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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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Psalm 7:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 1, 2015
Psalm 7:1
 
“O LORD” [Jehovah, the God whose glory is in His holiness]
 
“my God,” [my Elohim, the incredibly powerful One and absolutely faithful One)
 
“I take refuge in you;” [This, Lord is what you desire, it is what we must do, fleeing to you as our first response to danger, acknowledging our weakness and your power, our inadequacy and your total competency]
 
“save and deliver me from all who pursue me,” [You, O Lord God, are our first recourse, our first and final aid. Before any other action we need to come to you as David has done here, and seek your help, for salvation comes from you alone.]
 
Psalm 7:2 “or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.”
 
[Our enemies, both supernatural and human, are too strong for us; we cannot move against them, we would be destroyed if we sought to save ourselves. David was a mighty warrior, never defeated in battle, to my knowledge, yet he did not trust in himself, but fled to God here, begging for His help and intervention.]
 
Lord, help us to remember how desperate a battle we are in each day against the world, the flesh and the devil, and to turn immediately to you when difficulty, disappointment and danger enter our lives. May our trust be in you, not in ourselves or others. May you be our Rock, our Fortress and our Defender. We praise you now for what you will do in our lives today.
 
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Psalm 6:8-10

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

Psalm 6:8 “Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.”

[Here is a statement of pure faith—nothing has changed, there is no sign of an answer, yet David, after looking to God in prayer, is ready to trust, to act on unseen Truth and believe the faithfulness of his heavenly Father.]

Psalm 6:9 “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.”

[He is certain, sure, convinced of God’s faithfulness,  so he can state with trust that Jehovah has heard him and will answer.  He looks to the character of God, the heart of his Lord, and is sure of an answer in the right time and right way. “I will call upon the Lord in the day of trouble, for he will answer me” (Psa. 86:7). ]

Psalm 6:10 “All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”

[David ends his psalm with the statement of certainty and confidence. He does not have any visible sign of help yet, but he is sure of the outcome because he knows the living God who can and does act in power.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and wonderful character, full of unfailing love, unfailing wisdom, unfailing grace, unfailing help. You see all that is going on in our hearts, you know our troubles, you hear our prayers and answer in wisdom, power and grace. We praise and thank you for your wonderful provision out of your glorious riches, your endless grace and your loving heart. May we live today in the light of these truths. Amen.]

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Psalm 6:5-7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 29, 2015
Psalm 6:5 “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?”
 
[While he is right that the dead cannot praise in this world any longer, David here did not seem to have a clear view of what came after death, for we will praise you, Lord,we will glorify you, we will see you face to face and bring you honor as we see your glory more clearly.]
 
Psalm 6:6-7 “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.”
 
[David was overwhelmed with worry, with fears, with anguish over what faced him: his difficulties, his problems, his many enemies. In the night his mind raced from one problem to the next and sleep eluded him. His attempts to deal with this have met with failure; his strength is too little, his resources too meager. So he cried out to you, Lord, the only true source of help, the only actual salvation available.In lifting his soul to you, he was able to pour out his burdens before you and be open to a renewed filling of the truth.
 
May we turn to God early on and not wrestle with our worry and fear, not depend on our finite insight and wisdom.Help us to lift our souls to you, telling you what we are thinking, feeling and wanting, and submit this all to your Word.
 
Lord we praise you that you are our Rock, our Salvation and our High Tower. May we rush to you for help in each challenge so that you may be lifted up before men and angels as you save us yet again from our enemies who are too strong for us.]
 
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Seasons of Life

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 27, 2015

Another glorious September morning after a bright night with a full moon. Now the sun strokes the cool land, sending shafts of light and long shadows across it while drawing mist from the swamp and sending wisps of fog over the pond.

The landscape is settling, drooping, going from green to earth tones as the growing season is over and all is preparing for the coming of winter. The petunias are still blooming, but are a bit bedraggled from the cool night temperatures. Trees are beginning to show some color, more from dryness than cold. Change is coming, but clothed the sameness of seasons.

I have never liked the coming of Fall, for it signals the end of easier living, the beginning of shorter days, more darkness, more clothes and more expense. However, the Lord is teaching me to embrace whatever comes, to praise Him for it and to let go of what I cannot keep.

This is also true of my life, for I am in the Autumn of my years; I cannot remain perpetually in the Summer of my life. Old age is the process of losing things; maturity is letting them go. Certain things naturally fall away (strength, hair, sharpness of memory, quickness of reaction and drive). The leaves of life go from green to a blaze of color as we move from active, productivity to mentoring and coaching. Then the leaves will fall as we shed our areas of influence and we’ll be left with the bare branches of life, caring for our basic needs until the axe of God cuts into the trunk and we fall into the arms of eternity.

None of this can be thwarted, all of it is allowed by God as part of life in a fallen world. So why not embrace it with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, joining God in His great plan for ending evil and beginning perfection?

We praise you, Lord God, for your marvelous, majestic and mighty love that carries us through the seasons of life to the threshold of death and on into eternity with you. Praise you that we needn’t fear any of this, but can confidently follow you as our good Shepherd who knows where you are going. You, Lord God, are worthy of our trust, obedience, worship and praise at each stage, each step, each season. And so we submit ourselves to you today. Carry us on and bring glory to yourself in our lives in whatever season we are.

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Psalm 6:1-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 26, 2015
Psalm 6:1 “O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.”
 
[Our guilt is so great and your corresponding wrath is so heavy that we would be crushed in an instant if you so disciplined us in anger. I praise you, O Jehovah, that you are the holy, sinless, pure God who hates sin, yet loves sinners and has provided a way of shelter and escape from your righteous wrath through the death and resurrection of Christ. Praise be to you for your gracious, kind and forgiving heart, and for your mercy triumphing over justice. You, Lord Jesus, took the wrath and anger we deserved, and you, Heavenly Father were willing to pour your righteous wrath on Him rather than us, opening the way for us into your Kingdom, into your family, into full forgiveness.]
Psalm 6:2-3 “Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?”
 
[You have made body, soul and spirit so intertwined that the anguish of one strongly affects the others. Praise you, Lord, that your healing touch in one also brings healing to the others. You are the answer to our anguish, you are the healer of all that troubles us. You are merciful in our need and we can turn to you, knowing that our salvation comes from you, you only are our rock, our salvation and our high tower. Our soul finds rest in you alone, and when our soul is at rest, so is the whole of our being.]
 
Psalm 6:4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.”
 
[You, in your wonderful wisdom, bring us through dark valleys where we must walk by faith, where all seems to go wrong, where we are overwhelmed with failure and anguish. And in this, we can appeal to your unfailing love—it is the ground for approach to you, for we in ourselves do not deserve to even think of speaking to you: naturally we have no access. But you opened the way with your love, your everlasting, unfailing agape love. You, Lord God, are great in love, glorious in mercy, marvelous in grace, mighty in forgiveness. We revel in your goodness, we rejoice in your love and we rest in your grace.]
 
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Psalm 5:12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 25, 2015

Psalm 5:12 “For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;”

[Yes, you do, Lord, you bless those who have bowed before you, have received your pardon, have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ and have become members of your family. You bless us daily with your presence, your love, your grace, your goodness, your wisdom, your power, your protection and your purpose. To be your child, to know you is to be blessed beyond conception, beyond imagination, beyond belief!

“Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).]

“you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

[Every day we live in your favor as your dearly beloved children, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in.  You are enthused to meet us each morning as we awake (are we?), you are pleased when we come to you in prayer, you are delighted when we bring our problems to you, you are glad when we intentionally walk with you through the day.

Your favor surrounds us, covers us, protects us, guides us, provides for us.  “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 18:30).

You, Heavenly Father, are fully, truly, absolutely worthy of worship, obedience, exaltation and love.  So I bow before you this morning, I give myself to you anew. I pledge my obedience to love and praise you for what you will bring today, no matter how it may appear to me. May you be glorified in my life today.]

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Psalm 5:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 24, 2015

Psalm 5:11 “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.”

 

[Yes, you, Lord Jesus, are our Refuge and Strength, our Mighty Rock, our Fortress in the day of evil. You invite us into your protection, you open the way, and for those who come, you give joy. Truly, knowing you is wonderful; you are the Mighty Shepherd, the Powerful Creator, the Strong Sustainer, the All-knowing King, the Majestic Victor over all evil and our High Priest who lives forever to intercede for us. Yes, knowing you is enough for joy!]
“Spread your protection over them,”

[And you do this, Lord Jesus, putting your tent of shelter over us every day, ever minute: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”!!! (Psalm 91:1). As we choose to live in the light of your presence, your light banishes darkness, you are our protection and you are totally trustworthy in your provision.

We can praise you for whatever comes, good or ghastly, delightful or difficult, nice or nasty, for you are wise and powerful and protecting, allowing only what can be used for growth, good and your glory!]
“that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”

[One reason for your protection is so that we may rejoice more in you. It is such a privilege to love your name, Lord Jesus. You are Yahweh, the Eternal One, the Holy I AM. You are Elohim, the Triune Creator and Faithful Redeemer. You are Adonai, the Lord of all who has the right to demand obedience and faithfully provides all we need so we can obey. We love your name and with all our being  rejoice in you wholeheartedly, enthusiastically, persistently! May this bring you much honor today as we continually offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.]

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Psalm 5:9-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 23, 2015

Psalm 5:9 “Not a word from their [my enemies] mouth can be trusted;”

[Satan is the father of lies: his native language is deception, so nothing he says can be trusted. Just look at how he dealt with Eve in Genesis 3. Every statement was a twisting of truth either by insinuation (“Did God really say….?”), by outright contradiction (“You will not surely die….”) or by accusation (…for God knows that when you eat…you will be like God….”). Not one word from Satan or his forces is reliable.]
“their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.”

[In them there is no life or light or love, all is rebellion against what is true, right and good, bringing death, darkness and hate. The words and thoughts of Satan and his hordes are destructive, debilitating and demonic.

Yet we somehow naturally believe the lies of the devil, drawn like moths to the illusion of comfort and power, excitement and fulfillment. But we end up getting burned and having, as the Psalmist says, a mouth full of gravel and broken teeth. Such is the result of listening to advice from the kingdom of darkness.]

Give us wisdom and insight so that we might willfully reject the lies of the enemy and walk instead in the light of Truth and Righteousness and Grace so that your Spirit can have full reign in our lives, bringing you ever more glory.

Psalm 5:10 “Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.”

[You are the One who must deal with my enemies, O Lord, whether they be demons or people being used by the devil. And praise you, Lord Jesus, that you have vanquished them through your incarnation where you were weak and vulnerable as a man. You have defeated them through obedience, humility, meekness and self-denial.

You have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into your Kingdom of Light! What a wonder, what a joy, what security, safety, purpose and freedom–freedom from the evil of the enemy, the lies of Lucifer, the seduction of self and the rot of rebellion! Praise be to you!]

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