Uncategorized

Uncategorized

Psalm 18:2b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 31, 2022
Psalm 18:2b “my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”
[You, O God, are Elohim, the powerful One who showed your might in creation; and you are the consistent One, who showed your faithfulness in providing salvation as was first promised in the Garden of Eden. You, the triune God, are not just the Rock, but MY Rock to whom I can flee and find refuge. In you is the ultimate in help and safety.
Guide me in consistently taking refuge in you through meditating on your Word, lifting my soul to you and praying about all that is in my life, giving you my burdens, fears, worries and frustrations.]
“He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
[You, O Elohim, are my personal, portable shield, protecting my head in the everyday battles that swirl around me; you are the power of my salvation; you are my sheltering stronghold which the enemy can never penetrate. You are the Ultimate in security, the Eternal in safety, the Almighty in victory. You are the only One to be trusted, believed in and obeyed.]
Praise be to you for how you are going to be my Rock, my Shield, my Fortress and my Deliverer today. Help me to remain in your ever flowing love by obeying what I know to be true, and to honor you by keeping on the armor, standing in the evil day and, having done your all, to stand.
May all those who meet me today also meet the Holy Spirit as He fills and works in me. Thank you now for the answers you will give to these prayers.
May be an image of body of water, tree and nature
Filed under:

Psalm 18:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 30, 2022
Psalm 18:2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;”
 
[You, Jehovah, the holy and sin-hating God, Creator of the Universe, the Beginner and Ender of time, are our mighty Rock: unshakable, unmovable, unending and unchanging, ever stable, ever trustable. On you we can take our stand, on you we can rely, in you alone our souls find rest.
 
On this great Rock of protection, you are also our mighty Fortress in which we can take refuge, hidden away from the enemy and his hoards.
 
This Fortress is indestructable, impregnable and impenetrable. The enemy can never breach the walls of your love, can never touch us without your permission, can never defeat your plans.
 
You are also our faithful Deliverer, outside the walls of the fortress, fighting for us in your might, wisdom and love. You foil the plans of the nations and thwart the purposes of the peoples.
 
The enemy can never trick you, surprise you or defeat you. You are ever on guard, ever alert and active.
 
Even in your weakness as a man, Lord Jesus, with the possibility of defeat and failure yawning before you as you prayed in the garden, with death overtaking your body, you were solid as a rock.
 
At the right moment, as our deliverer you rose up to win, to defeat death and the devil, to open the way to life for all. You are the God triumphant, the Victor in every battle, the Deliverer of all who are oppressed.
 
And you continue with that battle every day, surrounding us with your grace, goodness and glory in the ongoing spiritual warfare of this dark world. You shine the the moon, showing us the way in the darkness.
 
We can stand with you, in you, by you, for you, clothed with your amour, empowered by your grace, guided by your wisdom, following the plan you have for us each day, partnered with you in victory. Praise be to you!
 
Help us to so stand in you today, Lord Jesus, our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer, so that glory and honor may flow from us to you.]
May be an image of mountain and nature
Filed under:

(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 29, 2022
As it says in Revelation 12:17, “Then [Satan] the dragon was enraged…and went off to wage war against…those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” As in the picture below.
The accuser gives no quarter, and I cannot possibly defend myself against him—but you, O Lord God, are my defender, my salvation and protector.
Later in Psalm 18 David declares that the LORD “reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support” (Psa. 18:16-18).
Praise be to you, Lord God, that your power is made perfect in the poverty of our personal weakness (2 Cor. 12;9). Our lack of strength is your opportunity to bring salvation to us, to display your great power in your love by providing, protecting and prolonging our lives in the midst of attacks by the enemy who is too powerful for us. Glory be to your name!
May I live in your love and under your protection today by keeping on your armor and offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving for whatever comes, trusting you, honoring you and seeing the salvation of the Lord.]
No photo description available.
Filed under:

Psalm 18:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 28, 2022
Psalm 18 is one of my favorite psalms, for it reveals the rich and deep relationship David had with his Lord, who sustained him in the midst of the problems, pressures and the ever present dangers of his life. David is a good example to us, as he takes everything to God and lives in the Lord’s strength, power and protection, not trying to make it on his own.
“For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.”
[And we all know how Saul repeatedly sought to kill David and how God protected him from Saul’s anger.]
Psalm 18:1 “I love you, O LORD, my strength.”
[You, Lord, are the intimate and ultimate God, whose deep love for us calls forth an echo of affection from our hearts. To love you is a great privilege, a wonderful freedom, a deep grace, bringing us out from our natural negative notions into the light of your marvelous presence, your mighty power and majestic wisdom. There your love overflows onto us, washing through us, bringing us cleansing, renewing and joy.
You, Jesus, declared in John 15:9, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.”
This is an amazing statement: Jesus offers us the great, eternal, all powerful love that the Father has for Him: whole-hearted, enthusiastic, unending, joyful, grace-filled, kind and warm love. So, as Jesus is secure in His relationship with the Father, we can be secure in our relationship with Him. And His love calls forth the desire to love Him back, to remain in His love by obeying him in all that we know to be right.
In verse 11 Jesus continues, “…. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete”.
[You are not only the One who loves us but the one who desires to share your joy with us and out of that love and joy your power flows into our lives. You are my strength–I have so little; in fact, practically speaking, no strength of my own, especially in comparison to that of our enemy, Satan, who is much stronger than I am. So I need your power to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Picture: speaking of love, here we are with my loving grandmother in Illinois, probably in 1979
May be an image of 3 people, child, people sitting, people standing and indoor
Filed under:

Invitation to an Adventure

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 27, 2022
 
I praise you, Father, for you have given us full reality, as far as we can comprehend it, from your revelation in the Word.
 
We need to eagerly let go of our natural worldview and leap wholeheartedly into your biblical worldview where you are Sovereign, Powerful, Good and Loving. Where everything is right side up: loving our enemies, forgiving as we have been forgiven, returning good for evil, giving thanks in all things.
 
You are inviting us into the adventure of living for you, in you, by you and with you in bringing history to a conclusion and sweeping as many as possible into an eternity with you, our marvelous and mighty God. To refuse such proffered purpose, meaning, honor and significance is the deepest form of insanity (being detached from reality). To surrender is the highest form of worship.
 
The choice is ours to begin now, surrendering our understanding to you, being filled with your Spirit, learning to think your thoughts, to live in your values and run in your paths of Truth, as laid out in your Word.
 
Lead us on to deeper and deeper surrender, Lord, thinking your thoughts, pursuing your purposes, living in your light, so that we may be more and more useful for you, continually bringing you greater and wider honor.
 
May be an image of nature and tree
Filed under:

Astounding God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 26, 2022
Praise you, my Heavenly Father, King of Glory, Creator of the universe, the Beginner and Ender of time. When you created all the physical universe, Satan was there, as were all the angels, fallen and faithful both.
 
What was there before all we know was created? We don’t know, but certainly there was a place where you dwelt, Lord, where you and all the spiritual beings you had created earlier existed.
 
You are much bigger, much more powerful and far greater than even the vast and deep spaces of the known universe indicate. It is, of course, impossible for our tiny human reasoning to grasp your dimensions, to understand what eternity entails, what it means to have existed forever, without being created, without change or growth because you are already perfect, living forever and ever.
 
Such thoughts are mind-warpingly beyond our comprehension, they are certainly magnificent and stunning—and comforting.
 
They are comforting because you, our Heavenly Father, in spite of your greatness and glory, in spite of your having no need for us, came to our insignificant Milky Way galaxy, crossing it’s 50,000-light-year radius to approach a tiny speck of dust tucked under one arm of our huge galactic spiral, and there, at great cost to yourself, proceeded to redeem the rebellious and repulsive population of sinners.
 
What reason could you possibly have had for this? There is no attractiveness, no usefulness, no positiveness about us–sinful and selfish as we are– to entice you into such a sacrifice. This is utterly illogical to our minds.
 
Yet, you, the Mighty and Majestic One, who has created all we can see and far more, stooped to gather into your embrace all the rebels who will come. You forgive, cleanse, adopt, equip and invite us into significant roles in your great plan to right wrong, infuse good, eliminate evil and bring a re-created universe into eternity with you. Wow!
 
Are we who have believed in you, going to refuse to join you in this great plan? Are we going to continue on in our self-centered, activity-based, feel good focus, taking for granted all you’ve done and given? Or are we going to embrace all you have for us, making you the center of our lives, our being, our day, our activities? A no-brainer if we are looking at reality.
 
And that’s the key: you have given us full reality, as far as we can comprehend it, from your revelation in the Word.
 
We need to eagerly let go of our natural worldview and leap wholeheartedly into your biblical worldview where you are Sovereign, Powerful, Good and Loving; where everything is right side up: loving our enemies, forgiving as we have been forgiven, returning good for evil, giving thanks in all things.
May be an image of flower and nature
Filed under:

More on Psalm 17:15b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 25, 2022
Further thoughts on, “when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” Psalm 17:15b
 
When I awake from death you will be there, too. How much more stupendous it will be when I arrive in your full presence, Lord Jesus, seeing you without the veil of sin and selfishness. It will be indescribably wondrous.
 
I praise you for the daily revelations you give now from your Word, through your Spirit, through God sightings, in the beauty of your creation like the flowers below, in the beauty of your creation like the flowers below, as you remind of us of truths taught and lessons learned so we can apply them again.
 
As one who has the privilege of knowing you so, of living in your joy, may I be a hope carrier, a perspective bringer, and faith supplier to all those around me as I pass through this life.
 
May the wonder of your love flow through and out of me to those I meet today, giving you glory and honor and bringing further surrender and obedience in us all.]
May be an image of flower and nature
Filed under:

Psalm 17:15

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 24, 2022
Psalm 17:15 “And I—in righteousness I will see your face;”
 
[Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you have given me your righteousness and opened the way so that I will see you in eternity, face to face. What a hope, what a high and wide security, equipping us to face the future, knowing where we are going. And what joy to see more and more of you here on earth in your Word, in your Works, and in your Wisdom.]
 
“when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.”
 
[When I awake each morning, you are there, Lord Jesus, watching over me, having prepared this day with all that is needed: grace, wisdom, insight, discernment, challenges and opportunities, as well as protection and provision.
 
You are a marvel, a joy, a wonder, a glory. I praise you for the deep, rich, powerful and glorious privilege of being yours, of being with you, of being in you.
 
Knowing you now, living with you now is certainly enough reason for joy! Seeing you through your Word and works, veiled and dim as it is, is majestic, transforming, marvelous and far more than enough reason to find all my joy in you.
May be an image of nature, sky, twilight and tree
Filed under:

Psalm 17:14

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 24, 2022
Psalm 17:14 “O LORD, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life”
[The wicked are in the hand of the evil one; they live only for this world: they are shortsighted, focused on what they can get in the short run and are short-lived.
But praise you, Lord, that in contrast, you have given us the long range perspective of living for eternity, living for greater things than the values of this world.
 
You have lifted us from the narrow, dark pit of sin and slavery, and brought us into a wide, pleasant position before you, into the light of your Word, into the place of your presence, into the peace and joy of your love.
Praise be to you for all the good you share, all the beauty you bring, all the gifts you give. To look at those forces of men and devils who attack us and what they want to force on us—slavery, fear, despair, hopelessness and death–and then to look at where you have brought us—into the Kingdom of light, into your grace, into your embrace–the contrast is stark, deep, powerful and wonderful.
To you be glory and honor for sharing your goodness with the naturally godless like us, making us your children, putting your divine nature in us, placing us in your family, your Kingdom, your plan and your heart.
May you be glorified in my life today through gratitude, gratefulness and being a glory-giver in each instance, each decision, each challenge, by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
May be an image of cloud, tree and nature
Filed under:

(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on July 22, 2022
Psalm 17:12 “…the wicked who assail me…are like a lion hungry for prey, like a great lion crouching in cover.”
[Our powerful enemies, Satan and his hordes, are like a beast desperate for food: dangerous, destructive and determined–burning churches (as has been happening here in the US), killing Christians, persecuting children. They are terrifying and terrible,a mob too strong for us. We are in desperate need of help before they overcome us.]
Psalm 17:13 “Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down;”
[In your might, Lord, you can easily win this battle. You are the Creator of the universe, Breather of the stars, Bringer of the dawn, Captain of history and Ender of time. You are strong enough to deliver us from any enemy.]
“rescue me from the wicked by your sword.”
[No one can withstand the onslaught of your sword of Truth and the Power of your right hand, Jesus. As John wrote in Rev. 19:11.21, “…there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war….[those who fought against God] were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse….”]
 
As it says in Psalm 46 “The Lord is an ever present help in trouble…therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and fall into the midst of the sea….” Even when everything around us collapses we can rest in the God of goodness and trust our Supreme Shepherd. Remind us to do that, Lord.
Picture: though the earth give way….
May be an image of 2 people and outdoors
Filed under: