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Divine Protection

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 12, 2026 Respond

“Bow down your ear and hear me, O Lord, for I am poor and needy….”  Psalm 86:1

If there is one thing that we begun to learn while living in the Middle East, it’s how poor and needy we are—that is, how much we are in need of the Lord in every way.

There are many other opportunities for God to act into our neediness.

While in Syria, we gave a ride to a fellow who befriended us. As we drove through a rural area, there was a drought looking man standing beside the road holding an AK47. He waved for us to stop, but I just stepped on the gas and kept going. I wasn’t going to  stop for  some bandit. Our new friend, however, was appalled. “That was a policeman,” he said, “you should have stopped!”  But I didn’t and the Lord protected use.

The next  day we returned from our exit to Syria. The trip itself was long and arduous with heavy traffic, many big trucks,  and rough, winding roads making travel slow.  Near evening I failed to see a large pothole and when I hit it, the right front rim was bent and the tire began to go flat. But, praise God, it was not totally dark yet and we were able to drive far enough to find a place to get off the narrow, heavily traveled road and change the tire.

If the tire had  gone flat immediately, it could have been a disaster, both for us and the others on the road, as we would have blocked everyone. We didn’t have control over these things, but God did!

And we are thankful that He got us home before real winter weather set in the  next day with freezing temperatures and lots of snow.

There is so much out of our control, but our Heavenly Father is totally watching over us, every minute, every hour, every day. We can rest in His  goodness.

Picture: slow traffic on the way home

May be an image of jeep, motorcycle, car, street and road

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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 11, 2026 Respond

An instructive adventure from 1982

The Syrian border policeman looked up from our passports. “Not only does your wife have the wrong visa, but your children are not mentioned in it! You’ll have to go back to the capital and get her visa changed!”

We had just driven two difficult days from the capital city, and now stood in the gathering darkness between the border of our country and of Syria, caught in a no man’s land. Since our tourist visas for our country had run out this day, going back was not possible. Plus, without a stamp from the Syrian border in our passports proving we had entered another country, we could not return to our country.

We went outside the border guards’ building and stood there wondering what to do. The Lord brought Psalm 23 to mind, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” And Psalm 50:23 “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.” So we thanked God and asked for wisdom.

This tension-filled event of unexpected difficulty was in reality the privilege of actually living out the truth of Psalm 86:6-8: “Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me….” We did not know what God would do, but were certain from both this Psalm and past experience that He would help us.

After praying I went back in and talked with the policeman again. In God’s providence he spoke English well (my Arabic is lower than zero!) and listened to my plea. He sighed and stood up.

“I will help you,” he said, taking our passports, “But you must go to the police station in Aleppo and get the proper visa for your wife.” He stamped and signed the passports and waved us off into the night.

God answers when we praise Him! In this case the answer was immediate and we were very thankful!

picture: Syrian border guards

May be an image of text

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God’s Creativity

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 10, 2026 Respond

I prepared two cups, filling them to the brim, one with tea and one with hot chocolate.

Taking one in each hand, I carried them to the table, watching them as  I walked.
The liquid stayed quiet, level, undisturbed by my walking.
 I didn’t think about keeping them level, I just did it automatically.
This simple observation highlights how marvelously we are made. The ability to automatically
without thought while hold something completely level without thought or intent.  is amazing.
Think of all the neurological activity necessary for that, the balance mechanism in the inner ear,
the input of the eyes and the sensory direction given by our feet.
All  this we take for granted, never giving it a thought, although we use these mechanisms constantly.
There are so many other system in our body, all of which work automatically,
like our  thyroid, pancreas, liver, and pituatory glands,
all sending out chemical signals, to different areas of the body, regulating many functions.
Our God is amazing that He could create such an intricate, complex and efficient body,
both so delicate and very durable, a marvelous combination of complimentary systems,
all working together in harmony to keep us alive and functioning.
Thinking on this gives me a greater appreciation of God’s wisdom, attention to detail
and ability to blend everything together perfectly—
and comfort knowing that He does the same thing in my life, all the time!
“How great is God—beyond our understanding!” Job 36:26
 
Picture: the complex and amazing circulatory system, created by our God.
May be an image of heart
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Multiple God Sightings

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 10, 2026 Respond
God Sightings

With all the snow we’ve had recently, and almost no melting, the driveways and the roads have been pretty slick.

But, I’ve had no problem because I have really aggressive, stuffed snow tires on my van.
 Knowing I’ve got great traction makes driving a lot better and safer.
These tires are a triple God sighting. I was at the transfer station
and saw them in the “too good to throw away store.” They were
almost new, just the right size,  were just what I needed and were free! I am thankful.
A second God sighting.
To improve the effectiveness of our windows in this cold weather, I needed about 40 feet of
small trim boards.  I went to Home Depot to get some and was pleased to see that a 12 foot
piece was only $1.29! However, at check out the 6 pieces totaled $120! Turns out the price as $1.9 per foot!
I did not get them.
This morning i looked in my stock of lumber and found a bundle of exactly what I needed, just enough.
another nice God sighting.
 He’s always busy taking care of our needs. Let’s notice His efforts, be thankful, and
use these to build our faith.

“Remember to extol his work….” Job 36:24

Picture: studded snow tire.

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The Second Greatest Command

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 8, 2026 Respond

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Hebrews 13:15

Hebrews 13:15

Once upon a time there were two people living in a foreign land who got a package from Germany.

When they went to the post office to pick it up, the customs official opened it and took out two packets of tea,

the kind of tea that they really liked but wasn’t available locally.

Smiling, he said, “You can’t have these; customs regulations!”

And with that he put the tea into his desk drawer.

Now, how should these two people react to such random injustice?

There are only two basic possibilities: to complain or to praise, and we all know which is correct.

These two people took a moment to pray, “Lord, thank you for all the times tea did come to us and customs let it through.

Thank you that this time you chose to have it otherwise.”

Then those two people left the post office with light hearts and good thoughts and had a really good day.

Praise is a wonderful responsibility that God has given us. It keeps us dwelling in the Truth,

and, as you know, Jesus said in John 8:32, “…the truth will set you free.”

Praise sets us free from the nasty so we can dwell on the nice,

as Paul pointed out in Philippians 4:8.

Very often we seek God’s will in certain matters, but more often we forget God’s will for all matters: Praise.

“…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1Thes. 5:18).

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Prayer for Deeper Walk with Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 5, 2026 Respond

A prayerful response to this verse we’ve looked at:

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Prayer: “Forgive me, Lord, for seeking these things elsewhere,

wanting things now, my way, for my reasons.

Forgive me for these idols, the things I demand to be happy.

Help me instead to turn my eyes to you,

to lift up thoughts and feelings, desires and fears to you

so in the light of your presence Truth may rule, reality may reign

and my heart may be united in living for you alone.

‘

Put your desires in my heart.

May your Spirit unite my heart to fear your name.

Then I will praise you, O Lord my God,

with all my heart and glorify your name forever more.

For, you have redeemed my soul from the pit,

from the grave, from the lowest hell.

You are worthy of trust, of obedience, of worship, of glory.

May be that in my life in my life; may this overflow on those around me

because you are there. Amen.”

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The God of Perfection

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 4, 2026 Respond

You, Lord Jesus, are in every way the delightful God:

there is no repugnant,

ugly,

unjust,

impure,

evil,

wrong aspect

to your nature, your character, your thoughts or your actions.

In You all is

good,

pure,

loving,

just,

positive,

gracious,

righteous,

wise

and perfect.

You are all that our hearts ever desired,

you are beyond what we could conceive,

you are the fulfillment of every positive dream.

We are made to be with you,

to find in you alone

meaning,

fulfillment,

joy,

peace,

grace,

help,

direction,

safety,

wisdom

and goodness.

We praise you for the wonder of your being,

the wonder of being your child

and the wonder of walking with you every day.

Picture: God’s perfection

May be an image of beach, twilight, nature, ocean and horizon

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Greatness Personified

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 3, 2026 Respond

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalm 37:4

To delight in you, Lord, in one sense is so easy, for in every aspect you are wonderful beyond conception.

You made all, you know all, you hold all together.

You know the make up of every atom, the information in every DNA molecule,

the workings of every cell in the brain, the condition of every artery, the reproduction of every cell—

nothing escapes your attention and knowledge.

You have control of all events, balancing perfectly the genuinely responsible choices of billions of people

with the specific plans you have for each individual, each moment, each generation, each epoch—

and at the right time you will bring about the end of history, of time and of evil.

You are perfect in your wisdom, perfect in your love, perfect in your justice, perfect in your mercy, perfect in your timing.

You are the God of

grace and justice,

righteousness and mercy,

truth and love,

Heaven and Hell,

light and mystery,

purity and punishment, f

orgiveness and vengeance—

each in its time and place.

And as we delight in you, our Great Loving God, you put YOUR desires in our hearts and then fulfill them.

The greatest of which is the desire to know you more!

As the author of Psalm 73 said, “Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth haas nothing I desire besides you.”

May be an image of text that says 'GOD'S GREATNESS NESS RESTINGII RESTINGINGOD'SV IN NGOD'SWORD GOD'S WORD'

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Final Qualities

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 2, 2026 Respond

The 7th and FINAL qualities of victims and victors.

A VICTIM SEEKS TO PROTECT HIS RIGHTS
Everything is about “my rights!” Sound familiar?
If a right is violated, there is a significant reaction.
and everyone will hear about it!!!
An example is King Saul in the way he looked at David,
who was a loyal supporter and an effective fighter for him.
But King Saul saw him as a threat to his right to be king.
A victim doesn’t think about other’s rights, just his own.
A VICTOR SEEKS TO SERVE INSTEAD OF DEFENDING HIS RIGHTS.
He knows that in the spiritual realm he only has one right,
which is “to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God…” John 1:12.
 
Everything else that God gives us is a privilege, a gift, including eternal life.
So if a Victor is deprived of a “right”, is treated badly, is disrespected,
he can respond with grace, letting go of the negative and trusting God,
bringing peace to all around him.
So every day we have the choice, will we be a victim or a victor?
Let’s choose the right one!
May be an image of text
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Sixth Qualities

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 2, 2026 Respond

The Sixth qualities of victims and victors

VICTIMS are constantly wounded while  Victors keep on the armor of God and are protected.

Here is a description of a victim’s thinking and where it takes him: 

“When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant;

 I was a brute beast before you.” Psalm 73:21,22

Victims always focus on the negative—and remember clearly hurts from the past. They do not know how to forgive
and therefore remain captives to their anger. Push the wrong button in a victim and you will get a load of unearned wrath.
VICTORS, on the other hand, consistently keep on and use the armor of God:
The belt of truth—they speak truth to themselves, “God has it in hand”
The breastplate of righteousness—forgiving themselves as God does them.
The shoes of peace—forgiving others as God has forgiven them.
The shield of faith, praising God in all things,
this protests the from being wounded, by quenching the fiery darts of Satan: anger, fear, worry, etc.
The helmet of salvation, drawing their significance and security from God, not people
The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God—thinking and living according to God’s direction.
Using the full armor regularly heals hurts, restores relationships, raises  the victor above the fray of life.
Picture: the full armor of God
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