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Psalm 2:9

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 12, 2015
Psalm 2:9 “You will rule them [the nations] with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
 
[Again thinking prophetically–you, Lord Jesus, will deal with sin, punish evil and sweep away all who refuse your shelter of protection and forgiveness. I praise you that you are not soft on sin, that you are firm and set in your determination to eliminate wickedness and evil from your children as well as the new Heaven and new earth to come. I praise you for the prospect of living there without a sin nature within, without an evil enemy like Satan encouraging me to do my own thing.
 
You have conquered, now you reign in the hearts of your people, and you will bring about your full reign with the final judgment, sweeping away all sin along with those who do not believe Truth, who rebel against your Word, who refuse to enter your rest.]
 
Today I praise you, Lord Jesus, as my King, my Shepherd, my Guide, my Protector, my Constant Companion. You are with me even in my dreams. I give you glory and honor for your great work in my life. And I praise you for all that you will do today—the certainty of your protection, the certainty that you will work powerfully and incisively, that you will allow some difficulties to make me grow, to challenge me to trust you, to lead me to pray and to further obey your Word.
 
You are wonderful, and to be a member of your family is beyond wonderful—it is more than any human being could imagine or wish: to be loved without restraint; to be delighted in, in spite of what I am; to have instant access to your presence; to be watched over and protected by the All-seeing, All-knowing, All-powerful, All-good One; to have purpose, meaning, direction and hope! These are privileges beyond what we could articulate.
 
Praise you, Lord God, Triune King, Marvelous Lord, that you are absolutely, totally, completely, eternally trustable; this trust is grounded in your character, proven in your works, proclaimed in your words and experienced every day in my life. I bow before you, I lift up your name, proclaim your goodness, and rise up to obey the Worthy One, the Holy One, the Powerful One, the Good One. Glory be to you in my life today, my God and my King.
 
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Psalm 2:7-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 10, 2015
Psalm 2:7 “I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”
 
[These mysterious words, quoted again in Hebrews , clearly refer prophetically to Christ. I praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the Son from eternity past. I praise you also, that, as referred to here, you became the Son in a more specific way by being born as a human being, fathered supernaturally, living as both the human and heavenly Son of your eternal Father.
 
Your relationship and roles were and are unique: twice the Son (eternally and in time), twice the Savior (saving us from our sins in your death, saving us from eternal separation by giving us everlasting life in your resurrection), and twice incisively entering this world (once as Savior, once to come as Judge and Conqueror). I praise you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit for your deep and long wisdom displayed here, for your unshakable commitment and your perfect follow-through on your promises and predictions. You are The Trustable One.]
 
Psalm 2:8 “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.”
 
[Even though Satan knew this statement to be true, still he tempted the man Christ with the offer of all—it was actually a temptation to take a shortcut, to avoid the suffering needed to inherit all. But Jesus knew the truth and resisted, standing firm. You, Lord, later received back the whole earth and all that is in it as your inheritance, rightfully gained in great suffering. You do things right, for you are righteous: no shortcuts, no avoiding the difficult, no impatience, no false starts. You are the One to be trusted.
 
Help us to imitate you today by whole-heartedly denying self, taking up our cross daily and following you, for you are the great Ruler of all. To you we must bow both because of your lovely character and because of your inexorable power.
 
No one can prevail against you, so we might as well willingly and whole-heatedly bow before you now rather than forced to at the judgment when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that you are Lord.
 
Praise be to you that surrendering to you is a good thing, for you are the God of goodness, the Lord of Love, the King of kindness, the Shepherd of surety and the Ruler of righteousness. To you be glory, to you be honor, to you be obedience, to you be praise both today and forever and ever.
 
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Equipped for this day

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

Praise be to you, Lord, for your goodness seen in the beauty of the morning. Outside our window the petunias turn their cheerful pink little faces to the sun, surrounded by busy birds feeding on the porch. The grape vine leaves on the trellis share their sunlight-illuminated green with us. A breeze lightly brushes the surface of the pond, creating an impressionistic copy of the bushes reflected there. Long shadows cast by the rising sun stretch over the hillside, accentuating the curve of the field. All is peaceful and quiet, a new day waiting to receive its assignment from the Creator.
 
Thank you that as today rises from the residue of yesterday, you give us another opportunity to live for you, to abide in you and move through the activities before us in your power. With uncertainty hovering on the horizon, there is security in being with you, for you know what is to come and will give us all the grace, wisdom and strength we need to meet it and rise above it, like a small boat able to ride the waves of the sea.
 
I praise you for giving us your power through prayer and the filling of the Spirit. Thank you for the armor to put on (Eph. 6:10-18) so we can stand against the wiles of the devil, remembering that we fight not against people but against the devil and his forces, using praise, prayer and persistence in obedience. And that as we keep on the whole armor, we can stand in the evil day, doing all that you desire. Help us to stand, having on the belt of truth, remembering what we deserved (condemnation, banishment and darkness) and what you have given us (forgiveness, adoption and the light of your continual presence).
 
Help us to keep on the breastplate of righteousness, forgiving ourselves as you have forgiven us, and the shoes of peace, forgiving others as we have been forgiven. Above these, help us to lift up the shield of faith by giving thanks in and for all, thereby quenching all the fiery darts of the evil one. And to put on the helmet of salvation, remembering that our significance and security come from you alone. Then to take up the sword of the Spirit, reading, studying, meditating on your Word so we can live it out each day. And to stand, praying consistently for all around us.
 
With this armor in place, we can meet every attack, every challenge in your power, Lord Jesus, confident in your goodness, grace and love. What a wonderful way to live in this fallen world, to rest in the greatness of who you are, to live in the shelter of your love and to revel in the certainty of eternity with you. May you be honored today as we walk with you in the freedom of obedience, following in faith and praising in your presence.
 
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Psalm 2:5-6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 8, 2015
Psa 2:5 “Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath,”
 
[You, O Lord, hate sin, your wrath will be poured out upon it, and upon anyone who refuses to repent and accept your protection of pardon. Your wrath is terrible, overwhelming and total. No man, no creature can stand against it.]
 
Psa 2:6 saying, “I have installed my Kings
 
on Zion, my holy hill.” [God has chosen His regents and no one can oppose. He installs His rulers, no one can throw them down without His permission. He has chosen the place of ruling, no man can prevent this.]
 
Praise be to you, Lord God, King of all, Ruler of the universe, the inexorable, unending, all-knowing and all-loving One. You always do what is right: you act at the optimum moment, you move swiftly and precisely, you bring good to pass, and part of that is to destroy wickedness. “The Lord watches over all those who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.” (Ps 145).
 
In this day I want to join you in the battle, Lord, to keep on the full armor and stand in your strength against the evil in and around me, against the devil and his forces. Without your help, your power, your presence this is impossible.
 
I praise you that you not only offer us all that is needed to fight in the evil day and having done all to stand (Eph 6:10-18), you have also command us to do this. You make full provision and you call us to full obedience.
 
Help us today to bow down in worship and to rise up in submission, to be filled so full with your Spirit that He spills over on those who meet us, washing wickedness from relationships. Praise you, Lord Jesus, for all you will do in our lives today.]
 
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Psalm 2:3,4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 7, 2015
 
Psalm 2:3 in the context of verse 2 “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.” [this refers initially to king David, but prophetically to Jesus the anointed one, the Christ]
 
Verse 3 “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”
[What an amazing statement of ignorance and arrogance. This is like thinking that a few grasshoppers could prevent a farmer from plowing his land; that a few children could prevent a snowstorm from coming; as if people could prevent the planets from circling the sun; as if a man could make time stand still.
Lord, these kings view your good guidelines as negative and restrictive, binding as chains. They desire to be like you, deciding what is good and evil. They lust after an independence that cannot be, for they are too small, too weak, too warped to carry it.
 
Only you are able to be God, O Lord. You are Triune and Holy, completely other, sufficient in yourself, without any sin, pure, powerful, perpetual and positive. You do not chain us, you call us into freedom and joy, love and grace, relationship and goodness (John 15). You are the One to be revered, honored, praised and obeyed. In obeying you there is true freedom, for you lead us out of the prison cell of self into the light of Christ who completes us, welcomes us into His family, and equips us for special service.]
 
Psa 2:4 “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.”
 
[The illusion of men successfully fighting God is ludicrous, delusional, foolish, futile and ridiculous. It is both laughable and evil. There is no chance for them, for only with and in God are men able to triumph. He is the great Conqueror, the wonderful Winner, the overcoming King. It is his nature to win, for His character is the measure of what is right and good and positive. His being is so powerful, so mighty, so strong, that on one can move one finger without his permission.
 
You, Lord God, are awesome and worthy of worship through obedience. May my life be a source of honor for you today. May I not fight against you, but join you in what you are doing.]
 
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Worthy of Worship

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 6, 2015
Good morning, Lord Jesus. As I wake to your presence after a night of your protection, I praise you for the beauty of your character: perfectly balanced, multifaceted and full-orbed, packed with positives, free of negatives. You are pristine, pure and passionately good.
 
You are able to do whatever you wish with no one able to restrict you, and what you do is always sinless, righteous, edifying and loving. You never shy away from doing what is right, no matter how hard it may be. You are love itself and exude every aspect of it, including judgment of sin and the desire to eliminate evil from the universe.
 
I praise you, Lord Jesus, for you always act with complete knowledge, so your decisions are accurate, right and perfect. No one can ever accuse you of acting from ignorance, selfishness or pride. Your purity is complete, your power is immense, your strength is limitless and your might is infinite. There is no good thing you cannot do, there is no evil you cannot resist.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the perfect Priest, the inspired Intercessor, the supreme Shepherd and our gracious God. To you belongs all honor and glory, all worship and praise, all submission and obedience, no matter what my state may be.
 
I praise you that in your wisdom, you have made faith, based on your revelation and intervention in our lives, the requirement to enter your Kingdom; it is also the means of pleasing you; and faith is the pathway to growth, maturity and joy. You have offered faith as a gift, available to all, from the youngest to the oldest, from the most simple to the most brilliant, from the beginning of time to the end of history. Your wisdom in this graciousness is marvelous, beautiful and kind.
 
Truly you are most certainly worthy of our trust, our belief and obedience, Lord Jesus. Help me to live in faith today, that you may be exalted and glorified before all, in both the physical and spiritual realms. This I cannot do on my own, only through your grace and power, so please pour them both into my life that you may be honored continually. Amen.
 
 
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While in Detroit

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 3, 2015
It is so wonderful to know that you, Lord, are everywhere; there is nowhere I can go where you are not. “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Ps. 139:9-10). This is encouraging and strengthening: a truth I can rest in.
 
You never leave me on my own, but are always present to protect, guide and provide. Not only are you there, but you have gone before me to prepare events, opportunities and people. I am stepping, one second at a time, into the plan you have laid out for today. I am running the race you have set before me (Heb 12:1-3), moving into the good works you have prepared for me to do (Eph. 2:10).
 
Wherever I go, I can abide in you and you will abide in me; in you love and power you have chosen me (along with every other follower of Christ) and ordained me that I might bear much fruit that will remain. And because of this, as your Word abides in me, I can bear fruit, giving the Father glory, and pray knowing you will answer (John 15).
 
You have certainly put me in a win-win situation, Lord Jesus: you love me as the Father has loved you; as I obey your commands, I will remain in your love. A truth that is clear, concise and complete.
 
Help me, Lord, to obey your commands, to abide in you today, to think your Word, to bear the fruit you desire, giving you a growing stream of glory and honor.
 
 
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Joy in Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 31, 2015
I praise you, Lord, for your gracious and good Character, filled with kindness, forgiveness and love. You are absolutely unmoving in your righteousness, holiness and hatred of sin. And you are just as firm in your commitment to save and sanctify as many of your enemies as possible. To you, Lord God, the King of Glory, the Lord of Forgiveness, the God of reconciliation, belongs endless honor, worship and praise.
 
I am so thankful to have been ushered into your family, into a relationship with you. I deserved the opposite: eternal banishment, punishment, hopelessness, despair and darkness. But you are the God of Grace who delights in giving us the opposite of what we deserve. So every moment I can come to you in prayer and you are glad; you warmly and delightedly desire to interact with me. You are the God who sings over your redeemed children, who has a plan to prosper them, who is with them, in them and surrounding them at all times. You offer us the possibility of praising you numerous times each day, to act out of faith and fulfill the purpose of our lives in honoring you.
 
Your desire is to pour your joy into our hearts, a joy independent of what is happening around us or in us. It is dependent on you and your love: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you…these things I have told you so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full” (John 15:9,11). You are the God of Joy and it is a joy to know you.
 
As I go into this day, Lord, help me to keep on looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith so I can run with patience the race you have set before me, knowing that all will unfold in your time. Help me to lay aside the unnecessary baggage and sin that I tend to carry. Help me to put on the armor every day so I can, having done your all, to stand.
 
Be honored in my life today, Lord Jesus, in all I think, do and say.
 
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Two Ways

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 29, 2015

Psa 1:6 “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,

[You, the infinite and eternal One are able to care for and provide all that your children need. We are righteous only because of Christ’s work, and you have placed us on the right path. You are actively, powerfully involved in protecting, providing and carrying us forward in this life. You give us multiple opportunities every day to fulfill the purpose of our lives in offering thanks in every situation—especially the ones we don’t like—and thereby honoring you before all the unseen hosts as well as humans. You are our Good and Gracious Shepherd.

“but the way of the wicked will perish.”

[Here is Grace and Mercy offered and rejected, the making of a choice to enter into condemnation.  You, O Lord, want to watch over the way of all, but sadly not all will enter your way.  When they stay in the way of the wicked, they will perish, both in this world and in the world to come.

Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you came as Savior first, and that you will come as Judge, ending wickedness, sin, evil, suffering, pain, sickness and death.  In you only is the goodness, grace, love, care, protection, security, significance, peace, hope and joy that every human being longs for.  How sad that many, for the sake of feeling independent, reject all this and end up in utter darkness. “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Prov. 4:19)

You, the Lord of Light, are worthy of praise, for you shine your light upon every human being, you call all, you chose those who respond.  Praise you for your grace, undeserved by us, but poured out on us in great waves of love. You are worthy of worship, of praise, of glory, of honor.  I bow before you in surrender, I rise up in obedience to follow your leading today.]

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God's promise Psalm 1:3c

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

Psalm 1:3c “Whatever he does prospers.”

[As a result of avoiding the three sins mentioned in verse 1 and meditating on God’s Word with delight, whatever situation or work you call us to do, Lord, you will prosper both it and us.

This is partly because we will be thinking as you think, acting in accord to your Word, obeying what we know to be true, living in your power not our own. It is partly because you will act on our behalf.  This is the promise I will rest on.

Of course, your definition of “prosper” will be different from ours. What may look like failure in our efforts, you will be using to make us prosper spiritually. And from this we can prosper in other areas, like relationships that are difficult, in being light and salt, in being hope carriers to all around us.

One example of this is that our last church plant has failed; humanly speaking this is not prospering. But we know that you can bring something better out of this death of a vision.

For one thing, the believers all moved to other fellowships, taking their training, maturity and drive. Some of those have gone through very difficult situations since and stood strong in their faith, trusting you.

You have deepened us through this, showing me that I put too much importance on being successful from a human standpoint instead of keeping my eyes on you. You are prospering our efforts in a way that is different from what we wanted and through that you are bringing growth and direction.

You, Lord Jesus, are worthy of worship, of glory, of adoration, of obedience, of surrender.  I praise you now for what you will do today, as well as for what you will not do and for the opportunity to give you glory at each step of the way.

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