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Pray for Afghan Believers

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 5, 2021
“With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD….For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.”
Psalm 109:30,31
 
The following prayer in distress over the terrible events in Afghanistan is based on Psalm 109:20-23, 26-27.
 
“… O sovereign LORD” You are the LORD, Yahweh, the Great and Holy One, the Sinless One, the Mighty I Am, without beginning or end, without negativeness or evil, without sin or selfishness, the Perfect Judge of all and the Lover of sinners. You are the One to whom we can appeal.
 
“…My Lord,” you are Adonai, the One who has the right to demand complete obedience, for you have purchased us at great cost, in great pain, through great suffering. You also promise complete provision for us to be able to obey you, serve you and love you well.
 
“…Deal on our behalf, on behalf of your children in Afghanistan, for your name’s sake.” We are all weak and can only appeal to you to contend with those who oppose them there in Afghanistan. And my motive in praying this is that your Name be honored.
 
“…Because your steadfast love is good, deliver them!” I turn to you, for your love is sure, your power is unlimited, your wisdom is boundless, your influence is endless, your work is flawless.
 
In contrast, “…I am poor and needy, and my heart is stricken within me.” I cannot open people’s eyes, I cannot convince them when they’ve made up their minds, I cannot bring change—my ability and resources are extremely small—micro-power when what is needed is macro-power, which you have. You are the Star-Breather, the Earth Spinner, the Dawn Bringer, the History Ender, the Eternity Beginner.
 
“We are gone like a shadow at evening; we are shaken off like a locust.”
 
Praise you, Lord God, for your great love for ones like me who, in our selves, are such weak, insignificant, useless, ignorant creatures!
 
“Help us/them, O LORD my God! Save them according to your steadfast love!” Without you nothing will happen, O Yahweh, my Elohim, the Supreme God, strong in love, mighty in power, faithful in promise, trustable in your strength and wisdom.
 
And you will answer according to your unwavering love, which you demonstrated in the garden of Gethsemane. When faced with such suffering, such evil, such awfulness, you faithfully, fully fulfilled your promises because of your steadfast love, your kindness, your mercy, your pity for your rebellious creatures.
As you showed your love then, so now, for your glory, for your honor, for the sake of your Kingdom, for the sake of your desire to have more worshipers, answer us!
 
“Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD, have done it!” Act in a way so that all will know it is unmistakably your work, your desire, your perspective that prevailed.
 
Prayer: “Now in this situation that faces your children, Lord, bring glory to yourself, honor to your name and praise to your character. I commit their way to you, I trust in you and wait for you to bring to pass what is best. And I praise you now for the outcome, even though it may not be what I prefer, for you are good! Amen.”
 
May be an image of nature, tree and body of water
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More from the Autobio

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 4, 2021
After returning the money to the bank we continued on with the difficult drive to the Eastern end of Greece over more narrow and winding roads, arriving at the last city by nightfall.
 
We had hoped to make it all the way to the first city in our goal country that day, but the Lord had other plans. It turned out that our mistake of forgetting our passports and the subsequent delay were actually His protection.
 
We found out that several American servicemen had been shot by terrorists at the airport in that city the afternoon we arrived at the border, and the main roads into the city had all been closed. If we had gotten there on our timetable, we’d have been stuck for hours in that traffic. Another three star Jesus sighting!
 
The next morning, after a reasonable night’s sleep, we set off for the border. This crossing was a formidable one in our minds—what would happen if they refused us entry? We prayed for the Lord’s help. And He answered; it turned out to be pretty routine, and we pressed on toward the next big city.
 
The plan was to stay there with a worker from Word of Life, Howie Williams. He’d sent us instructions of how to get to his place, but we did not understand some points, like, “turn left at the bufe.” I had no idea what a bufe was. Now after living in this new country I know that it’s a little kiosk that sells newspapers and snacks. It did not surprise me that we quickly got lost after we left the freeway.
 
I stopped and asked directions several times, showing the locals the address Howie had given us. We seemed to be going in the right direction, as the people always pointed us further on. Later, however, we learned that this is what the locals do when they don’t know where the place is—they say “Go further on!”
 
Finally we were directed down a narrow, cobble stoned street that got steeper and steeper. It finally came out into an area filled with little car repair shops. I saw one with a sign for Volkswagen repairs, so I stopped there to ask for directions, thinking that someone might speak German.
 
The owner didn’t speak any German, but knew a little English. He looked at the address and began to give me directions: “This way, turn left at third street, then go five blocks, turn right at….” My head was not absorbing these directions.
 
A customer came by at that moment and looked over the mechanic’s shoulder at the address, then made a comment in Turkish.
 
The mechanic smiled and said, “This man’s car is done. He is going to this place, follow him.”
 
Now think about the elements of this event: to find the one repair place where someone spoke some English—a rare thing we found out–to arrive at just the right time when a customer was getting ready to leave and would be going from there right to our destination, then to have the customer take the initiative to come over and see what was happening and then offer to lead us to our friend’s home. This was definitely God’s direction and protection! A four star God sighting! God set us free from our ignorance and helplessness.
 
We never would have found Howie’s place by following anyone’s directions. The route was very complicated, but our “angel” knew the way and we stuck to him like glue. When we arrived at the right spot—in front of the factory Howie had mentioned–there was no sign of Howie’s apartment building.
 
A woman threw open the window of an apartment and called out something in French. Our “angel” replied and the woman pointed to a building a bit further on, our destination. We thanked everyone profusely, being so glad to be “found” again!
 
Howie helped us carry all of our stuff up to his small apartment, and then said, “Let’s go out to the bakkal and get some food for supper.” He was speaking what we came to call “half-Eng:” inserting local words into English sentences. We learned that a “bakkal” was a small corner grocery store.
 
Howie and I went down the three flights of stairs and out onto the street where I was startled to hear gunshots. I looked to the left and saw two men with pistols shooting at each other. Fortunately both seemed to be bad shots, but Howie didn’t seem interested in waiting around to see the outcome.
 
“Let’s go around this way,” he said calmly, like this was something normal. And it turned out that it was normal. The country was in the midst of a civil war and thirty or more people were shot on the streets every day in fights like the one we witnessed.
 
It was the leftists against the rightists, Ms against Communists, conservatives against liberals. We learned that in the university classrooms there were usually soldiers with loaded rifles sitting in the middle row from front to back. The leftist students then sat on the left and the rightists on the right of the soldiers. That was the only way to keep them from literally killing each other in the classrooms.
 
It was a brutal, dangerous time. We had stepped out of beautiful and peaceful Connecticut into a war zone. And anarchy, we found, was not limited to politics. Traffic rules were ignored by most drivers and pedestrians. Traffic lights were considered decorations, sidewalks were for parking, not walking and the pedestrians walked in the streets.
 
When we came to one intersection where the traffic did stop for a red light, the cars were lined up six abreast. When the light turned green, the car on the far right turned left, cutting across everyone else’s path. But the locals seemed used to this, letting the car pass in front of them and then going on their way. We quickly learned that one had to be always on alert for the unexpected.
Picture: the big, crowded city in 1980
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Justice when?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 3, 2021
Psalm 37:12 “The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;”
[There will always be hatred for those who follow Jesus. The wicked will seek to eliminate anything that stands in their way, and we certainly are a thorn in their side, so we should expect opposition, hatred and attack. And we see this in many areas today with the Taliban, ISIS, militant Hindus Buhdists, and various governments attacking followers of Jesus.]
Psalm 37:13 “but the Lord laughs at the wicked,”
[“but” is a wonderful word here, bringing hope of justice, protection and deliverance. God is not intimidated by the anger and plots of the wicked: “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Prov. 21:30). He is completely in control and will easily limit their actions to what He will use for good.]
“for he knows their day is coming.”
[Here is the key: God will competently bring judgment against those who oppose Him and attack His children. He stands outside of time, seeing the future as well as the past. He knows what He will do to thwart the plans of the wicked, judging them at the right time and in the right way. We can rest in this certainty of God’s power, plan and purpose.]
 
This is the same insight that Asaph came to in Psalm 73 where he wrote, For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
 
“When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!”
 
In the midst of a tumultuous world filled with injustice and uncertainty, we can rest in our God, knowing that He will bring justice at the right time!
 
 
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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 2, 2021
I praise you, Lord God, for your care and protection, your guidance and grace. I thank you for your goodness evidenced in your daily provision—it’s good to list these out periodically, as I so easily can take these for granted.
 
I have a bed to sleep in, a home to live in, food in abundance, income, warmth, water, clean air and physical strength. I can see, hear, walk, talk, feel, taste and grasp. You have given me good relationships, protection, work, meaning, hope, purpose, a certain future and your unending love.
 
I praise you for your Word–your prophetic, powerful, pro-active, penetrating, pro-creative Word–bringing revelation, repentance, rejuvenation, rebirth and release from Satan, sin and self.
 
I praise you, Lord Jesus that in you I am complete: you are enough, you are the total sum of my needs, wants and longings. I was made to be one with you, to fit into that perfect relationship where you empower, employ, empathize and eternalize all who come to you.
 
You, Lord, are my wonderful and wise Shepherd, watching over us, causing us to lie down in green pastures and then you know when to move us on. There is nothing I lack, even from a human perspective, and certainly nothing from a heavenly perception.
 
You, Lord God, are the great and gracious Provider. I thank you for all that you have given and will give, for you are faithful and wise and good.
 
To you be glory in my life today, help me to do what is best, what is wise, what is glorifying to you. Help me to rest in you, to rejoice in you, to resist the devil with you, to rise up in praise at each challenge. I praise you now for how you will lead me in doing these things. Praise and glory be to you all through this day.
 
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Hebrews 12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 1, 2021
Each day, each week, each month , each year is a new start, like a clean, white parchment stretching out before us, blank to the horizon. What will God write on it? We cannot know now, but we do know that God is good and has prepared a course for us to run that will move us upwards and onward, no matter how it may appear. The more important question is, “What will we write on the parchment of the future?”
Hebrews 12:1&2 has been a great help to me this year, assuring me that God has laid out a course for us and that Jesus is running with us. It gives us the perspective needed to realize what great roles He has offered us in the midst of distressful happenings.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,”
[Indications are that we are being watched by many: certainly angels, demons and maybe those who have gone on before us, who lean over the balcony of heaven to cheer us on, as well as the people who see us every day. We are not hidden in a corner, but are in the stadium, running for the pleasure of God–and our performance matters.]
“let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
[Realizing our role, we should eagerly look to jettison anything that prevents us from running well. This could range from too much phone/TV/movie/game time, to any sin we are willfully engaging in. Like a runner shedding his street clothes, stripping down to just the essentials, so we should eagerly give up what hampers us in this race for life.]
“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”
[It’s clear: God has set out a path for each of us; nothing is random. We cannot get lost as long as we follow the course before us as it twists and turns, dips and climbs. The race will require perseverance and endurance, but God gives us those, too. When the climb is steep or the mud is deep are we going to press on or will we sit and feel sorry for ourselves]?
“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”
[Jesus is running with us! And as we run, we are to keep our eyes on him, not circumstances, other people, or our feelings. When we encounter difficulties, we can know they are for the development of our faith as Jesus works to mature and perfect it.]
“For the joy set before him, he [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
[We need to have Jesus’ attitude. As He faced the cross, He looked beyond to where he would be seated again with the Father. We, too, need to look to where we are going (eternity with God), to count as nothing the shame we and the world try to heap on us, and to rest in the Truth of the coming new Heaven and new Earth.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Christian, meditate much on heaven, it will help you to press on and to forget the toil of the way. This vale of tears is but the pathway to the better country; this world of woe is but the steppingstone to a world of bliss.”
So true! So let us run with perseverance and endurance the race He has set before us for this day, keeping the big picture in mind, laying aside whatever hinders us, looking to Him, trusting Him, praising Him in all, following His lead–and we will fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring Him before all.
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More from the Cowboy with Heavenly Wisdom

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 31, 2021
Cody went on, “We’ll go back to the river and cross over, see if we can find your father.”
 
He rode directly towards a high cliff, stretching a thousand feet up out of the dry land. At the foot of the cliff was a small river, shrunken now in the heat of late Summer. They followed it until it swung away from the cliff, then crossed it and rode west.
 
“I think our ranch is over there,” said Sam pointing off to the northwest, and Cody turned his horse in that direction. “Keep your eyes peeled, boy, things tend to sneak up on you in this part of the country. There is no law other than what a man can bring to bear for himself. And there are plenty of rough folks who intend to take advantage of the lack of law enforcement.”
 
They topped a rise, and there, off to the left in the distance were the buildings of the ranch farm: a small house, a larger barn and a corral with a couple of horses.
 
Cody clicked his tongue to his horse, and they started down towards the ranch. As they drew near, the horses in the corral stood with their ears forward, looking at the stranger coming down from the hill above the ranch.
 
As they got to the flat land before the house, a man came out with a rifle; he also had a pair of six-shooters belted on. “Hold it right there, mister. Don’t try anything foolish. What do you want?”
 
Cody was calm, “Got your son here; found him out on the plain wandering around. Figured you’d like him back.”
 
The man’s demeanor changed immediately. “Thank God, I was worried about him. Sorry to be inhospitable at first, but just had a visit from Clement Dodge, the big cattleman. He wants me to leave, threatened to burn me out.
“How many men did he have with him?” Cody asked, pulling Sam out from behind him and handing him to his father. He then stepped down from his horse.
 
“Ten, and every single one a hard-looking character. He said he has twenty more. I think he hires them for their gun fighting ability, not for being good with cattle.”
 
“Well, you don’t stand much of a chance against thirty men who are gun fighters.”
 
“I’d like to kill them all and make way for other farmers like myself.”
 
“What’s your name?” Cody asked.
“John, John Dickson.”
“I’m Cody Smith, nice to meet you.”
 
He looked around at the buildings and the wide expanse of land behind it. “Nice spread you got here,” he said.
 
“Yes, we like living here very much,” John answered.
 
“Well,” said Cody, “let’s talk about this problem you’re facing with Dodge, John. From your statement about wanting to kill them all, I’d say you have the wrong motive, wanting to eliminate people to get your way. That’s just the way Dodge is thinking!”
John was quiet, struck by Cody’s words.
 
“Now,” Cody continued, “my favorite book is the Bible, and in the New Testament is the book of James where there is a discussion of Heavenly Wisdom. That is my guideline when it comes to challenging events in life, like the one you are facing.”
 
“So, what does that have to do with this situation,” John asked.
 
“The first quality of Heavenly Wisdom is purity, and purity starts in our motives. If we act out of good motives, things tend to go better.
 
“Now, we all have mixed motives, so it’s good to get all of them out and evaluate them. “For instance, wanting to kill thirty men so you can have your way is not a good motive, so you should reject it.
 
“This is fighting the wrong enemy with the wrong motives and if you do this, you will lose while the devil will win.
 
“Dodge has the same motive. As he sees settlers move in and establish farms and smaller ranches on the land he’s grazed his cattle on for the last twenty years or so, he knows that if they stay, his way of life is going to pass by. He’s not necessarily a bad man, but he doesn’t want to lose what he’s got.
“But times change. The red man came in and pushed out the tribes here before them. The cattle men came in and displaced the Indians. Now the settlers are coming in and will replace the big cattle men. It can’t be avoided, but it can be done well or badly.”
 
“That’s a new perspective,” said John.
 
“Now,” Cody went on, “Doing it well has to do with starting with good motives. What good motive could you have to oppose Dodge and his threats?” [to be continued]
Picture from internet: a ranch/farm in the wild west
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Idol Hunting

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 30, 2021
“The righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
Psalm 34:19
 
Idolatry in my life has been steadily losing ground. Ever since learning that concise definition of an idol (whatever I demand to make me happy), the Lord has been pointing out one idol after another. The first one was the “need” to be on time to everything, followed by the “need” to look good in what I did, and it went on from there.
 
The best antidote to idolatry is knowing God better—no idol comes across well in His presence! This month while re-memorizing and meditating on Psalm 33, the rich depth of God’s character stood out clearly: “The word of the Lord is right and true, he is faithful in all he does… let all the people of the world revere him, for he spoke and it came to be…the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” (Ps. 33:4,8,9,18).
 
Standing in the presence of such heavenly light frees me from the clinging, whining manipulation of the idols of my soul, and sweeps me up into the joy He bought for us: “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name” (Ps. 33:21).
 
Lord, you are an active God, a caring God, a powerful God, a delivering God. I praise you for what you are doing in my life, delivering me from many troubles, including my idols. You transform each difficulty into an opportunity to see you at work, to trust you, to rest in you.
 
Each thing we do is an adventure with you, a chance to do what is fine and right and good. I give you honor for your wisdom, your care, your grace, your active, intimate, incisive, positively invasive interaction with us, your children, in all things of life. You are good and I praise you for it.
 
Prayer: “Help me to be alert to your pointing out idols in my life; help me to quickly abandon them and to run to you, the God who delivers. Help me to see each problem as a potential-filled adventure with you. Amen.”
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Graciousness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 29, 2021
You, Lord God are wonderful: so gracious, so kind, so firm, so faithful, so consistent. Your agape love flows from your being no matter what we do—for you are love itself, you cannot never not love! And I praise you that in your love are both mercy and forgiveness as well as righteousness and wrath against sin.
 
Without punishment for evil, your love would be faulty because love protects from evil, love brings refuge, shelter and safety. Therefore, justice is a part of your love, giving what your rebellious creatures deserve in the perfect court of judgment. Yet in each case you offer us sinners pardon. That is an astounding truth, if you think through the implications.
 
A criminal is brought before a judge for sentencing. His guilt has already been established beyond the shadow of a doubt, although he protests, saying his acts weren’t that bad. His crimes are read out along with his sentence: execution. He hangs his head at the prospect.
 
Then the judge gets up from his bench, comes down to stand beside the prisoner and puts his arm around him. The prisoner looks up. “Bob,” says the judge, “I want to offer you a full pardon for your crimes. But, in order for me to forgive you, your sentence must be served, so my own son will be executed in your place. You will go free and be able to have a fresh start in life.
 
And, because you are forgiven at a great price, you must be willing to seek to live a life for good. To help you in this, I invite you to come and live with me in my mansion as my new son. I will provide abundantly for all your needs, I will support you with meaningful, important work along with training, guidance and resources. I will be with you every day, protect you from harm and will love you unconditionally. Along with this, you will be my heir.”
 
What condemned criminal wouldn’t accept that? Yet many, many people reject an even better offer from you, Lord God, one of total pardon, of eternal life, of a transformed being, of power to live rightly, of meaningful work with you, plus love, joy, peace, hope and security. And most importantly of all, a close, warm, wonderful relationship with you–out of which flows all the goodness you have for us.
 
Everything else pales in comparison to knowing you, living with you, being loved, accepted, and cherished by you. I praise you, Lord God, Heavenly Father, that you have called me to be your son, to come into your family, embraced by you, and to become the object of your delight, your joy, your care.
 
What a marvel, I who deserve your wrath, have been transformed into your dearly, warmly loved son in whom you rejoice. You provide me with full access to your throne room at any time, you give me your full attention at all times. You pour out your full love on me unendingly–a love that is undeserved, unconditional, unlimited, which flows constantly, surrounding, engulfing, nurturing, protecting and cherishing me.
 
This is what you offer, Lord Jesus, for you are love itself. To you be unending praise, honor and ever-flowing exaltation. You are most worthy of glory, for you are good against all logic, beyond all comprehension, over all expectations.
 

Therefore, I commit myself, for your honor and joy, to live in the light of your love this day, responding with obedience, openness, attentiveness and thankfulness. May you be exalted, glorified, praised and pleased in all I do.

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More from autobio

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 28, 2021
That evening in December 1979 we stopped in the small city of Osijeck and stayed in a hotel. Barbara wanted hot water to mix with some milk for Nat’s bottle so I went down and tried to ask for hot water. I got no response as no one could speak English or German.
 
After I returned and told of my lack of success, Barbara went down and shortly came back with plenty of hot water.
“How did you do that?” I asked.
 
“I went into the kitchen and showed the bottle to a lady there. She understood!” replied Barbara. Smart wife!
 
We went out in the town to look for a place to eat. Although there were plenty of people on the street, no one spoke. It was eerily quiet. We guessed that under Communism it was probably unsafe to say much in public.
 
We found a restaurant and went in and the waiter gave us menus, but we could not read a word. And the waiter could not speak any of our languages, so no help there. In the end we picked an item and pointed to it.
 
Soon the waiter brought our dinner. On each plate was a stone-cold, rock-hard ball of hamburger and a pile of raw onions. That was it. We ate what we could, paid the bill and headed back to our hotel.
 
The next morning was another long day of the “truck passing” game. What I remember most about that trip was the all-pervasive grayness of Yugoslavia. Even the people looked
gray, with bowed backs and heads. No one smiled. Communism did not seem to make the workers happy.
 
That evening we stayed in another small city where all the signs were all in Cyrillic. There was a fancy new hotel, but it looked expensive, so I went to an older, threadbare looking one. When I came to the desk, the man looked at me and shook his head. He pointed towards the new hotel.
 
I said “No, how much is a room here?” Finally someone came who could speak some broken German.
 
“No foreigners here. Must go to big hotel. Price the same.”
 
“Ok,” I thought, “not much other choice,” and off we went. The man was right, the newer place was cheap. This was probably the only positive side of Communism: everything costs the same whether it’s old or new.
 
The next day we pressed on, passing into Greece, where we stayed in the city of Kavala. During the night I couldn’t sleep, so at about 2am, I went outside to check on the car. As I was looking it over, another car pulled up next to me and the male driver propositioned me. I was shocked and had no trouble in saying no!
 
The next morning we left early and drove two hours on curvy mountainous roads to the next big town, Komotini. There we stopped so I could go to a bank and exchange some traveler’s checks for gas money. When I got to the front of the line, the teller wanted to see my passport, but I didn’t have it with me. I talked him into cashing the check anyway and went back to the car.
 
I asked Barbara if she had my passport; she checked and didn’t find it; hers was also gone! Then we realized that we’d left them at the hotel. When you check into a hotel in Europe, they take your passport, both to report to the police about who is staying there and to make sure you pay; we’d forgotten to reclaim ours before departing.
 
So, we had to drive back over those turning, twisting roads again. Two hours later we were back Kavalla. The desk clerk said he’d run down the street after us as we left, calling to us that we forgotten our passports, but we hadn’t heard him.
 
We went to get gas and as I paid, I found that the teller in the bank had given me way too much money. It seems he had cashed the checks as English Pounds rather than dollars because the traveler’s checks were from a bank in England.
As we drove back over those hilly, curvy roads for the third time, we talked about the situation and decided to go to the bank and return the money.
 
When we arrived, it was after hours and the bank was closed. But I banged on the window and someone came to the door. When I explained what I wanted, the man took me in.
 
All the employees were standing around the teller who had waited on me, commiserating with him because he had to pay out of his own pocket the extra dollars he’d given me.
 
I was ushered into this group and when I presented the man with the extra money, he looked up at me in awe and asked, “Are you an ambassador?”
 
I was taken aback at his question and missed the opportunity of a lifetime to say “Yes, I am an ambassador of the Most High King, Jesus!” I had been so often warned about being careful in witnessing in our new home, that I’d become too cautious.
 
Instead I muttered, “No, I just want to be honest.” The man was very thankful.

Picture: windy roads like we had to drive 3 times in Greece

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Psalm 37:9-11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 27, 2021
Psalm 37:9 “For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.”
[Here is the word for all of us who wonder why the evil succeed and the righteous seem to fail: their failure is temporary; the righteous will endure and reign forever.
 
We can respond in every situation in grace, in goodness and wisdom because we know the outcome. The wicked will be dealt with, while we who Hope in you, Lord, will get all. We may have temporary setbacks, losses and defeats, but in the long run, you will bring the victory. This we need to keep in mind.]
Psalm 37:10,11 “A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.”
[In this great contrast, the wicked will be taken away, while those who submit to your timetable, to your plans, will get more than they can possibly imagine and with it have great peace.
 
I praise you, Lord God, for the richness of your heart, the splendor of your schemes, the magnificence of your mind, all displayed in your persistent patience as you wait for the perfect point at which to act.
So, we can wait, knowing that you will do all wonderfully at the opportune time. An example of how waiting on your timing is how my parents (pictured here in their youth) finally came to Christ in their 80s, after many years of prayer for them.
 
Help us, Lord, to be people after your own heart, believing your Word, waiting for your timing, acting according to what you have revealed, and sharing your grace and goodness with all around us.]
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