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Psalm 23:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 26, 2020
Psalm 23:2 “He makes me lie down”
[I praise you, Lord Jesus, that, as my Shepherd, you don’t ask my opinion about what challenges I should face. Instead, in your wisdom and goodness, you “make me lie down” in situations I’d just as soon avoid, like my wife’s deep depression that has been going on for some years.
Praise you for your love and wisdom in doing this, arranging events, circumstances and pressures that will cause me to grow and give me opportunity to give you glory by acting in faith.
Sometimes I could get up and walk away from this pasture (out of a relationship, off a job, away from a neighbor) before you are done with the lessons you want me to learn and the lives you want me to touch.
But once you’ve made me lie down, such rebellion would only lead to loss and then you would again make me lie down in a similar situation until I have learned what is necessary. Praise you that you are firm, persistent and powerful in your shepherding, wisely bringing me to what I need.]
“in green pastures,”
[The places you choose to make your sheep lie down in are ones where we can graze and grow. There is spiritual food, there is full provision, and there is emotional nourishment. Praise you for your wisdom, that you know what is exactly right for each sheep and that you are persistent in providing it at that right moment.
We can trust you, no matter how brown the pasture may appear to us: an illness, a loss, a lingering depression, a difficult relationship, an unpleasant job. In your greater and more comprehensive understanding, you know it is a profitable place, providing us with the opportunity for growth, equipping and maturity.
Our green pasture is where each of us is now, the situation where, along with provision of beauty, comfort and our physical needs, there are pressures, stresses and challenges which push us onto our knees, into your Word, into your arms and through your lessons.
In these uncomfortable situations, you are giving us an understanding of our weakness, the opportunity to praise in distress, the chance to shed sin (complaining, gossip, selfishness and competition, to name a few) and to take up grace (forgiveness, kindness, service and love).
The harder it is, the greener the pasture. As it says in Romans 5:3,4, “…we also glory in our sufferings, BECAUSE WE KNOW that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
When we look at the larger view of what you are doing, we can gladly stay in the pasture you call green, until you tell us to move on. Help us to lie down where you lead us, so that we may join you in what you are doing: in us, through us and for us. May the sacrifice of praise permeate our lives so that we may be a sweet smell of grace and goodness to all around.
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His Wonderful Presence

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 25, 2020
 
 
I am so thankful to wake up and find you waiting for me, Lord God. It is so good to be in your presence, in your hand, in your family, in your plan, in your love. Thank you that I am made to need you, to be weak in myself and strong in you.
 
You have designed me to fit snugly into your hand so you can use me in whatever way you decide, to bring glory to your name, to bring people to know you and to help believers to maturity. You are the One to be lifted up, exalted and glorified. Guide me in doing so each day, Lord.
 
I pray that you will be with those who are suffering today for your name’s sake; give them grace, wisdom and courage; help them to fear you, not people. Protect them from too much pressure; keep your hedge of angels around them.
 
Help them to respond with your grace by rejoicing in their persecutions as you taught in Matthew 5:11,12, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
 
I praise you, Lord, for your unwavering, gracious presence in our lives, unimpeded by anything that others can do to us. Praise you for the possibility of walking through each day in the freedom and light of your presence; help all your children to do that today.
 
Thank you for the day you have prepared for us, for the certain prospect of your guidance in all that will come. I praise you for your character, your care, your competence in all, for it is absolute, perfect, powerful and pervasive.
 
You, Lord God, are worthy of worship, of love, of obedience, of godly fear. Help me today to walk with you, following your lead, seeking your guidance at each step.
 
You are the One I want to honor by joining you in your work. Remind me to pray about all things, to be focused on what is on your heart rather than on my schedule. I praise you now for how you will answer.
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Psalm 23:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 23, 2020
Psalm 23:1 “The LORD is my shepherd”
[Five short words that hold infinite grace. You, Lord God, the Holy, Pure and Triune Creator, utterly other than us, totally Just and the Punisher of sin–decisively and wholeheartedly chose to make yourself the Shepherd of rebels.
We are by nature the antithesis of you: finite, sinful, polluted through and through, nurturers of negatives, lovers of lusts. Yet you were willing to stoop down, to reach into this sin-soaked, iniquity-infused, evil-endowed world and make yourself Shepherd to your saved, yet selfish sheep.
We, in our old nature, deserve only condemnation, suffering, punishment, despair, hopelessness, meaninglessness and death–eternal banishment from your presence and all good.
But, in your magnanimous love and in your gracious goodness, you have offered to all and granted to those who respond, the right to become the children of God. And with that right, you have also granted us a whole host of privileges, at the top of which is, having you be our Shepherd.
A good shepherd is consistently and intimately involved in the lives of his sheep, aware of all that is happening, providing all that is needed for their health, protection and prospering. The sheep don’t choose their shepherd, the shepherd chooses his sheep. So have you, Lord Jesus, chosen us and are now our good Shepherd.
You have made a total commitment to our good: patiently and persistently prodding, providing and protecting us. You do this even though we daily grieve you with our rebellious love for sin, our stubborn selfishness and our unholy focus on things rather than relationships.
Because you are good, we can be sure, on a moment by moment basis, of your faithfulness, of your goodness, of your wisdom, of your grace, of your power at work in our lives–no matter what failure there may be on our part.
As the Psalmist Asaph, wrote, “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. YET I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory” (Ps. 73:21-24). What great Love and Commitment on God’s part!
We praise you that you have chosen us to be your sheep, chosen to be our Shepherd, Lord Jesus. Help us to follow you faithfully, trusting your Truth, obeying your wisdom, submitting to your shepherding moment by moment, now, today and always.]
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College Bound

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 22, 2020
My senior year of high school meant that decisions had to be made about college. Many of our relatives, including my parents and my older sister Andrea, had all gone to Blackburn College in Illinois where much of the tuition was paid through work on the campus. I, however, felt no pull in that direction.
 
“Here, Steve, look through these catalogues and see what you think of the schools,” the guidance counselor said. “None of them are state schools so they cost a little more, but they have high standards. This one, Gettysburg College, is very selective. You have to be in the top 5% of your class to even be considered—that wouldn’t be any problem for you since you have the 4th highest grade point in your class.”
 
I looked at the stack of catalogues and sighed. This business of choosing a college was overwhelming, but I took them home and leafed through some.
 
Nothing really grabbed my attention until I was setting the stack down. The Gettysburg catalogue was on top, and it suddenly struck me that the first letter of the college name was the same as that of my high school. And, the picture on the catalogue’s cover, a shot of the main room of the library, was somehow intriguing. I decided to apply.
 
The acceptance letter came sooner than I expected. My parents were content with my going to Gettysburg as it was a lot closer to Connecticut than Illinois and had high academic standards.
That summer Dad made a deal with me. I could use his tractors and equipment to do haying for the neighbors if I used the money I made to pay for college. Whatever I couldn’t cover, he would.
 
In those days the cost of college was less daunting than now– $2500 for a whole year, room and board included–so this was a realistic plan.
 
There was one other part of the deal: when I got out of college and began to work, I would help pay for the cost of my younger siblings’ college. Sounded good to me!
 
Chapter 6 Off To Pennsylvania
The six hour trip from Canterbury down to Gettysburg in the fall of 1964 was a somber one for my parents. I was the first one of their flock to go somewhere new.
 
They were, however impressed with the campus, although Mom was horrified at the dorm room I got. It was in “Old Dorm,” a structure built before the Civil War, and it looked like it had been through several wars.
 
I tried to assure her, “Don’t worry, Mom, this is great, much better than the sterile brick and tile places over there.” I waved my hand towards the neat brick buildings across the quad. Mom, however, was not convinced and later told me that she cried much of the night she and Dad spent in a motel on the way home.
 
Oblivious of my mother’s distress, that first evening I walked across campus to the dining hall, reading Lord of the Flies as I went. After supper all the freshmen were given their “beanie” caps and a sign with their name and home address to wear around their necks. I thought it was pretty childish and was embarrassed by this, but went with the flow.
 
Two days later when I walked into my first class I noticed that none of my classmates were wearing their beanie or sign.
“Where were you last night?” one of my new friends asked. “Don’t you know that all the freshmen had a bonfire and burned our signs and beanies?”
 
No, I didn’t know; like a good farm boy I’d gone to bed by 10 and slept through the whole thing. Actually I slept through a lot of foolishness that went on in my college years, by virtue of my farm training: early to bed and early to rise.
Gettysburg College was unusual in that the fraternities and sororities had their “rush,” recruiting new members, right at the beginning of the freshman year. This made adjustment to college life doubly difficult, adding more decisions to the many we already had to make.
 
I got an invitation from one fraternity and attended a couple of events, but decided that it was not for me. I had not come to college to be involved in foolish initiation rites, and to take part in the time-consuming and often degrading work given to the “pledges”.
 
I was there to put my time and energy into learning, so I chose to remain an “independent” for the next four years, a decision that left me an outsider and often lonely during the second semester of each year.
 
In the first semesters, however, I had a “family” in the cross-country team. I had joined up right away and found the level of competition a lot higher than what I’d experienced in high school. There I’d ended up coming in third in the whole high school county conference, but here I was dead last in the early meets!
 
The coach, however, encouraged me to keep trying, and I spent many golden afternoons running with my teammates across the battlefields of Gettysburg.
 
There were a number of meets at other schools, which meant that we runners got to skip classes, eat special meals in the cafeteria, and sometimes take road long trips where we had great times getting to know each other better. Each fall was a warm, positive time with my fellow runners, a time of belonging to something worthwhile.
 
Winter was another matter, as was Spring; without any group to belong to, I was again an outsider. These cyclical dark, lonely times slowly fed my growing depression.
 
 
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First Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 21, 2020
A chance to nurture your first love for Jesus; from EDIFIED!
 
“I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.”
Psalm 111:1,2
 
Lord God, my Triune Elohim, praise be to you this morning, praise be to you forever. You are marvelous in your character, beautiful in your desires, lovely in your grace, and astounding in your wisdom. You deserve that I extol you, O LORD, with all my heart, for who and what you are. As it says in Psalm 111:2-9,
 
“Great are the works of the LORD
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are steadfast forever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.”
 
What a list of greatness! You, O Lord Jesus, tower far above all creation; you are so perfect, so pure, so powerful, so pristine—you deserve eternal praise, daily obedience, moment-by-moment trust.
 
To live otherwise is an insult to your character, to your person, to your being. To see in Word and deed such a God as you, to know such a Lord as you, to walk with such a Savior as you—these are great, awesome, overwhelming, totally undeserved privileges.
 
Truly, “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise” (Ps. 111:10).
 
Prayer: “May I fear you, follow your precepts and walk in good understanding so you may be glorified in my life today and for eternity. Amen.”
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Psalm 22:29-30

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 21, 2020
Psalm 22:29 “All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive.”
[No one can keep himself from dying, none of us can defeat old age. And no one can avoid the judgment: all human beings will come under before you, Lord. And all will bow their knee, whether willingly or not.
For when we enter into your magnificent, holy presence, the strength of your mighty power and majestic authority will force all to bow in submission to truth and the judgment to come.
But you offer us the privilege of bowing before you now in willing surrender, in belief, in faith, in submission to Truth. You bringsus into your presence through the blood of Christ, where we, as your children, can joyfully bow to your Kingship, O Triune God. And we do so willingly, wholeheartedly, in wonder and joy.]
Psalm 22:30 “Posterity will serve him;”
[There will always be an ongoing line of believers, sustained and guided by you, no matter what the era may be–just as there were in the Dark Ages, in the Middle ages, in the Enlightenment, in modern times, in postmodernism and now in the “me culture.” Man tries to go his own way, but there are always those who respond to your invitation to walk in your Way.]
Psalm 22:31 “future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—for he has done it.”
[There will also always be a witness, there will always be propagation of the gospel. You, Lord, in your righteousness, truth and grace have done all, prepared all by sending out your Word in creation, in the work of the Spirit, in your written Word, in spoken witness, in dreams or visions if necessary.
You have everything ready and will bring all history to your desired end: the elimination of evil, the entrance of eternity, the enlightenment of all by your eternal character. Praise you for your greatness, your goodness, your glory that was, is, and is to come!
You alone are worthy of faith and obedience, of trust and praise, for you are wonderful, you are the only One to be worshiped. Help us to do so every day, all day!
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Psalm 22:28

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 19, 2020
Psalm 22:27 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD,”
[You, Lord, are at work in all the world, among all peoples, bringing from every group those who respond to your call. Praise you for revealing yourself through your creation, which speaks to us every day of your presence and power, as well as through your Word and the work of your Spirit.
Praise you for your love for every single person, for providing salvation for all, for convicting each of sin, of righteousness and the judgment to come. You do this so that they might think truth and decide to escape the condemnation of sin by taking refuge in the forgiveness you offer. You are good and merciful, gracious and kind. You are love itself.]
Psalm 22:28 “and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.”
[You are the Sovereign One who reigns, you have control, you use all for good, making your major plans come to pass while still giving us moral and ethical responsibility in our own spheres of responsibility. And in the end, all will come to bow before you, every human being, whether willingly in belief or grudgingly at the judgment seat.
Praise you, Lord God, for the wonder of knowing you and bowing before you now willingly, wholeheartedly, the King of All, the Lord of Lords, the Ruler of the universe.
Help me to live today in the light of your greatness, standing in awe of you, of your love, of your Word, of your commands. May this result in fearing and obeying you instead of raising my thoughts or those of others above your Word.
You are worthy of my full conformity, my total surrender, my wholehearted obedience, so I bow before you now, that I might bring you great honor today.]
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Psalm 22:26

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 18, 2020
Psalm 22:26 “The poor will eat and be satisfied;”
 
[You, Lord, are the Provider of all the physical needs of the world. You remember the needy and weak, being “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.” You “set the lonely in families and lead out the prisoners with singing…” (Psa 68:5).
 
And you also provide the spiritual bread that nourishes and satisfies all your children. “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty'” (John 6:35).]
 
“they who seek the LORD will praise him—“
 
[You are so worthy of praise, Father God, King of the universe, Lord of the nations, Creator and Sustainer of all. When you turn our hearts to seek your face, as we begin to see you as you are, what can we do but praise you in and for all, rejoicing in your being, boasting in our weakness, exalting in your faithfulness and forgiveness.]
 
“may your hearts live forever!”
 
[And this is the reality you have promised for your children. You are the Giver of eternal life, the Author of all eternity, the Defeater of death: in you we will live forever.]
 
Lord God, we bow before you in awe, we rise up in wonder, we go forth in the day rejoicing to be the carriers of your grace to all those we will meet. When they meet us, may they meet you!
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Wonderful Weakness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 18, 2020
From EDIFIED, written in 2007
 
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him….”
Psalm 37:5a
 
After months of negotiation, planning and prayer for launching our internet-based English tutoring sales, a big red flag appeared on the horizon. Since we as foreigners are not allowed to sell educational materials here directly, we are required to partner with a local company. This we have done, and things seemed to be moving along quite well, with agreements on pricing, marketing, commissions and advertising all in place.
 
The owner of the company has lots of experience in marketing, has a wide circle of influential acquaintances and business people, and was willing to put up all the capital needed for the venture.
However, after all the good progress, contrary to his word, he suddenly switched printers (he’d promised to use our friend) and then became unreachable. If he made such a move with the printer, what might he do with the rest of his commitment?
We had to bring this whole venture before the Lord and surrender it again, coming to the point of being willing to give up this partnership if that is what the Lord wanted. The Lord brought to mind George Mueller’s prayer principle, the gist of which is, “When asking the Lord for something, I bring myself to the point where if He gives me a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, to me it is the same.”
After all the work, the emotional investment and the high hopes we had for this project, it was a challenge to come to such a surrender. In reality, God was showing us that here was an idol in the making, something we were demanding to be happy. The question is: were we willing to have it sacrificed so that God’s higher purposes may be accomplished?
The Spirit reminded me that this was another opportunity to be weak (we could do nothing until the man decided to contact us again), to live the truth of 2 Corinthians 12:9,10 where God said”…my power is made perfect in weakness…” and follow Paul’s example in his response, “…therefore I will delight in weaknesses, hardships, insults, persecutions and difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We had to wait several days for a resolution to the impasse, and during that time had the opportunity to rest in God and think Truth (“My soul finds rest in God alone,” Ps. 62:1), continually surrendering our desire to Him. In the end things worked out and all was resolved—but more important than the resolution is the deeper surrender and new breaking God brought into our lives through this. May His will always prevail.
 
Prayer: “Lord, point out the idols in my life, help me to hold all with an open hand, to be willing to accept whatever you desire for me, to praise in and for all that you bring into my life. Amen.”
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Focus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on August 16, 2020
“Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers [of the attacking king, Sennacherib] and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.
 
And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: ‘O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.’”
2 Kings 19:14, 15
 
Thank you, Lord, for drawing my attention away from the issues before me to yourself. King Hezekiah is my example; he went to you with his problem of the attacking armies, first remembering who you are, the “God over all the kingdoms of the earth,” as did King Jehoshaphat when he was in the same situation—and you protected both. Part of tasting and seeing that you, Lord, are good is remembering how you have answered prayer for others in the past.
 
Praise you, my Heavenly Father, that you work what is right and good in our lives: you lead us in paths of righteousness, you warn us, convict us of sin, show us where we need to change, and give us the strength to cooperate with you.
 
I praise you for your help, your direction, your insights, your understanding. all that you share with us in your Word and through your Spirit; I praise you for the power you provide to increase faith, bring transformation and give us your view of reality.
 
You are wonderfully patient with us, graciously kind to us, faithfully firm for us. I praise you for your rod, with which you keep back the enemy; and for your staff, with which you keep us in line—we need to be protected from both the enemy and from ourselves!
 
I praise you for your infiniteness, working in so many lives simultaneously, listening to so many prayers at the same time, being able to weave our wrong and sometimes right choices into the fabric of your plan. I praise you that in you all will work out somehow in your time, in your way.
 
I praise you that your goodness and mercy are always there. You stoop down from on high and hear us, for we are poor and needy. You are Glorious, you are Good, you are Gracious, you are Great. Only you are worthy of worship!
 
Prayer: “I bow before you, Lord God, eagerly agreeing to follow and honor you today in obedience, in right thinking, in right priorities. Guide and empower me in this for the sake of your Name. Amen.”
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