grace and caring in compassion. You have made yourself my Father, my Savior, my King and my Shepherd. In you alone is rest, for we were made to be in you.
 
Help me to be in submission and sync with you all through this day, Lord, living in the light of your Word, in the direction of your Spirit and in the wisdom of your understanding. I praise you now for what you will do, for how you will use me, for all that you will bring into my life today.
 
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