S.M. Wibberley’s Blog

[You, Lord, as our Maker have empowered your children to live according to what is right. “By his divine power he has given us all we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him…” (2 Pet. 1:3)]. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want….” Psalm 23:1

However, for those who are not your children–they who reject your offer of mercy, forgiveness and adoption, who rely on their “good works” to save them–for them the outcome is very different. As it says in Rev 20:13,15 “each person was judged according to what he had done…If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Our own works bring not salvation, but condemnation. However, there is that wonderful “IF” in this sentence “if our names are…written in the book of life.” And praise God that, for all people this is a possibility, and for believers in Christ, this is a reality: our names ARE written in that book of life by the Lamb of God Himself!

Glory be to you, O mighty and loving Lord, the all-seeing God, for you are worthy to be honored, obeyed, lifted up and praised throughout this day. May I do so wholeheartedly, continually, persistently, for this is the purpose of my life, to glorify you in whatever comes. Even in the cold you make all beautiful.

Psalm 33:13-14 “From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth….”

[The Lord gazes across the universe, over billions of light years, past thousands of galaxies way down to the tiny Milky Way, then on to one minuscule speck under one arm–the earth, where He is able to observe every single person, to see everything each does. Such all-encompassing, infinite capacity, such penetrating power, such total focus is amazing. No one is hidden from His sight.

What a grief it must be to you, Lord to see your creatures continually choosing to sin, to hurt others, to dishonor your name, to constantly rebel. Yet, in your great love and mercy you keep on looking and stooping down, loving and working among us.

Psalm 33:15 “he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”

You, Lord, don’t just observe, you think about what we are doing, evaluating and weighing each decision and the motives behind it. This should strike fear in the hearts of rebels, and it should give encouragement to us who are your children to live according to your revealed will in your Word, to be stern and consistent in our dealing with known sin in our lives.

Lord, we can tell you all, confess all, be totally honest with you without condemnation, for you already know all. You are “good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy and truth to all who call on you” (Ps. 86:35). Help us to nonor you by being totally honest with You are beyond comprehension in your powers and goodness, grace and forgiveness, worthy of our worship and trust!]

“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness.” Romans 8:26

It is so good to be weak, to realize that our strength is insufficient so we can say, “O Lord our God…we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you” (2 Chron. 20:12b). It is in this weakness that we begin to really see that His ways are far above our ways, and His thoughts much better than ours.

When I see a need, my first inclination is to jump in and meet that need with my own ideas, strength and resources. However, as I am slowly learning, that is not always the best thing, for I can inadvertently remove a pressure the Lord wanted to use in that person’s life.

Fortunately, most of the time the problems we had in the country we served in were so big and complex that there is no way my feeble efforts could begin to solve them. The only recourse open to me is prayer, and asking others so pray with us. And now we are seeing some significant answers to big problems through persistent prayers.

Just this week Barbara was having some alarming health issues, but when I called to get an appointment, the earliest they had was 6 weeks out! We prayed about it, then I called again and this time the clerk told me that if I called on Monday at 8:00 am they has some “same day” appointments. So I called at precisely 8, and got the only appointment open! Now our GP will give us referrals for further evaluation of Barbara’s condition.

God uses our weaknesses to draw us to Himself and into His way, getting our eyes off ourselves. Our weaknesses are blessings as they teach us not to trust in ourselves but in the One who made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in it. Are we listening to the message of weakness and responding well?

Prayer: “Lord, help me to see my weakness and inabilities as opportunities to pray more and thereby join you in the great things you are doing, rather than complaining and feeling sorry for myself. Amen.”

More on Psalm 33:12

Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”

[Blessed is really too weak a word for the wonder of being the people of God, being chosen for His inheritance, being part of the universal Church, being included in His Kingdom and in the future being the Bride of Christ.

These great privileges are magnified when I consider what I actually deserved as an enemy of God, being selfish, proud, rebellious and incapable in myself of obeying Him. You, Lord, would have been right and righteous to strike me down upon birth, sending me directly to hell and separating yourself from me for eternity.

Yet you called me to be one of your children, a princeling in your family, a brother to Jesus and an ambassador for your Kingdom. You cleansed and transformed me, you chose and cherished me, and I stand before you dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in. Not because of what I am, but because of who you are: Love itself, Light itself, Life itself, breathing new creation into a life born a ruin, giving worth to what was destructive, making useful what was dangerous.

You, Lord Jesus, are marvelous in your love, awesome in your forgiveness and rich in your grace. Thank you for redeeming me, adopting me, loving me. Help me to love you back well!

Psalm 33:11 “But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

[In contrast to us weak humans and to the limited abilities of evil spiritual powers, you are unthwartable, unfoilable, unconquerable, undefeatable, eternally triumphant.

You will bring to pass the overall plans that you have prepared, no matter what people and evil powers may do. You are able to weave their rebellion and rejection of truth into the overall fabric of your purposes for the redemption, salvation and then re-creation of the universe. In the process you rescue from the kingdom of darkness all those who are willing to believe and sweep them into the Kingdom of Light.

You are firm and faithful, you are constantly consistent, persistently present and perfectly powerful. What you planned from the beginning has come to pass, despite Satan’s constant attempts to thwart your desires: the line of Judah was preserved, the Messiah came at the right time, the necessary sacrifice was made, the resurrection from the dead occurred and salvation was provided for all, especially for those who believe.

And the rest of your plan will be worked out to eliminate evil, corruption and sin, to bring the New Heaven and New Earth which will be sinless, perfect, full of peace and joy and love. No force could prevent this plan, no power could thwart it. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord” (Prov. 21:30).

We praise you that you are ever at work to thwart what is wrong and bring to pass what is right. In you we can rest, in you we can find peace, for you have a plan! Help us to live in trust, in praise and in wholehearted obedience to you today.

Psalm 33:10 “The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.”

[You, O Lord God, rule. You are absolutely Sovereign. You, as the star Breather, the galaxy Former, the planet Placer, the moon Maker, the earth Spinner and the dawn Bringer are in charge. In darkness you bring light. You are great beyond comprehension and mighty beyond imagination.

You see all that the devil, demons and dominions are planning to do and, in your might, munificence and majesty, thwart the purposes that contravene your great goals.

You frustrate the destructive desire of humans for selfish independence; you prevent us from reaching true joy and peace apart from you; you hold back the tide of evil that would keep people from deciding for you; and what you do allow, you will use for good in the lives those involved.

Praise be to you for your greatness, Lord, for your wisdom, your power, your love and faithfulness–all of which are continually at work to transform the evil of men into the goodness of God.]

Help me to walk with you, to cooperate with you, joining you in your great plans.

Psalm 33:8 “Let all the earth fear the LORD;”

[Your might, your power, your dominion, your wisdom and your creation are all reasons to tremble before you, to bow in surrender to the Almighty, All-powerful, All-knowing, All-wise One. You are THE One to be feared, respected and obeyed–not puny man or perverted Satan, who is far more powerful than us, but immensely weaker than you.]

“let all the people of the world revere him.”

[The wonder of your creation–the beauty, the wisdom, the imagination, the intricacy, the variety, the vastness and the very attention to detail in all you have made–lead us to bow before you in awe, in wonder, in reverence at such power, such creativity, such greatness, such goodness, such beauty and such majesty. You alone are worthy of worship, O Lord God.]

Psalm 33:9 “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”

[With such ease you made all, with such finality you arranged everything. All creation obeyed you and even in its present twisted, fallen state, the universe follows the laws of physics you established. Your wisdom, your order, your goodness are visible to all who care to see–for what you made reveals your amazing, full-orbed character.

May this increasing knowledge of how great you are lead us to further trust, further surrender, further rest and ongoing praise.]

Psalm 33:7 “He gathers the waters of the sea into jars;”

[The vast oceans are but a small drop to you, Lord, easily channeled into the place prepared, kept there in store for your plans and the good of all. With it you regulate the climate, provide food, transportation for ships and beauty.]

“he puts the deep into storehouses.”

[You, Lord God, prepared all that mankind would need for life and stored it up:

–minerals for health (zinc, magnesium, selenium),

–metals for help (iron, titanium, aluminum),

–means for heat and power  (coal, oil, atomic energy) and

— measures for money (gold, silver, precious stones).

–multiple harvests for food.

You knew what would be needed and gave it all, putting it where men could find it. You are the great, good and wise Planner and Provider.]

Praise you that you  know the future, you know our needs and you know how to provide them. Help us to trust you in your greatness, goodness and power.

“their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” Psalm 33:6b

[You, Lord Jesus, are the Star Breather, exhaling stars great and small, each burning at incredibly high temperatures, giving out light and heat to all around them. Then you ushered them into their proper places, into galaxies, and clusters of galaxies, placing them purposefully in your universe.

You breathed billions of stars, placed them billions of light years apart, yet you can measure this all with the span of your hand. The closest star to our solar system is Alfa Centori. If we could travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second—meaning we could circle the earth 7 times in a scond!), we would travel 1 week, then 1 month, then 1 year, and be only a quarter of the way there! We would have to travel 4.5 years to reach that star, longer than it takes for a high school education!

Many of the “stars” we see at night are actually whole galaxies made up of billions of stars. Some of the stars in these galaxies are 10,000 times larger than our sun—so large they contradict the know laws of physics! Our God is great beyond our grasp, powerful beyond our perception, mighty beyond all we can imagine.

Yes, you, O Lord God, the majestic and mighty One, the wise and good One, the Creator God, you are worthy of worship and love, worthy of awe and fear, worthy of obedience by all your creatures.

May I walk in wonder before you today, living in your light of your presence, serving you in the shadow of your splendor.]