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Psalm 23:2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 19, 2019
 
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 us.
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To Belong!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 18, 2019
I am so thankful to wake up and find you there, 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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Return Trip From Germany 1981

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 17, 2019

Return Trip From Germany 1981

We had planned to stay three weeks in Germany, but difficulties cropped up that kept causing us to postpone our departure. The car had problems and it took longer to fix than expected. And getting some official paper work done was interrupted by German holidays.

As usual, however, the Lord was at work orchestrating things for us. The delays gave us time to visit Barbara’s Bible school where we talked with a possible recruit. There we also visited the head of an organization which received monetary gifts for us, and the amount they had for us was just enough to cover the repairs on the car. A nice God sighting.

After four weeks we headed back, stopping at the Word of Life castle for a good night’s sleep before the grueling thirty-six hour push on the next stage of the trip.

The next morning was sunny and clear as we packed the car. We had the back seat down with a sleeping bag spread out so the boys had a nice place to play as we traveled. We drove down through Austria into Yugoslavia, working our way through heavy traffic the whole day.

In the late afternoon dark clouds filled the sky and we drove into a heavy thunderstorm. I stopped under a bridge to take the suitcases off the roof and put them into the back of the car out of the rain. Just at that moment there was a spectacular flash of lightning, striking a barn in the field next to us, setting it on fire. I felt bad for the farmer, but couldn’t do anything about it, so we went on.

We planned to drive through the night again, with Barbara and the boys sleeping in the back of the car.  The positive side of this was that there would be a lot less truck traffic, but the down side was negotiating the twisting and turning road through the mountains, which had no lighting, no painted lines and no guard rails.

I didn’t actually pray for it, but the thought came to me that having someone to follow would be wonderful. At dusk as traffic slacked off, there was a car sitting beside the road. As we approached, its lights came on and it pulled out onto the road. The whole rest of the night that car went before us, showing us the way.

The driver seemed familiar with the road, knowing where to slow down, where we could drive fast. He led us through all the twists and turns in the mountains and as the sky began to get light in the east, he brought us down to a small town on the plains just north of the Greek border. There our angel turned off the main road, leaving us on our own. This was God’s love in action, a marvelous Jesus sighting.

We made it to the last city in Greece  that evening and after a good night’s sleep, approached the border with some trepidation. Would our name be on the black list? Would we be refused entry? Would it make a difference that we’d not exited through here? We had prayed a lot and now would get to see God’s answer.

The border guard took our papers, wrote the car into my passport and waved us on. No questions, no hesitation, no problem! We enthusiastically praised God for His protection and provision.

We drove the last twelve hours to our city, praising God all the way, and upon our arrival, found that we weren’t the only ones happy with our successful return. Never had we had such a warm welcome as we got from our little team of four, plus our German friend and the three children. As our teammates were all newcomers, they were glad to see someone return who was a little further down the road in experience.

This challenge of our being expelled, and the possibility the team had faced of losing all of its older members, worked together to give us a better appreciation of one another. Crisis can be a bonding experience when we all respond properly.

Picture taken during out time in Germany

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Psalm 23:1b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 16, 2019
Psalm 23:1b “I shall not want.”
 
[Four short words, describing the outcome of having an infinite, holy Shepherd who gives absolute, total, wise, powerful and perfect provision. To know you, the great and gracious One, who holds the future in your hand, who is the source of all supply, who makes the good decision of what will come to us–this is enough.
 
Your provision is not always what we desire, but it what we actually need. It goes far beyond what is visible and tangible.
 
–You provided salvation through your Son, at great cost to the whole Trinity.
 
–You provided your Spirit to convict us of guilt, to shepherd us into belief and repentance and then to dwell within giving unending gracious guidance.
 
–You provided adoption into the Family and Kingdom of God, along with love, forgiveness, transformation.
 
–You continually pour into our lives ever growing peace, love, joy and hope, as we trust in you.
 
–You provide healing, growth and maturing in our souls: our mind, will and emotions.
 
–You provide belonging, worth and competence, three items every human heart yearns for.
 
–You provide unending and immeasurable significance and security, the desire of every person.
 
–You provide protection from the evil one, evil men and our own evil nature.
 
–You filter out of our lives the events that will harm us spiritually, and bring to us the events that will challenge, deepen, equip and mature us.
 
–You provide us with weakness, hardships, insults and persecutions–platforms upon which we can give you glory through trust and praise, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, honoring you before the watching crowds of people, demons and angels.
 
–You provide what is needed in the physical realm, which is often less than we desire, but much more than we deserve.
 
–You pour out more than we need, so we can then provide for the needs of others.
 
Praise be to you, O my Great Shepherd. Forgive me for grumbling about not having this or that and forgetting the immeasurable, invaluable, invisible things you pour into my life every day. Truly, I shall not want.
 
Help me to live in the Truth and Security of your choosing to be my Shepherd, of your being the focus of my life, my heart, my activities, my future. To you be honor and glory today in all I do, say and think.
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Psalm 23:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 15, 2019
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, 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 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.]
Picture below from internet
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Psalm 22:29-31

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 14, 2019
 
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 their judgment: all human beings will come before you, Lord, and bow their knee, whether willingly or not. No man will be able on his own to stand in your magnificent, holy presence, for 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. This brings us 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.]
 
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 22:27-28

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 13, 2019
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 to come 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, every human being, and bow before you, 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, 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.]
 
Picture: we served in this nursery this past Sunday
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Psalm 22:26

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 12, 2019
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 in 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.]
 
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God’s Beautiful Faithfulness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 11, 2019
 
 
A clear and sunny day with early morning fog rising off the pond. Praise be to you, Lord God, Creator of all the beauty before us, beauty which shows us your great heart of love. You share all the reflected glory of your Being through your creation, through the vast variety of flowers and trees, colors and scents, creatures and shapes, landscapes and seas.
 
Your mind has no limit, your wisdom has no boundary, your knowledge has no border, your greatness has no end.
On the other hand, I praise you that your Character does have limits in the right places: in you there is no sin, no evil, no selfishness, no lying, no double-mindedness, no hypocrisy, no failure, no faithlessness. In you there is only goodness, purity and holiness.
 
I praise you that you also limit yourself by making promises: you give your Word and you always keep it. You make your vows, you fulfill them. All other possibilities are set aside and you bind yourself to your promised prophecies, always following through.
 
The choosing of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was your greatest promise, made before creation, and brought to pass at the right time. I give you praise and honor and glory for this marvelous Truth of your faithfulness, for this wonderful reality of your steady heart of truth and love.
 
I praise you, too, for your unending presence; you are everywhere at the same time, while in another way, you are especially near to those who seek you, those whose hearts are open to you. You are near the brokenhearted. You are near the repentant. You are near those righteous in Christ. You are near the obedient. You are deeply at work in the elect, those you know will believe.
 
I give you glory, Lord God, for how we can trust you with all our hearts because you are faithful with all your heart. Wherever I go, whatever I do, you are always watching, protecting, guiding, keeping, equipping, teaching, revealing, convicting, blocking and loving. You are worthy of praise and glory, of adoration and obedience.
 
You are the great One, the wise One, the loving One, the holy One, the pure One, the faithful One, the true One, the eternal One.
 
To you I bow down today, to you I give my heart, my mind, my soul, my body, my time, my possessions, my money, my relationships, my future, my desires, my projects, my health, my strength, my will–my all. I am your son, your steward, your servant, your subject. Praise you for what you will do in me and through me today to bring greater glory to your Name.
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Growth and Turmoil, 1981

Published by S.M. Wibberley on February 10, 2019
 
In 1981 we began to get new recruits for our team. First came two single women. Betty had spent thirteen years in Iran and since she couldn’t go back because of the revolution of 1979, she decided to join us. She proved to be a very helpful person with all the experience she had had. Her roommate Dolly came with no overseas experience and proved to be the opposite of Betty, unfortunately and in the end I had to send her home.
 
These two new teammates began to come to John with requests. Betty suggested that we have a weekly team prayer meeting. Dorothy wanted more help with language. John, however, was too engrossed in his work with the foundation to listen to them. He brushed off their requests by giving his philosophy of leadership, learned as a sergeant in the Air Force: “I make the decisions, you follow.”
 
As a result, Betty and Dorothy began to come to me with their requests, questions and desires, making me the de facto leader of the team. This put me in an awkward position, and stirred up some conflict between John and myself. However, after some discussion, he agreed to having a team prayer meeting and to meet other desires of the team.
 
In April of 1980 a family with two children joined us. Dan and Nancy were self-sufficient pioneer types and fit in well. Little did Dan know that within six weeks of arrival he would become both the field leader and team leader, but he was the type of man who could rise to the challenge.
 
Since the foundation was now fully established, in April John suggested that he and I apply for work and residence permits through it. That way we could put all our time and effort into ministry instead of having to work at teaching English, too. With great hopes we made our applications. The police accepted them willingly and told us they would let us know when to pick up our permits.
 
Several weeks later in May the police sent a notice for us to come. We went with the expectation of receiving the permits we’d applied for, but were shocked to learn that not only were our applications denied, but that we had only twenty-four hours to leave the country! We were to be escorted to the border and deported!
 
After some intense discussion with John, the police granted us two weeks to wrap things up before having to leave. John asked the reason for our deportation, The police said they couldn’t tell us the reason for our expulsion because it was “top secret!”
 
Later we found out that in the report from the Black Sea Coast, the police accused us of collecting money from the villagers instead of giving them help. And what was their version of why we were “collecting” money? To help Jimmy Carter! Amazingly convoluted thinking.
 
This was our introduction to the wide-spread conspiracy-thinking of locals. There actually are a lot of conspiracies at work among locals, so they assume that others also operate with secret agendas.
 
Our expulsion was a grave turn of events: instead of settling in with solid residence permits, it looked like our time in our new country was coming to an early end.
 
The next two weeks were very full. At the time we had visitors from our group: a fellow who came to make a film for us and a prospective new worker. They joined in on our discussions about the future work in the country.
 
John tried to think of how to keep everything going while he was away and of how to anticipate all that could happen and prepare for it. The rest of us felt he should let go and turn things over to those who remained. There was some tension in those meetings, but in the end John wisely gave up trying to do it all and turned his attention to getting ready to leave.
We decided to make our required exit but then try to come back as soon as possible and see what would happen. We weren’t going to give up so easily.
 
There was not only our own household to think of, but also the three children staying with us. Dan and Nancy agreed to take the two girls, and a responsible single German woman moved into our apartment to watch little Solomon. It was good to have such team help to rely on.
 
In the end, the police decided not to send an escort with us to the border, which was not at all a disappointment to us. We set off one fine June day, heading to Bulgaria instead of Greece. This seemed to be a shorter way than the one we’d originally come on and we could return through Greece, where the border guards may not have received news of our expulsion.
 
We were pleasantly surprised at the Bulgarian border to find that no news had been given to them about our exit or about our being expelled. We didn’t volunteer any information either and made a smooth exit.
 
Communist-controlled Bulgaria had the feel of a large prison. We were not allowed to stop anywhere other than for gas. It seemed to be much more oppressive than Yugoslavia.
 
On this trip we established a pattern that we followed on the subsequent nine trips by car to or from Germany. We drove the whole first day and stayed overnight somewhere near the border. Then we drove all the second day, all that night and then arrived on the third day in Southern Germany. We often stopped there for a break at the Word of Life castle on Starnberger Lake.
 
On this trip, the Lord had a wonderful surprise for us at the castle, a lovely God sighting: there was a reunion of students from Barbara’s Bible school taking place. It was a very refreshing time for her after the stress of being expelled and making the long trip.
 
Barbara’s parents were glad to have us back. And they were appalled that we wanted to return to such an uncertain situation, but after one initial attempt, they didn’t try to dissuade us.
 
One of my major tasks was to re-register the car in Germany; losing my residence permit in meant that my foreign car license plate was now invalid.
 
Registering the car went well. The next task was to take the license plates to a Consulate and turn them in. The man there accepted them and gave me a little paper saying that I surrendered them. I looked at the paper, and hesitated.
 
“I think there should be some kind of stamp on this paper,” I said.
“No, I don’t think so,” he replied, “this should be enough.”
“Well, I’ve been in your country long enough to know that a paper without an official stamp is pretty useless,” I said. “Please put a stamp on it.”
The man sighed. “Alright,” he said and taking the paper, he stamped it and signed over the stamp. “There, now you have what you want.”
 
It turned out that having that stamp on the paper was absolutely critical to our reentry. The Lord had guided
 
Picture below: little Solomon with Nat

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