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Fearing God Benefits

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 7, 2021
Psalm 34:11b, 12 “I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,”
[Here are the results of fearing the Lord: we will live longer (less stress, less broken relationships, less worry, less harmful lifestyle practices), and we will have many days where we have lots of good flowing into our lives. Who doesn’t want that? God definitely wants to such goodness for us. He works to motivate us to desire to fear Him, so that more goodness will flow to us. Fearing Him is caring deeply what He thinks and obeying Him in awe of His marvelous might and majesty.]
Psalm 34:13 “keep your tongue from evil”
[The first element of the fear of the Lord is not speaking what is evil. No complaining (a big evil in God’s eyes because we are saying He’s not always good), no critical condemning statements, no gossip, no negatives, no cutting others down, no manipulation, no sarcasm, and no selfish boasting–to name a few common to all of us.]
“and [keep] your lips from speaking lies.”
[Only truth. No more telling ourselves lies (“Poor me,” “Everything is terrible,” “No one loves me,” “Nothing ever goes right.” “I can never win,” “Whatever I do, it’s wrong.”). No more telling others lies, no matter how polite they seem (“I’m fine” when I’m not. Instead of saying, “I’m having a difficult time, but am trusting God in it,” which is an honest answer that brings glory to Him and may open up meaningful conversation). And definitely no intentional lies to protect self or gain advantage.]
Psalm 34:14 “Turn from evil and do good;”
[Reject darkness and live in the light. I must measure my motives, thoughts, words and actions by Scripture, by what Jesus did and commanded. I must avoid evil at all costs, spotting it early on and rejecting it in favor of doing what God deems good. Confessing ahead forearms and forewarns me; I need God’s help to see evil in every area–before it becomes thought and then action–so I can bring Him glory.]
“seek peace and pursue it.”
 
[Not just seek to avoid conflict, protecting myself, but to wholeheartedly run after true peace, push to get peace, beginning with forgiving those who have hurt us, returning good for evil, blessing those who persecute us, and being loving to those who are obstinate. Lord give me wisdom in how to do this well.]
Praise you, Heavenly Father, for sending your Spirit to give us your Word: clear, deep, rich, refreshing and transforming. Help me to walk in the light of your Word, in the fear of the Lord today, taking your Word as the measure of what is right and wrong. Alert me to when I am not doing so, and help me to get back onto the path immediately. I praise you now for how you will help me today.]
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Amazing Privileges

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 6, 2021
You are wonderful, Lord, and to be a beloved 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 and meaning, direction and guidance, fullness of life and a glowing future!
 
These are privileges beyond what we could ever hope for on a human level.!
 
In addition, you promise to every believer the possibility of all Joy and Peace, and overflowing Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:13)—this is what every human heart desires—and as followers of you, Lord Jesus, all we have to do to receive these is to trust you.
 
I bow before you now, Lord God, I lift up your name, I 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, Lord Jesus, my great God and my gracious King.
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God’s Eternal Goodness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 6, 2021
 
I praise you, Lord Jesus, that, in spite of things not going the way I desired yesterday, you gave wisdom and grace to respond with thanksgiving and surrender, to move through with your grace and wisdom, not giving into fear or disappointment or self-pity. the truth is, You are the One who ultimately decides what will actually happen, whether it lines up with my desires or not, so I thank you for your chosen goodness which you constantly pour out on me.
I praise you for your Eternal Goodness, your Rich Wisdom, your Almighty Strength, your Perfect Righteousness, your Exacting Justice, your Marvelous Mercy, your Great Grace, your Lavish Love, your All-pervasive Presence. I thank you for your Inscrutable Triuneness, your Tender Care and your Flawless, Unchanging Character.
You, Lord God, are the One to be worshiped, to be praised, to be trusted and obeyed. Forgive me for being too absorbed in the details of life and therefore not reveling and basking more in the beauty of your Being, in the light of your Love, in the loveliness of your Life, in the goodness of your Grace. Help me to spend more time “smelling the flowers” of your beautiful gracious goodness.
You are worthy of honor, exaltation, magnification and thanksgiving in all circumstances. Your sovereignty, your wisdom, your love, your grace all insure that you are moving the world to a conclusion of redemption, reclamation and re-creation, where evil will be eliminated and holiness will rule along with love and grace.
Therefore, we can trust you in all that comes with your permission, we can think your Truth, see with your eyes, give you glory in thanksgiving and praise, and be carried by you to the conclusion you have planned.
I praise you for the joy of knowing you, for the salvation of your love, the security of being in your hand, the significance of being your child, the certainty of our future. To you be glory and honor, praise and exaltation, for you are worthy, O Lord. You are the Creator, you are our King, you are our Shepherd, you are our God–you alone are Lord.
So, I bow before you now and surrender to you all you have given me. To you be glory in my life today, O Lord God, Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit. May all around me see you at work in my life; may your Spirit overflow from my being and touch all I meet. May you be the exalted and extolled One today. Amen.
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Trapping with the Add-on Eskimo

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 5, 2021
Trapping with the Add-on Eskimo
 
In mid-December the time for trapping artic fox came. Okfagit and his family gathered for special prayer for this season, asking that God would give them success in their trapping.
 
Okfagit and his sons also did their part to contribute to a successful season, preparing the traps they had gotten from Russian traders and cutting chunks of whale fat to use as bait.
When it was time to go, it was bitter cold outside, 40 degrees below zero, but they were used to such challenges and did not shrink back. They dressed in layers rather than in one heavy garment. This way as they warmed from walking or riding the dog sled, they could take off one or two layers and keep from sweating. To sweat was to be in danger of freezing.
 
Their seal skin parkas and pants along with their mukluk boots protected them well. They each had fox or wolf fur on their hoods to keep their faces from frostbite. Even with this they would frequently touch their faces as they traveled to make sure no frost bite developed.
 
All the boys hitched the excited dogs to the sled, piled on the traps and bait and supplies. Then they stood back as the oldest son and Ayit, the youngest, climbed onto the sled. Okfagit took his place at the rear of the sled, standing on the runners. He spoke to the dogs and they leapt forward, pulling the sled with enthusiasm.
 
Okfagit knew that the foxes would be seeking mice, and the best place to find them would be on the windswept sides of hills where the snow had been blown off, leaving the frozen grass exposed. At each such place they set a trap and baited it.
 
They traveled from first light to when darkness started closing in, arriving at their trapping hut while they could still see just a bit. The boys unloaded their supplies, most importantly the seal oil and lamps to heat their temporary dwelling. After lighting the lamps, they fed the dogs, had some dried seal meat and then slept.
 
Long before dawn they were up, preparing for the return trip. As the first light came in the east at about 10:30 a.m., they were on their way, stopping at each trap to see what had happened.
 
There was nothing in the first trap, but the next three each had a live fox caught by a foot. Okfagit pushed the fox over with this hunting stick, then kneeled on it, crushing its ribs. The animal thus died quickly without any damage being done to the pelt. They reset the trap and moved on to the next. In all they got five foxes that day, a very good start.
 
When they arrived home, Okfagit and his boys set about skinning them. This was delicate work, for a slip of the knife could tear a hole in the skin, making it much less valuable. They started by cutting around the mouth, then peeling back the skin over the head, then reaching ever deeper under it towards the tail. When they had reached half-way, they pulled the skin back over the fox’s body and eased it off the rest of the way, carefully pulling out the legs and tail.
 
Then Nisana and the girls scraped the skins to clean them and hung them out to dry. The boys threw the foxes’ bodies up on the food platform to freeze. They would later use them as bait for other foxes.
 
Okfagit and his sons repeated this two-day trip over and over again for the next two months and collected a good pile of fox pelts, ready for trading in the Spring.
 
Picture: Okfagit in front of his hunting hut
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Psalm 34:9

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 3, 2021
 
Written in 2015
Psalm 34:9 “Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.”
[The call here, the command, is to fear God–to be so in awe of the Powerful Creator, the Faithful Ruler, the Righteous King of glory, that we reject our natural responses and obey Him instead, trusting His wisdom, knowledge and goodness.
It means caring deeply what He thinks and thereby rejecting what I or others think when it is different. It is submitting our will, our emotions and our intellect to Him and His Word (which is one definition of humility). If we do this, the promise is that we will lack nothing.
That is a huge all-encompassing promise: everything I need will be given! This, of course, is an echo of Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…,” which also implies surrender to Him as Lord.
Part of fearing God is accepting that He knows what we actually need. This may be getting what we personally desire, or the opposite. For us right now, it means my wife being sick with chronic Lyme’s Disease, suffering weakness, pain, confusion and depression (she has since been cured of this). In the midst of this Jesus is with us, shepherding us, equipping us, using us.
Another part of fearing God is believing His Word, knowing that He has a plan in our pain: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'” (Jer.29:11).
Help us, Lord, to grow in fearing you, to rest in your greatness, to do what is pleasing to you, to reject the pressures of people, the pull of our own hearts to complain and instead do what is on your heart, praising you in all.
I praise you, Lord, for your faithfulness in graciously tying us to yourself, in making us to be dependent on you , which includes allowing us to grieve you when we disbelieve and disobey.
In exchange for surrender, you give us much joy as we see you answer prayer, grant us your wisdom, lead us aright, demonstrate your faithfulness and display your might.
Help us to consistently fear you today and forever, to walk in faith and trust during our present period of problems, resting in your goodness and waiting for your wise timing to bring your desired future.]
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Psalms 34:6-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 2, 2021
 
Psalm 34:6 “This poor man called,”
[When I recognize my weakness and poverty of wisdom, my lack of strength and the smallness of my resources; when all my pretenses were laid aside and I am honest with myself and before you, Lord, then I call to you all the more whole-heartedly, all the more earnestly. I will be more open to you in my need, knowing that I cannot trust in myself. I am then in the position you desire so that you may act in wisdom and power.]
“and the LORD heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles.”
[When I cry out thus, then you act, then you save. You wait for us to come to the position of surrender and trust, seeing and embracing our weakness before you act to snatch us from the jaws of the dragon, to pluck us out of the fire, to surround and shelter us in the midst of turmoil.]
Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
[Here is the summary of your plan for protection. You pursue partnership, wanting trust, surrender and obedience from us. That is we fear you, standing in awe of you and acting out of that awe, caring deeply what you think about everything–and then you continually deliver us.
As we fear you, you send your angel to surround us with love, power and grace, you have him deliver us consistently—but only as we fear you. Help us, Lord, to fear you, to live in awe of you at all times.]
Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;”
[Here’s God’s challenge to us: if we don’t believe He’s trustable, remember how He’s protected and provided in the past for characters in the Bible: Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Jesus and Paul. Then remember what He’s done in our lives, including rescuing us from the dominion of darkness and bringing us into the Kingdom of Light.
Also, if we will think back, we can see many God Sightings where He reached into our lives to protect or provide. This is tasting and seeing what the Lord really is: good. Remember all the goodness He has poured out in our lives and those of others. Start trusting and see what He does. ]
“blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
[How happy, protected, helped and safe is the man who acts on this Truth and runs to God for protection and shelter. Again, here is the partnership God desires: He stands ready to act, waiting for us to seek refuge in Him.
May we honor you, Lord, by partnering with you throughout this day, tasting you, trusting you, fearing you, taking refuge in you each moment.]
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More from autobio

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 1, 2021
The fall of 1973 was full with the tire business booming, with Barbara’s work at His Mansion and our involvement with the youth group. The Lord had used the coffee house ministry to bring a number of teens to Himself, and we continued having meetings in the area, both for outreach and discipleship. Barbara and my brother Sam helped with these rich times of singing and fine teaching.
 
Early on, we began giving the new believers responsibilities, and saw them grow. Some are still in our church to this day, 40 some years later and others are doing well in other churches.
 
Being so busy, we hardly noticed the time pass and soon it was December. The day Barbara and I were scheduled to fly to Germany a big ice storm moved into New England. We made it to New York and JFK Airport, but found that most flights had been cancelled. We were flying on Icelandic Airlines; unlike the others that cancelled all flights, Icelandic listed ours as “delayed,” so we waited.
 
After spending the night in the airport, we were bused into town and given separate rooms in a hotel. In the afternoon we asked at the desk about a good restaurant, and the clerk gave us directions. We found the place and took a seat. As we looked around we noted that all the couples were males; there were no women there at all.
 
Then it dawned on us that when the clerk in the hotel saw Barbara with her short hair cut, dressed in her traveling suit with pants and her little military cap, he thought she was my cute boyfriend and directed us to what he thought was an appropriate place! New York was certainly different from what we were used to.
 
That evening we were taken again to the airport, going directly to a hanger where our plane was being sprayed with de-icer. When that was done, we took off on our flight to Iceland.
There, while waiting for the refueling, I looked out the window and saw a guy walking on the wing with what looked like a roll of duct tape. He leaned down and put a few strips on the wing. “Hmm,” I thought, “I hope that holds until we get to Luxembourg!”
 
After landing in Europe we had to take a bus to Frankfurt. While waiting for the bus, we chatted with a man who had lots of presents with him, including a little Christmas tree all decorated. He said he was going to visit his son in the army.
“Where is your son stationed?” Barbara asked.
 
“Where? Oh, in a little town you’ve never heard of! Its name? Bad Hersfeld!”
 
That was Barbara’s hometown! Right where we were headed. The man said he had a rental car waiting in Frankfurt and offered to give us a ride. In the end he took us right to Barbara’s house! That was a God sighting.
 
At that time in 1973 her parents didn’t have a phone, so they had been without news of where we were and what was happening. They were glad to see us appear unexpectedly on their doorstep. I immediately used my first German phrase, “Wo is das klo?” That is, “Where’s the bathroom?” It communicated wonderfully! We were off to a good start.
 
Our visit was an interesting introduction to German culture, which seemed to be much rougher in action and speech than mine. One morning I came down to breakfast to find Barbara and her parents in what sounded like a big argument.
 
“What’s going on?” I asked.
 
“Oh, we’re just talking about the weather,” she said!
Barbara’s father spoke English well, so we were able to have some conversations. However, he’d been in a deep depression for over ten years, so it was not easy for him to converse. He was no longer the man Barbara had grown up with, but I was glad that I got to at least meet him.
 
One reason we came to Germany was so I could ask for Barbara’s father’s permission to marry. So one evening I asked him, “Would you give me permission to marry your daughter?”
 
He looked at me blankly, “What did you say?”
 
“Would you give me permission to marry Barbara?” I asked again.
 
This time he got it, smiled broadly and threw his hands up over his head, “Of course! I get a son-in-law!” he said loudly. I think he may have meant, “I will get grandchildren!”
 
Just then Barbara’s mother came in and wanted to know what was happening. When it was explained to her she shook her head. “Why does he bother to ask? She does what she wants anyway!” Her mother still had Barbara’s pre-conversion character in mind.
 
Barbara’s uncle organized a big engagement party for us in his guesthouse. It was a loud, joyous time; I think we were the only ones there who were sober by the end. A different culture from mine!
 
In January 1974 we returned to Connecticut to find that the tire business had been without electricity for two weeks because of the ice storm. Being far out in the country, we were not high on the electric company’s priority list.
 
Nevertheless, business had been great; the ice had convinced many people they needed to get new tires. Dad and the employees had had to work by using the compressors on the trucks for air to run all the machines, and kept themselves warm by periodically going into the old house to stand in front of a wood fire in the fireplace.
 
I had missed all the excitement, but was content with my own.
 
Picture: Barbara’s mother’s family; her mother is the one in the middle with a bow in her hair.
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Psalm 34:4-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 1, 2021
 
Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he answered me;”
[Yes, Lord, in your faithfulness you always answer: at the right time, in the right way, with the right means. Therefore, you are trustable in your goodness, you are reliable in your unchangingness, you are beautiful in your consistency.]
“he delivered me from all my fears.”
[This was not the help I really wanted, but in your wisdom, Lord, you start answering on a much more foundational, inner level in order to bring an answer much bigger than my request.
The troubles in my life reveal these fears, fears you want to deliver us from: the fear of man, fear of the future, fear of loss, fear of humiliation, fear of suffering, fear of failure, fear of death. I’ve heard that you command, “Fear not!” 365 times in the Bible. One for every day of the year.
So, you turn our eyes to you that as we gaze upon you, seeing you in your great power, your deep wisdom, your gracious compassion and your rich love, we may remember how many times you have protected and provided for us in the past. Fear will then have no place to cling and will fall away. You are the fear Killer, the freedom Bringer, the peace Giver. Praise be to you.]
Psalm 34:5 “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”
[Because you are faithful and powerful, wise and good, you always answer by meeting our true needs. So, we are never put to shame when we trust in you. People and Satan may try to shame us. But we, like Jesus in Hebrews 12:3, can endure our cross, despising the shame, looking instead to the joy we will have with you when seated at the banquet table in heaven.
As we look to you in our troubles, Lord God, we are transformed more and more into your image (2 Cor. 3:18). As we meditate on your great and good character, as we bask in the light of your glory, we join you in being a light to the world, for we will reflect that glow of your greatness to all those around us–the radiance of trust, peace and contentment in you. And may we so honor you today.]
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At all times

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 29, 2021
The following was written in 2011 following an unsuccessful attempt to resolve a conflict on one of our teams, a painful event with a sad outcome.
Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the LORD at all times;”
[Even now, in the midst of this painful failure, in darkness and despair, I will extol you, Lord, I choose to praise you, the great and sovereign God who is at work doing what is right, bringing good out of every situation. You, Lord God, are worthy of worship even in the worst of circumstances, humanly speaking–for you do not abandon us. You press on in spite of this pain you suffer with us. You are faithful to the end, and therefore worthy of all exaltation.]
“his praise will always be on my lips.”
[Always, no matter what happens, in every difficulty, every hardship, every form of suffering, failure and evil, I can praise you and I choose to do so. You, Lord God are good, through and through. Therefore what you do is good, what you allow you will use for good for your children, bringing breaking and transformation. Lord God, do good in this situation. Have us suffer as long as is necessary; may we learn what we need to and go through what you know is necessary, with your power and strength.]
Psalm 34:2 “My soul will boast in the LORD;”
[If I am honest, there is nothing to boast about in myself, I can only boast in you, Lord Jesus, the perfect One, the pure One, the holy One who never makes a mistake, never fails. To you certainly belongs honor, praise and worship. You are the One to boast in, not myself.]
“let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”
[In this case I am afflicted, beaten down, a failure, but as I think on you, Lord, I can, with my will, rejoice in you.]
Psalm 34:3 “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.”
[This is the purpose for which I was created, Lord: to bring you honor, praise and exaltation. In this situation, I honor you by faith, clinging to you and to your truth, praising you for what you are doing–what I can’t see or understand yet. To trust you in the darkness brings you glory. Thank you for the light of your Word in this darkness, as illustrated in the picture here.
 
I will focus on this now, Lord, giving you praise for how you are working things out. At present, from my perspective, there is only total failure and loss, but in reality, there also is the opportunity for giving great glory to you as, by faith, I rest in your wisdom and grace, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving.]
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Praise in the darkness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 28, 2021
[Written seven years ago in the midst of Barbara’s debilitating illness of chronic Lymes disease and depression, and the deterioration it brought].
 
In this difficult time we want to continue to follow Habakkuk’s example in Habakkuk 3:17-19
“Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
“YET I will REJOICE in the LORD, (Yahweh)
I will BE JOYFUL in God (Elohim) my Savior.
[these are acts of the will, leading Habakkuk’s emotions to the proper place of rest in God.]
Like Habakkuk, in the midst of my wife’s difficulties, I choose to rejoice in you, Lord, for you are good always, you are the source of our joy–not our having things go the way we want.
As I praise you for what you are going to do in Barbara’s illness, Lord. I can let go of the negatives and cling to you. I praise you for what you are doing, for what you are planning, for what you will work out, as you did with Old Testament Joseph in all he suffered.
Help us all to respond as Joseph did, trusting you, bringing glory to your name, and healing to our souls. I thank you for the unseen things you are going to accomplish through this, for the good that you will draw out of it. I ask for your guidance in what I should do to join your purposes.
Lord Jesus, you are the Wonderful One, full of wisdom, grace, righteousness, mercy, justice, goodness and power. You are the One who can overrule in any situation you desire. You could have worked Barbara’s illness out in another way, but you allowed and guided things in this direction, so we choose to trust you with praise and to look at the bigger picture of what you are doing in shaping our character and giving us opportunity to honor you in trust.
Lord, to belong to you, to be your possession, to personally know you is wonderful, marvelous, majestic. “Blessed” is way too mild a word! To know that you chose us, wanted us as your children, sought us out, bought us, adopted us, transformed us, and that you richly, wholeheartedly love and cherish us–this is awe-inspiringly marvelous! It is more than we could ever have imagined or hoped for, especially in the light of what we actually deserved (punishment, rejection, suffering, eternal separation from you and all that is good).
So we choose to trust you through praise, knowing that you have laid out the race before us, empowering us to run it with perseverance and patience. And we run, looking to you, Lord Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, knowing that as we look ahead to the joy you have for us, we can endure whatever cross you give us, for we will be seated with you at the banquet table of your wedding feast in Heaven (Heb. 12:1-3).
[Epilogue: after years of depression and difficulty for Barbara, there has been marked improvement in the last months. We are thankful!]
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