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More of Psalm 107

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 27, 2021
Psalm 107 continues to tell us how God works in our lives to bring us to faith in him.
 
“Some wandered in desert wastelands,”
[when we reject your truth and go our own way, we dwell in dry and parched lands of our own making, far from the green pastures you have for us.]
“finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.”
[When on our own path, we go from one bad decision to the next. We search for emotional and physical sustenance but find none; instead we grow weaker and weaker. Everything goes downhill because we are far from your way.]
“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,”
[When we finally saw that our selfish way was not good, that our weak wisdom was insufficient, that our strength was too little to escape condemnation, then we cried out to you.]
“and he delivered them from their distress.”
[You, Lord, in your goodness, were right there, waiting for us to come to our senses, to see our need, to cry out to you. You were ready to help as soon as we were ready to receive. You plucked us out of our distress and inserted us into your forgiveness, your family and your future plans.]
“He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.”
[You, Lord, know the way to shelter and are very willing, eager to lead us to it, if only we will follow. You give us wisdom, insight, security and community, all we need to prosper.]
“Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love”
[and truly your love is unfailing as you wait and wait and wait for us to repent of our selfish, stubborn independence. You don’t give up, you are patient, persistence and prepared.]
“and his wonderful deeds for men, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
[What you have for us is beyond good–it is wonderful, marvelous, awesome and great. You, Lord, have only good for us, satisfying our thirst for love and forgiveness, our hunger for relationship, our deep desire for reality and meaning.
You know our needs, for you are our Creator; you are able to supply our needs, for you are infinite; you desire to give us what we need, and promise to do so, for you are good. Praise be to you, both now and forever. Help us to walk in the light of these truths today.]
May be an image of flower, stone-fruit tree, nature and sky
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Psalm 107

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 25, 2021
 
As it says in Psalm 107, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
[And we do see your love every day, Lord, in the myriad of provisions and protections you pour out upon us. You made us able to see, hear, speak, walk, work and write. You give us food, shelter, health, community and sleep. You provide protection, guidance, warning and help–these among many other wonderful gifts.]
“Let the redeemed of the LORD say this–those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,”
[You, Lord Jesus, have marvelously redeemed and rescued us from the hand of Satan, from the hand of sin, from the hands of evil men. You are our Savior, Shepherd and Sustainer. Praise be to you forever and ever for your gracious, good and great salvation.]
“those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.”
[Thank you, Lord, that your Spirit works in every land in every people, opening their eyes, giving them the desire for truth, bringing them your Word so they, too, can enter you Kingdom, become your children, and spend eternity with you. You are the true, loving God, gracious to all, forgiving to all those who come to your call.
 
Help us to bask in the wonder of your love, of your word, of your wisdom. Help us to love you as you love us.]
May be an image of tree, nature and body of water
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Engagement Announcement

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 24, 2021
Engagement Announcement
At the beginning of September I still had no clear direction from the Lord as to whether Barbara was the woman for me to marry. One concern I had was that this relationship would negatively affect my walk with the Lord. I wanted my undiluted delight to be in Him in line with Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself also in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
 
A good pastor friend, Harold Carpenter, would come by a couple of times a month to chat with me while I worked. He talked out his problems and listened to mine. When I mentioned to him my prayers for guidance concerning Barbara, and my thoughts about delighting in the Lord, he was used by the Holy Spirit to give me the key to my dilemma.
 
“This verse says we are to delight in Him, and I see that’s what you are doing and want to do.” He paused. “It also says that if you do that, He will give you the desires of your heart. There are actually two meanings to that. First, He will put proper desires into your heart as you find your delight in Him. And second, He will fulfill them. Since you are delighting in Him, He knows that the desire won’t become your idol. Just keep on delighting in Him.”
 
The lights suddenly came on for me. Of course, Barbara was the fulfillment of my desire for a godly wife, for a partner in ministry. We were well matched in our love for Jesus, in our desire to serve and in our present level of spiritual growth. Of course she’s the right one! Dad and Mom think so. Pastor Carpenter thinks so. My siblings think so.
 
The one remaining obstacle in my mind was the age difference. Then the Lord brought to mind a conversation I’d had with Doug, the nurse in the village of Gambell on St. Lawrence Island. He had fallen in love with the secretary at the Christian radio station in Nome, and they’d gotten engaged.
 
One night they were sitting in her living room with the lights off, enjoying the beauty of the Arctic moonlight coming through the skylight when she asked him, “How old are you?”
 
“I’m 24,” he said. “and you?”
 
“I’m 29,” she said. That was followed by a long silence. Then she spoke up. “Well, it doesn’t matter to me.”
 
Doug said, “Well, then, I guess it isn’t that important.”
Later he told me that his mother was thrilled that he was marrying an older woman. “You get a mature partner instead of someone you have to bring up to speed,” she said.
 
“Hmmm,” I thought to myself, “that makes sense. We can be better partners in the ministry. And that’s the real reason to get married, because we can serve God better together than we can singly.” I had certainly seen that in our work with the youth group.
 
I couldn’t wait until that evening when Barbara came. We went for a walk, and I said, “We’re getting married!”
 
“Ok,” she said. She was a little taken aback but didn’t show it. She was ahead of me on this anyway, since the Lord had prepared her by telling her that I was the man He had for her. So she was ready to accept my “proposal.”
 
I suggested that we get married around Christmas, but that was way too fast for Barbara. Germans don’t move that quickly! So we agreed on taking a trip to Germany at Christmas to meet Barbara’s parents and to get officially engaged there.
 
Picture: Barbara’s mother and father
May be an image of 3 people, people standing and outdoors
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God’s Four Gifts to Us, Part Four

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 23, 2021
God’s Four Gifts to Us, Part Four
A fourth gift He has for us is improving our emotional, mental and physical health. This comes through expressing gratitude to Him as we live out Psalm 50:23 by giving thanks in all things, both positive and painful, delightful and difficult.
A secular article on News Max entitled “Giving Thanks Makes Us Happier,” points out that having an attitude of gratitude brings many benefits. A summary says, “Researchers delving into the physiology of gratitude have discovered it acts powerfully upon neurotransmitters in the brain to increase happiness, reduce stress, boost energy and even improve sleep.” In a separate article, I read that gratitude also strengthens our immune system.
This, of course, is simply discovering what God has told us all along: giving thanks is powerfully good for us, as well as for all those around us. And it is good for God, as we are joining Him in advancing His Kingdom.
When God commands us to do something, it is always for the best. His expression of these truths is found in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, WILL GUARD your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
These truths are reiterated in an article in the latest Reader’s Digest, entitled “The Goodness of Gratitude,” saying, “people who wrote thank you letters or performed good deeds for a six-week period decreased their pain, upped their energy, accomplished more every day, and improved their mental health for up to six months. And you can reap these benefits at any age.”
God’s wisdom is far deeper than we can imagine! It is our privilege and responsibility to live out 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” by making every day a “Thanksgiving Day.”
Do yourself and many others a good turn and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each event, especially the ones you don’t like—then watch God work!
May be an image of flower and nature
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God Reigns

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 22, 2021
“The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad, let the distant shores rejoice.”
Psalm 97:1
 
Yes, Lord, we rejoice, for you are the sovereign One, the King over all, the Ruler of the universe. No detail escapes your attention, no attitude, no motive, no thought goes unnoticed. You guide the flow of events in each person’s life to draw him or her to yourself and then to mature in Christ those who do come.
You are massively powerful; no one can get around you, no one can thwart you in your great plans—just the opposite is true: you thwart the plans of the nations and topple the purposes of the people (Ps. 33:10,11). You are God alone! “For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods” (Ps. 97:9).
 
Praise be to you for your wisdom, as you have given your human creatures a sphere of responsibility where we are to make decisions. You control what comes to us, each event designed to give us opportunity to move in the right direction, but we must make the choice.
 
It would have been much easier if you had just made us puppets or robots—but that would have eliminated the possibility of love. To have genuine love there must be the chance to choose, to respond to your love with willing decisions to do what pleases you. Praise you that we are made in your image (albeit, now cracked and marred by sin), and therefore able to make moral and ethical decisions with eternal consequences.
 
“The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory” (Ps. 97:6).
 
Prayer: “I praise you, Lord God, that in your grace, wisdom and kindness, you have created us with the right and responsibility of choosing to obey in love. Help me today to take up your grace, to obey what I know from your Word and to fulfill the purpose you have given me of living for your glory. To you be praise and honor forever and ever. Amen.”
May be an image of nature, sky, twilight and tree
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God’s 3rd Gift to Us

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 21, 2021
 
A third gift God bestows when we give thanks, is the privilege of being a powerful witness to those around us. Our unnatural, supernatural response to trouble puts us up on the stage of grace where we can do the dance of faith in front of all those around us.
 
As we trust God we bring a focus on God’s good character in a way that words alone could never do.
Thus God gives us opportunity to join Him in the spread of the gospel by walking in faith, in opening people’s eyes to spiritual truth, and in drawing them to Himself.
 
I think that we underestimate the impact we have on others when we respond positively to difficulty, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. In the recent death of my brother, I let go of him before he died and thanked God for what He was doing in Sam’s life by taking him home. As people offered their condolences, I shared with them my view of Sam’s death. Some were glad, some were amazed, some were disturbed. But God was glorified before many.
 
Truly, as we offer the sacrifice of praise, we honor God. His glory is reflected in our lives as we honor Him in His throne room, before a multitude of angels, before demons and before all the people around us.
 
Since honoring God is the purpose of our lives, every difficult, disappointment and potential discouragement is an opportunity to fulfill the purpose God has given us. In doing so we are joining Him in His great plans.
 
Are we joining Him by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving?
May be an image of tree, nature and body of water
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Polar Bears

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 20, 2021
 
The snow fell deep that winter and it was impossible to hunt because of the many storms. But Okfagit and his family, as well as the rest of the village didn’t need to hunt, for they had enough to eat with all Okfagit’s whale had given them.
 
As with the other Eskimos, his family spent their time indoors making and repairing equipment and clothing. Nisana taught her daughters the fine art of making mukluks, waterproof boots from seal skin. Okfagit taught his sons how to make floats for seal hunting and snowshoes for traveling. He trained them further in how to clean and prepare their guns and how to keep their knives sharp.
 
Okfagit was also a carver, making beautiful figures from the tusks of walrus. This also he taught to his sons so they could trade these to whalers for ammunition, salt and sugar.
In late November there came a break in the weather. The high winds subsided and, although the snow was deep, they were able to dig their way out of the house and, using their snowshoes, to get about. Others also came out and there was talk of hunting again.
 
Since the weather had been so bad, Okfagit thought that polar bears might have been forced off the ice in search of food, so he and his sons decided to go and look. But first he gathered his family to pray to Jesus for his help.
 
“We ask that you send us a polar bear,” he said.
Ayit also chimed in, “And protect us as we go, not just from the polar bears, but from the spirits, too.”
 
They decided to go at first light, which came about 10 a.m. They only had four hours to hunt, as the sun set by 1:30 p.m. and it was dark by 2:00.
 
They put on their parkas, then a white canvas cover over it to make themselves less visible in the snow. They set off along the shore, going north by the place where the villagers disposed of old food and items no longer useful. Beyond that they came the bone yard where all the useful bones of whales were kept.
 
“If food is short, these are places where bears may come to find something to eat,” said Okfagit. He had on his Eskimo sunglasses, round pieces of bone with a slot cut in them, covering each of his eyes, fastened with thin seal rope and tied behind his head. The bones shut out most of the light, making it easier to see in the glare of the sun off the snow.
 
He moved slowly, carefully searching the landscape, for a white bear is hard to see in the snow. Suddenly Ayit whispered, “Over there, Father.” Okfagit slowly turned his head, and there was a bear digging for the bones which still had some dried meat left on them.
The hunters were downwind from the bear, so he was unaware of them. They slowly crept closer until Okfagit thought he could get a good shot. He slowly raised his rifle, took careful aim and slowly pulled the trigger. The bear looked up, surprised at the red spot on his shoulder. He rose up on his hind legs and looked around for the source of the noise and discomfort. Okfagit shot again, this time hitting him in the heart. The bear slowly sank to the ground, rolled over and was still.
 
“Wow, what a big bear,” one of the boys said. “Shall we go to it, father?”
 
“No, we will wait a bit to make sure it is dead. A wounded bear is very dangerous.” After half an hour, they crept up to it, and prodding it with their feet, determined that it was truly dead.
 
Unbeknownst to these human hunters, the bear had a mate who saw them approach the prone bear. Polar bears have no fear of humans and if they are hungry, as this one was, are glad to eat people as well as seals. So, the bear lowered itself into the snow and crept towards the unsuspecting hunters as they leaned over the first bear. Okfagit got out his knife and began cutting off the skin.
 
The second bear came within fifty yards before it rose up and charged. One of the boys saw the movement and shouted a warning. Okfagit looked up but didn’t have time to pick up his rifle. He watched the bear charging and at the last second flung himself to the bear’s right side.
 
The bear went by, turned and came on again. Okfagit used the same evasion, falling to the bear’s right side. By this time Ayit had his father’s rifle, took aim and shot. The bear slumped down and was still.
 
“Father, are you all right?” Ayit asked, rushing to his side.
 
“Yes, I am fine,” his father replied. “It is a good thing that polar bears are left-handed. They will never swipe to the right, and that is why I tried to stay on the bear’s right side. That was very important to know when we hunted them with spears and arrows. With rifles it’s not so important, but today it was.”
Picture: Hunting Polar bears with bow and arrows
No photo description available.
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God’s 4 Gifts to us Part 2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 19, 2021
 
God’s Four Gifts to Us, Part Two
As we saw in part one, Psalm 50:23 starts with “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me”–meaning that if we give thanks when we don’t feel like it, we fulfill the purpose of our lives, giving honor to God before the unseen hosts as well as the people around us.
The verse then continues with “…and prepares the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.” Here we see the second gift God has for us: the privilege of partnering with Him in bringing about solutions, of joining Him in a way that His power can work in us and in our situation for good.
Paul echoes this principle in 2 Cor. 12:10 “…I will boast all the more gladly in my weakness SO THAT the power of Christ may rest in me.”
As we give thanks in and for difficulties, we open the way (maybe, get out of the way is more accurate!) for Him to bring the resolution and results He’s planned and prepared. These may come right away, or they may not be visible until years later, as with Joseph in Egypt. Whether seen or unseen, God moves as we give thanks in faith for what is painful for us.
This means that the opposite may also be true: when we complain we block the way for God’s work in our situation. For instance, in experiencing a painful relationship, when we complain things get worse; when we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, we are helped with not saying hurtful things and help move things in a good direction.
As 1 Peter 1:5 says, believers,”THROUGH FAITH are shielded by God’s power….” As we trust, operating out of faith, we are protected; as we complain, we expose ourselves to attacks by the enemy.
May be an image of flower and nature
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God’s Four Gifts to Us, Part One

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 18, 2021
What a kindness you have bestowed on us, Lord God, in calling us to give thanks in and for all things. You have a plan, you know what is best, no matter how it may look to us—like a leafless tree in winter–but full of possibilities. You work powerfully and patiently to bring goodness out of it at the right time.
Giving thanks in all is a privilege. It is God inviting us into a partnership with Him where He has at least four rich gifts awaiting us.
Psalm 50:23 shows us two of those gifts. “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me…” This sacrifice speaks of denying self, giving thanks when it is not natural, when it costs us. Note that this is not being thankful, which is an emotion, but giving thanks, which is an act of the will, often against what we feel.
This obedience of faith is a great means of glorifying God. When we give thanks in the midst of hurt, disappointment, suffering or loss, trusting that God has a plan and has allowed this for a good we cannot yet see, the angels stand in awe, the demons cringe in defeat, Adam’s descendants are amazed and God’s name is lifted on high.
Giving God such glory is the purpose for which we were created. So every time we find ourselves in situations where there is no solution, no discernible good, no visible positive point (as with the zoning board’s negative decision for me this week), we can choose to believe that God is good, at work and trustable–and we can demonstrate this trust by giving thanks in and for all things.
In doing so we are fulfilling the purpose for our existence (worshiping God) and doing something that will last for eternity. This privilege of giving thanks by faith is the first gift He has for us.
You, Lord, are the God who is more than we can imagine, more than what we could hope for, better than our dreams, beyond the understanding of our limited perspective. You are Great and Powerful, Glorious and Perfect, Gracious and Pure.
You are the fulfillment of the longing of our hearts and far more. Glory and honor belong to you alone! And we praise you for the privilege of giving you honor throughout each day by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. May we be consistent in doing that today.]
May be an image of nature, sky, tree, twilight and lake
 
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More from my Autobio

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 17, 2021
Chapter 33 Forward Together
As Barbara began coming with me to the Saturday night youth group meetings, she proved to be effective with the girls, being both a good listener and a good teacher. She had deep insights and gave me good advice, too. I was struck by how much more effective I was working with her than working alone.
 
One evening she came over to go to a concert Dad was playing in, so I went along. We had a great time talking about our lives.
She told me about her summer short-term work with Operation Mobilization in France. I told her about how the Lord had cornered me in Alaska and brought me across the line into His Kingdom. I don’t think we heard a note the band played.
 
After the concert, in looking for Dad, I said to her, “You wait here.” When I came back to her I said, “It’s nice to have someone wait for me!”
 
And she replied, “It’s nice to have someone to wait for!” Hardly noticing, we were moving forward in our relationship.
The next morning Dad was tinkering on his motor-cross racing bike while I was working on entering new tires on the inventory cards.
 
“Say,” he said, “that Barbara is a nice girl.”
“Yes, she is.” I replied.
“When are you going to marry her?” he asked.
“Uh, umm, ah, I hadn’t thought of it!” I stammered.
 
Dad stood up and pointed his finger at me, “Don’t miss this one; you’ll never find another girl that meets your standards!” Then he bent down and continued working on his bike.
 
My mind was whirling. I sure did find her attractive–in fact the most attractive thing about her was her deep love for Christ, her desire to follow Him wholeheartedly. I had not met any other girl whose desire for Him and whose spiritual maturity was similar to mine.
 
“But,” I thought, “She’s five years older than I am. That’s a barrier. And she’s so good-looking, she’d never consider marrying someone like me!”
 
However, I knew that one way God directed us was through our parents, so I took Dad’s comments seriously. I began to pray intensely about this relationship and its possibilities, but got no clarification from God.
 
Barbara and I kept up our work with the youth group, praying together each morning, sharing what we were doing in our quiet times. I decided to spend more specific time with her to get to know her better.
 
For our first solo outing I took her to McDonald’s and bought us each a milk shake. As we sat in her little beige Volkswagon, sipping through our straws, I said, “Thick, huh?” She agreed, but maybe she was also thinking about how thick I was concerning our relationship!
 
She would come to the farm in the evenings in her little VW, and we would go for walks out in the big fields under the full August moon; I enjoyed watching the moonlight reflected in her almond shaped eyes and on her beautiful white teeth when she smiled, which was often.
 
We were always accompanied by my big dog, Isaak. He did not really like this intruder in his relationship with me, so when we sat on a big rock in the field to talk and pray, he would push his way between us and sit there like our chaperon.
 
We didn’t mind, as our relationship was of spirit and mind at this point. I had told Barbara, “nothing physical, no hand-holding.” She accepted that. I wanted this to be a pure relationship built on a spiritual foundation, with sharing of the spirit and soul as the beginning. And Barbara had a lot to share with her European background and wide range of reading. We had long discussions about many things.
 
Mom was very happy with our friendship. At this stage in my life I was a very serious person, fasting regularly, disciplined in my responsibilities, not given to any frivolity. Mom was very aware and pleased that Barbara brought some lightness into my life.
 
One day Barbara and I were talking and laughing together at Mom’s house. When Barbara went into the kitchen, Mom hugged her warmly, communicating her joy for the happiness Barbara had brought to me–and to Mom as well.
 
In August we celebrated Mom and Dad’s 30th wedding anniversary with a banquet in a nearby hotel. All the relatives came, along with my siblings except for Les who was away on a trip.
 
I brought Barbara with me to the banquet. She wore an elegant full-length dress with a pattern of big flowers in colors that matched her complexion perfectly. With her tan she was stunning.
 
My relatives were all goggle-eyed at this exotic, beautiful alien with her charming German accent. My uncles on both sides of the family were especially taken. This was also the first chance for my older sister, Andrea to meet her. All highly approved.
 
Picture: our faithful chaperone, Isaac
May be an image of dog and outdoors
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