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Impatience leading to patience

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 7, 2020
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalm 50:14,15
 
I could feel the old, familiar tension rising as I approached the traffic light: would I make it through before it turned red? If I didn’t make it, I’d have to stop and wait, losing precious seconds! Worry, impatience, discontent all started to flow.
 
Then the Spirit brought to mind the verses in Psalm 50 that I’d been meditating on, highlighting the privilege of giving thanks no matter what happened. “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me and prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” (Ps. 50:23). This was followed by some insights on patience which came because the light did turn red and gave me a chance to think.
Patience is more an outcome than a quality: it flows from our relationship with Jesus. The more intimate our relationship is, the more patience will flow. This is because patience comes from knowing the character of God, from exalting Him in our minds and hearts, grasping ever more deeply how big, powerful, wise, just and merciful He is. It comes from knowing that He is in control and is working things out on His time table, not ours.
 
Patience comes from trusting Him instead of trusting our own judgment which leads to worrying. Patience comes from accepting that He is in control, protecting us from what is truly evil, developing our character, carrying us forward to His goals. It comes from laying aside the idea of getting our plans accomplished and seeking instead to join God in what He is doing. It comes from setting our hearts on things above. It comes from abiding in His love, obeying the Truth He has given us.
 
That is why there is no place in Scripture where we are told to pray for patience. Rather, we are told to be worshipers and confessors. When we exalt God for His greatness and power, and in the light of this, confess our lack of trust, our fears, our selfishness–and instead focus on Him, our impatience melts away in the light of Truth. So, when the traffic light turns red, instead of groaning, we can say, “Thank you, Lord, for what you are doing with this interruption. Thank you that you have a plan here.”
 
Romans 15:13 sums this up powerfully in Paul’s prayer for believers: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace [especially at traffic lights] as you trust in him [this is my part], so that you may overflow with hope by the power of his Holy Spirit.” [Where hope overflows, there is no room for impatience!]
 
Prayer: “Lord, today I want to walk in the Truth of your character. Help me to remember how great and good you are when I am tempted to be impatient. Help me to rest in the knowledge of your power, your perfection, your patience at work in my life and move through whatever comes, trusting you to work out what is best. Amen.”
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Psalm 23:5c

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 6, 2020
Psalm 23:5c “my cup overflows.”
[You promise, Lord, that my all needs will be met, but you usually give far more. Nothing I have can contain the blessings you pour out. Your gifts overflow in my life so I can share them with others. Some of these gifts are joy, praise, peace, insight, wisdom, strength, faith, vision, love, grace and goodness. Along with these are material gifts, which I can then share with others.
So, we bow before you in belief, Heavenly Father, exalting your high and holy Name. We rise up in faith, trusting in your goodness and wisdom. We move into this day in trust, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving so that we may honor you and open the way that you may show us the salvation of the Lord.
And I have opportunity to practice this right away, as right before I wrote this several years ago, I got a big bill for my visit to the emergency room. I can rest in you in the midst of this surprise, trust you to work this out and provide in whatever way you choose. It is wonderful to face difficulties with you, knowing you will carry us through.
Praise you for what you will do in the coming days, Lord, as you lead us in paths of righteousness, and for how we will be able to trust you in everything that comes because you are absolutely faithful, unchanging in your generosity, goodness and grace. Amen.]
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Chapter 8 The Ongoing Search for Meaning

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 5, 2020
In the spring of my junior year, I stepped out of the library building after a long evening of study. A full yellow moon hung over the campus. The grass had been mown that afternoon and now gave off a sweet, intoxicating smell. Crickets, exalting in the warm evening, chirped at their finest.
 
I walked along the edge of the grassy quad and sat down under one of the cherry trees. The blossoms, glowing white in the moonlight, added their delicate scent to the warm evening air.
I looked up at the full moon shining through the flowering branches of the tree overhead. I breathed in the enchanting odors of spring. The beauty around me was overwhelming, invigorating, powerful—but it also brought me pain.
 
“How do I fit into all this?” I wondered. I felt disconnected: here I sat in the midst of all this beauty, but I still didn’t know what my place was in it. A deep sadness came over me for I did not yet have an answer to the question I had voiced as a seven year old: “Why am I on the earth?”
The day after final exams were over that year, I strapped on my helmet, jumped on my Honda motorcycle and roared off on my first road trip, heading home to Connecticut.
 
After I’d bought this motorcycle from a fellow student in the fall, I’d hauled it up three flights of stairs to my dorm room to keep it safe for the winter. When warm weather came, I brought it back down and had spent some great afternoons swooping through the curves on the Gettysburg battlefield roads.
 
My father had told me that it would be good if I sold it, telling me that motorcycles were dangerous. I had let him know that I’d “taken care” of the motorcycle, meaning I’d had it tuned up so it was ready for the six hour trip home.
 
I was exhilarated as I rode out onto the highway, the wind whipping my helmet strap against my cheek. However, within an hour the motorcycle developed a grinding noise. After looking it over, I thought it was probably just the chain rubbing on the enclosed guard. I decided to press on and ignore the sound, just as I was ignoring the darkness gathering in my soul.
 
After a long day on the road, I crested the last hill before the farm homestead at about 5 pm. I coasted down the lane and turned into the tire shop. Dad came out. “What can I do for you?” he asked.
 
“I’d like to change the air in my tires,” I joked.
 
Dad nodded and bent down to take the cap off the valve of the front tire, following one of his sayings, “the customer is always right, as long as what he wants isn’t dangerous.” So he was going to humor me.
 
“Are you from around here?” he asked.
 
“Yes,” I answered, “I’m your son!”
 
Dad looked up in astonishment; my unexpected arrival, along with the helmet and motorcycle had thrown him off. He began to laugh and slapped me on the back. “Welcome home!” he said.
 
That summer Dad tried out the motorcycle himself and soon got the hang of it. He still insisted that I sell it, which I did after riding it back to Gettysburg the next year.
 
In the spring, however, I got news that Dad had bought himself a motorcycle, a BSA 250 Road Star and was riding it both on and off the road. The bug had bitten him, and he could hardly talk of anything else except riding his “bike.”
 
It was just what he had been looking for as a solution to his mid-life crisis: a masculine challenge that would keep him active with excitement, keep him young, and give him the illusion of being in control of it all. This was to be the major influence in Dad’s life for most of his remaining years.

Picture: that summer I took down the old silos on the farm

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Psalm 23:5b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 4, 2020
Psalm 23:5b “You anoint my head with oil;”
[A shepherd anointed his sheep to protect them from flies, to heal them, to save them from head-butting damage.
 
Your anointing of us, Lord Jesus, is the act of choosing, of giving worth, of blessing, of providing and protecting.
–You chose me before the foundation of the world.
–You had your Spirit convict me of my need for you.
–You poured out your Spirit on me at the point of belief.
–You sealed my adoption by placing your Spirit in me.
–You pour out on me unending blessings of grace, goodness, wisdom, weakness and power.
–Every day you provide me with protection, guidance, insight, goods, money, relationships, opportunities to give you glory, chances to share your Word, time to be with you, and enough health to serve you as you desire now.
–And most of all, you give me your presence and love in a rich and enduring relationship, the one for which you created me.
You are amazingly gracious and generous, for in my natural state, I actually deserved the opposite of all this: condemnation, rejection, punishment, suffering, pain, failure, depression, despair, hopelessness, separation and eternal death.
Praise be to you Lord, for your gracious, glorious goodness that you pour out on the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve who come to you to be the sons and daughters of the living God!]
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Psalm 23:5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 3, 2020
 
Safety is not the absence of danger, but the presence of Jesus.
Psalm 23:5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
[We tend to think of peace as being the absence of any threat, but you, Lord, give us a different perspective, one where your presence is enough to bring peace, no matter what may be threatening us.
In this picture you give us here, you provide us with a sumptuous table set out on the lawn, decked out elegantly, filled with delicious food, ready for the guests. But, on the edges of the wide lawn are a roaring lion (fear), a growling bear (worry), a prowling tiger (greed), a slinking jaguar (lust) and a menacing rogue elephant (impatience) trumpeting his rage. The sight and sound of any one of these dangerous enemies is enough to strike fear in our hearts.
Yet there stands Jesus, calm, quiet and smiling. He calls us to the table and motions for us to sit down. The threatening roars and growls increase as we obey, but our enemies dare not come close when the All-Mighty Shepherd is there.
As we turn our focus to Him, the threat, the noise, the fear all fade. Peace comes because of His presence and because of our trust in Him. This peace is contingent not on the absence of danger but on the absolute power of Christ. We eat in peace, enjoying His company, the conversation and the feast provided by His hand.
He could remove the enemies if he wanted, but as we live in a fallen world, he allows Satan and his cohorts to exist, for he uses them to accomplish his purposes of bringing all who are willing into the Kingdom, of maturing His children, of giving us the opportunity to live out the Truths of His Word. We are safe, in spite of the presence of danger.
Lord help me today to live in the power of your presence, ignoring the threats of the enemy, focusing instead on you, on Truth, on your might, on your beautiful character, on your being the One in control. You are the One who has a plan, who will carry it out in faithfulness and power, and along with your continual abundant provision. Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, our Conqueror, our Protector and our Provider.
Picture from internet
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A God Worthy of Our Enthusiasm

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 2, 2020
 
A God Worthy of Our Enthusiasm
Thank you, Lord, for the privilege of waking from disturbing dreams and finding you there, strong and gracious, kind and firm, protecting and delivering. In the midst of all the world’s uncertainty, the stability of your goodness is such a support. It is so comforting to know that you do not change, you never tire, grow impatient or fade in your love.
You are my resting Place, my Shelter, my Shield, my high Tower, my Fortress and my Deliverer. As I think of the past, a long stream of God sightings come to mind, events where you have provided, protected, intervened and answered prayer—all showing your love, commitment and goodness.
As I look to the future, which is ever uncertain–every day could harbor a disaster—knowing you as the unchanging, mighty and gracious God, I can relax in your love, rejoice in your goodness and be ready to embrace whatever comes.
Not only do we have you as our personal Shepherd, you have given your children a wide and high perspective on history, both past and future. You have great and comprehensive plans which you will bring to pass. You are dealing with injustice, violence and evil. You are working to bring as many as possible into the Kingdom.
In addition, you are giving your children multiple opportunities to mature, deepen and earn rewards by responding to all in faith. As we offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving for whatever you allow, we can, like Jesus–for the joy that is set before us–endure whatever cross you give us, despising the shame, knowing that we are going to be set down with you in heavenly places (Heb. 12:2).
We can know that, along with whatever challenges you bring to us, you will give us more than enough grace to move through them with power: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1). You will give us more than enough insight, answers, direction and resources.
Praise be to you, Lord, for your mighty grace, your majestic love and your magnificent plans, into which you have brought us. I praise you for the purpose, the meaning, the hope and the future you have laid out before us.
I praise you for your giving us your Spirit to teach, rebuke, guide and provide for us whatever we need to live for you. I praise you that no matter how I may feel, the truth is that you, Lord Jesus, in your “divine power [have] given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of [you] who called us by [your] own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3).
 
Help us to live in the light of these Truths, Lord Jesus, to walk in wisdom, in faith and in grace so that we may be hope carriers, light bringers and faith givers to all those around us today.
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Psalm 23:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 1, 2020
 
Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”
[Such valleys come in our lives. I have been faced with physical death, with death of a vision, death of a relationship and death to self: dark times that were difficult, disorienting, distressing–like my wife’s long lasting depression (which she is now over). You, Lord Jesus, knowingly lead us into these valleys, just as when you sent the disciples out in their boat into the teeth of the storm (Matt. 14:22-24)
And it is for good reasons that you, Lord Jesus, lead me into and through these valleys–the greatest two being my giving you glory through trust by giving thanks, and my growth in grace. And you have other reasons beyond my present understanding. I can trust you as you lead me through the darkness, no matter how it feels–what you taught me in the light is still true in the dark.]
“I will fear no evil, for you are with me;”
[Evil is there in the valley, both in presence and potential, but I need not fear it, for you are with me–you, my Great and Good Shepherd, who is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer. When you are there, what grounds do I have for fear? You are sovereign over everything and are in control of all; you are our great and mighty Ruler.
As one person said, safety is not the absence of danger but the presence of Jesus. I praise you for your faithful and powerful presence, full of wisdom and grace, love and firmness, able to protect us in the midst of any evil.]
“your rod and your staff, they comfort me.’
[With your rod, you hold our enemies at bay. You rule with a rod of iron; no one can defeat you: “there is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord” (Prov. 21:30). Therefore, I need not fear.
And with your shepherd’s staff, you guide me, correct me, bring me back to the path when I wander off. It is my nature (old self) to veer off the path, for I don’t have a valid compass within myself. But your constant correction with your staff (your Word, your Spirit, consequences to my wrong choices and advice of godly believers) keeps me on track. My course may be a zigzag one as I stray and you bring me back, but the progress with you is always forward.
Praise you that you are helping me to walk more in wisdom, to zig less, to squander less time and energy on my own way, thereby bringing you more glory as I tread your path. Praise you, Lord Jesus, for your faithful and powerful presence and protection. To you be glory and exaltation and honor, for you know the way through the dark valley and will lead me out. You are worthy of exaltation, thanksgiving and obedience.
Therefore, I bow before you today in faith, I rise up in the day’s dawn to walk in submission to your loving guidance, especially when it takes me through dark times. Truly, the commandments of the Lord are radiant, giving light to my eyes (Ps. 19:8). Praise be to YOU!]
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Psalm 23:3c

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 1, 2020
 
“He leads me [in paths of righteousness]…for his name’s sake.”
[What a wonderful motive you have for guiding us, “for your name’s sake”—so we can be absolutely sure that your guidance will be right–for you will never guide us in doing anything that would dishonor your name.
Praise you that your foundational desires are always clear in your Word, that your Spirit prompts us in the right way, and that we can then bring glory to you by obeying you.
Part of your leading us on these righteous paths, is teaching us how to respond to difficulties and persecutions, which are possibilities to share in the sufferings of Christ. May we do this well, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving at each juncture and rejoicing in the privilege of honoring you.
I think of my lost passport in Charlotte, of our delayed arrival in Dallas so we missed our appointment, of my plane being late coming into Frankfurt and missing my train. These uncomfortable situations were all opportunities to follow you in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake, by rejecting complaining, fear and anger, and instead exalting your name through offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, trusting you to have a plan and to work it out for the best. And in each case you did!
I praise you that these happenings show how trustable your leading is, how you always help us move away from our natural, selfish responses of complaining, worry and anger, towards doing what is right and righteous, to keep your name clear and clean before all the seen and unseen beings around us.
You, Lord Jesus, are our gracious and good Shepherd, worthy of trust, worthy of worship, worthy of following. May I obey your leading today, following you in paths of righteousness.]
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Psalm 23:3b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 30, 2020
 
Psalm 23:3b,“He leads me in paths of righteousness”
[I praise you, Lord Jesus, my great Shepherd, that you carefully and consistently show us the right way, the best way, so we can walk with you through whatever circumstances you bring or allow. We can be sure that you will always lead us in what is righteous; when we feel led to do something that is less than righteous, we can be sure this is not from you.
So often we are advised by well-meaning people to “just follow your heart!” But our hearts are naturally “deceitful above all and desperately wicked…” (Jer. 17:9). You came to save us from your hearts, so we could follow you instead. I praise you that we can know the way of righteousness because you reveal it to us with your Word, your life and the Spirit’s guidance.
Praise you for the preparation you have done to give us direction– driving us into the Word, teaching us your thoughts and giving us wisdom (“If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God…” James 1:5)
 
Praise you for your constant presence to lead us step by step as we listen to you. “…run with patience the race set out before you, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). Thank you for your loving, gracious, calming care.
 
Lord, help me to follow you in the paths of righteousness today that I may bring honor to you and joy to your heart.]
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Saved by the BB

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 29, 2020
All through my college years I was careful to live out my faith, being consistent in my quiet time, in prayer and in church attendance. There was a Lutheran church on campus, but after one visit I knew that this liturgical approach was not for me.
So each Sunday I would walk three miles to a small independent Bible church outside the town. The little congregation welcomed me and I enjoyed the pastor’s good teaching.
 
In the spring of my freshman year, right before the end of second semester, I was sitting in the Sunday evening service, thinking about the difficulties of studying, the loneliness of feeling like a social refugee and the dread of three more years of all that stretching out before me.
 
Suddenly I thought, “I don’t have to keep on dealing with this. I can just finish out this semester, quit school and go home! I can just work for Dad in his tire shop.” My whole outlook brightened and the dark clouds of my gloomy thoughts lessened.
 
A few days later, when I arrived home, I talked with Mom and Dad about my decision. They listened kindly and then gave me some good advice: “Give it another year and then make a decision.”
 
With the first year of college behind me, and a whole summer of cutting and baling hay to earn money for my next year of school before me, I was willing to give it another try. This was another good lesson from my parents on following through, whatever the difficulty might be, one that would be important in my first job after college.
At college, Instead of taking gym class, I had decided to try something different and signed up for the Reserve Officers Training Corps. Freshman year this had just meant wearing a uniform once a week and taking some military classes, but in my sophomore year we began doing physical training and war games every Tuesday afternoon.
 
On the first day of physical training I showed up in my fatigues with my rifle, ready for action. I found myself first in one of three lines for a drill. We were told to crawl on our elbows and knees for sixty yards, while cradling our rifles and shouting as loudly as we could.
 
At the signal I dropped down and started crawling. Completing my sixty yards, I stood up and looking back was amazed to see that the guys from the other two lines hadn’t even gotten halfway yet!
 
“Well,” I thought, “I shouldn’t be surprised: I’m running cross-country, training ten miles a day while these other guys are sitting around smoking and drinking beer!”
 
The next week when I arrived for the training, I found that I had been promoted from private third class to the rank of master sergeant! When I asked the reason for the promotion, I was told that it was because I could crawl fast! Now I had a platoon to command and I had no idea what to do with them!
 
I said to myself, “If this is the way the army chooses their leaders, I’m not sure I want to join! Doubts about my future military involvement increased as the war games began. Each week, I ended up in front of a machine gun nest. “You’re dead!” said the referee. This happened every week without exception. It was not a good sign with the war in Vietnam going full tilt.
 
“If I can’t survive here, what will happen there?” I thought. I didn’t know that the Lord had already been at work and was going to protect me. In the spring of that year all the ROTC cadets were taken to a nearby war college for physicals prior to starting boot camp in the summer. To my surprise, after my exam I was given a 4-F rejection slip.
 
“You are blind in one eye and legally blind in the other. You would be a liability on the battle field, especially if you lost your glasses,” said the officer. “In addition, your history of asthma, your enlarged heart, bad back, having one leg shorter than the other and your flat feet make you unfit for military service. Rejected.”
 
And this in spite of my being in better shape than any of the other candidates! But I didn’t object. No, I was glad. More than that, I was ecstatic! I wasn’t going to die in some Vietnamese rice paddy after all. Machine guns were not going to be in my future!
 
So being blind in one eye turned out to be a great positive after all! God’s grace was clearly evident; He had used what looked like a tragedy in childhood to protect me from an early death in Viet Nam.
Picture: in my work clothes in summer after my junior year
 
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