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Lover of my soul

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 13, 2020
“Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
Psalm 73:25
 
Praise your name, Lord Jesus, for you are the most High: you are the Almighty, powerful beyond conception, mighty beyond imagination, loving beyond understanding. You are the Victor, undefeated and undefeatable; you are the Creator, wise and good; You are the Savior, gracious and kind. I praise you for your perfect and powerful character, persistently and providentially guiding all in the lives of your children.
 
Thank you that, as my Shepherd you are loving and leading me, protecting and providing, teaching and transforming. Thank you that during the night as I was attacked again by fear in my dreams and thoughts, as I awoke and turned to the truths of Psalm 23, you defeated the enemy. As I spoke out loud these truths from your Word, the fear and distress lessened and dissolved away. I was able to sleep again and my dreams were positive.
 
You, dear God, are the One and only Savior. You are the only constant Lover of my soul: no matter what I do, you love me, consistently, completely, creatively.
 
You describe this in Psalm 73:21-25. In your love you rebuke and discipline, revealing to us our sin: “When my heart was grieved, and my soul embittered, I was senseless and ignorant, I was a brute beast before you.”
 
You consistently draw us on to repentance: “Yet, I am always with you.”
 
You guide, direct and protect: “You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterwards you will take me into glory.”
 
And your great love creates in me an ever-deepening responsive love for you: “Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you”. Praise be to you, Lord Jesus for your great, unquenchable, ever flowing love!
 
Prayer: “Lord Jesus, develop in me that intense first love for you which the author of Psalm 73 had, so that my passion for you will eclipse all the world has to offer. Amen.”
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Heart Felt Progress

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 11, 2020
In 1993 I began to have chest pains that then migrated down my left arm. I got a stress test done, but it did not indicate that there was anything seriously wrong. However, I took the pains as a warning and decided that I needed to begin eliminating some of the stress present in my life. The Lord helped me to identify what I now call “junk stress,” that is totally unnecessary stress that I caused myself.
 
Stress, I learned, is actually an inward response to an external stimulus. Two people can be in exactly the same situation, with one being totally stressed out by it and the other completely calm.
 
For instance, two drivers come to a stoplight. One sits there, looking at the cars around him, observing the people in them. He does some small motor exercises while waiting, and prays for his family. He experiences zero stress.
 
The other driver nervously drums his fingers on the steering wheel, looks repeatedly at his watch, fiddles with his tie and talks to the light, telling it to hurry up and change. He is very stressed. His reaction to his wait at the red light is intensified because he left home late, meaning he would be late for his next appointment. Plus his wife was unhappy with him when he left. All of this adds up, so now he is stressed to the max. That was a picture of me!
 
As the Lord led me through a time of looking for the stress that I unnecessarily manufactured for myself, He showed me them one at a time. Primarily, I was trying to fit too much into my days. After a full day of meetings and visits, I would try to squeeze in a stop at the bank, a stop at the gas station, then buying something from the grocer’s and dropping by the printers to pick up work I’d left for him. Of course, this would make me late in getting home, which would create even more stress for me and my family.
 
With the Lord’s and Barbara’s input, I learned to be more realistic in my scheduling and to cut back on spontaneous additions to my day. This made a definite difference— my chest pains went away.
 
There was also a hereditary factor in this chest pain scenario: all the males in my family have high cholesterol–it doesn’t matter how healthily we eat, our bodies just produce it. As a consequence, most of the men in our family have had heart surgery or have died of heart attacks or both. So my doctor put me on a statin. I hoped that this would protect me from any serious heart problems. But in the long run it didn’t.
 
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Psalm 7:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 11, 2020
 
 
Psalm 7:1 “O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
 
Why does David use two names for God here? He is reminding himself of the character of God revealed in these two names. The first, “Lord,” is Yahweh or Jehovah, the mighty One whose glory is in His holiness, who hates sin and will punish it while providing a way to escape His wrath for all who will come.]
 
The second, “God,” is Elohim, the incredibly mighty One, who showed His power in creation, spreading out the heavens over trillions of light years, while making delicate and beautiful flowers; and the absolutely faithful One, who showed His faithfulness in keeping His promise and providing salvation for all at great personal cost.)
 
Because of His being Jehovah and Elohim, David (and we) can say, “I take refuge in you;”
 
[This, Lord is what you desire: our full trust, our consistently taking shelter in your great power, mighty wisdom and unending faithfulness. In doing so we bring great honor to you.
 
And this is what must be our first response to danger: fleeing to you, acknowledging our weakness and your power, our inadequacy and your total competency, trusting in you, not in ourselves.]
 
“save and deliver me from all who pursue me,”
 
[Before any other action, we need to come to you in prayer, Lord,–as David has done here–and seek your help, for salvation comes from you alone, you who only have the power to prevent anyone from pursuing and capturing us successfully.]
 
Psalm 7:2 “or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.”
 
[Our enemies, both supernatural and often human, are too strong for us; we cannot succeed against them–we would be destroyed if we sought to save ourselves. David was a mighty warrior, never defeated in battle (to my knowledge), yet he did not trust in himself, but fled to God here, begging for His help and intervention.
 
In Psalm 18:17-19 David said, “He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”]
 
Lord, help us to remember how desperate a battle we are in each day–fighting against the world, the flesh and the devil–and to turn immediately to you when difficulty, disappointment and danger enter our lives.
 
May our trust be in you, not in ourselves or others. May you be our Rock, our Fortress and our Defender. We praise you now for what you will do in our lives today.
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Psalm 6:8-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 10, 2020
 
Psalm 6:8 “Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping.”
 
[Here is a statement of pure faith—nothing has changed, there is no sign of an answer, yet after looking to God in prayer, David, is ready to trust, to act on unseen Truth by rebuking his enemies and choosing to believe in the faithfulness of his Heavenly Father.]
 
Psalm 6:9 “The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.”
 
[He is certain, sure, convinced of God’s faithfulness and mercy, so he can state with certainty that Jehovah has heard him and will answer. “I will call upon the Lord in the day of trouble, for he will answer me” (Psa. 86:7). He looks to the character of God, the heart of his Lord, the promises He has given and is sure of an answer in the right time and right way.]
 
Psalm 6:10 “All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed; they will turn back in sudden disgrace.”
 
[David ends his psalm with the statement of conviction and confidence. He does not have any visible sign of help yet, but he is sure of the outcome because he knows the living God who can and does act in power.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, for your great and wonderful character, full of unfailing love, unfailing wisdom, unfailing grace, unfailing help. You see all that is going on in our hearts, you know all our troubles, you hear all our prayers and you always answer in wisdom, power and grace.
 
We praise and thank you for your wonderful provision out of your glorious riches, your endless grace and your loving heart. May we live today in the light of these truths, bringing honor to you through our trust and confidence in you. Amen.]
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Psalm 6:5-7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 10, 2020
 
 
Psalm 6:5 “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?”
 
[While he is right that the dead cannot praise in this world any longer, David here did not seem to have a clear view of what came after death. We as believers will praise you, Lord, forever in Heaven. We will see you face to face, exalt you, and bring you honor as we see your glory more clearly. What a marvelous truth!]
 
Psalm 6:6-7 “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.”
 
[David was overwhelmed with worry, with fears, with anguish over his difficulties, his problems, his many enemies. In the night his mind raced from one problem to the next and sleep eluded him. His attempts to deal with this met with failure; his strength is too little, his resources too meager.
 
So he cried out to you, Lord, the only true source of help, the only actual salvation available. He poured out his heart, hiding nothing. We know from other passages, that in lifting his soul to you, he was able to lay his burdens before you and be open to a renewed filling of the truth.
 
In Psalm 46:5, speaking of Jerusalem, David wrote, “There is a river, whose streams make glad the city of God…God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.” That is, after waiting through the coldest, darkest part of the night, God would come in to help. So often we have to wait in faith for the help we desire, knowing He will come in the right way and at the right time.
 
May we turn to you, Lord, early on and not let our worry and fear control us, not depend on our finite insight and wisdom. Help us to consistently lift our souls to you, telling you what we are thinking, feeling and wanting, and submit this all to your Word.
 
The pastor imprisoned in T on trumped up charges did this, coming to rest in Christ during his more than two years in prison, in spite of the strong possibility of spending the next thirty-five years in there, too. In one of his last hearings he made this statement “I have forgiven those who have been unjust to me, hurt me, and separated me from my children,” adding, “Of course, suffering for the sake of Christ is also a privilege. I am suffering these anguishes for the sake of His name, I am glad that I can share his sorrows.”
 
Lord, we praise you that you are our Rock, our Salvation and our High Tower. May we rush to you for help in each challenge so that you may be lifted up before men and angels as you save us yet again from our enemies who are too strong for us.]
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Psalm 6:1-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 8, 2020
Psalm 6:1 “O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.”
 
[Our guilt is so great and your corresponding wrath Lord, is so powerful that we would be crushed in an instant if you disciplined us in your full anger. I praise you, O Jehovah, that while you are the holy, sinless, pure God who hates sin, yet you love sinners and have provided us a means of shelter, a way to escape your righteous wrath through the death and resurrection of Christ.
 
Praise be to you for your gracious, kind and forgiving heart, and for your mercy triumphing over justice. You, Lord Jesus, took the punishment and anger we deserved, and you, heavenly Father were willing to pour your righteous wrath on Him rather than us, opening the way for us into your Kingdom, into your family, into full forgiveness.]
 
Psalm 6:2 “Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?”
 
[You have made body, soul and spirit so intertwined that the anguish of one strongly affects the others. Praise you, Lord, that your healing touch in one area also brings healing to the others. You are the answer to our anguish, you are the healer of our hurts, the cure to all that troubles us.
 
You are merciful so in our needs we can turn to you, knowing that our salvation comes from you–even though sometimes we must wait a long time to be rescued from anguish.
 
I think of the American pastor unjustly imprisoned for two years in T, who in yesterday’s hearing was denied release and was returned to his sweltering prison cell. May he remember that you only are our Rock, our Salvation and our high Tower. Our soul finds rest in you alone, and when our soul is at rest, so is the whole of our being.]
 
Psalm 6:4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.”
 
[In your wonderful wisdom you bring us through the dark valleys where all seems to go wrong, where we are overwhelmed with failure and anguish, where we must walk by faith. And in this torment, we can appeal to your unfailing love—which is the only ground of approach to you, for we in ourselves do not deserve to even think of speaking to you; naturally we have no access. But you have opened the way with your love, your everlasting, unfailing agape love.
 
You, Lord God, are great in grace, lavish in love, marvelous in mercy, faithful in forgiveness. Therefore we bow before you in awe, surrender to you in thankfulness, accept your grace in gratitude.
 
In obedience we will put on your full armor, and then rise up to walk with you into this day, shining in the light of your love, bringing hope and truth and grace to all we meet. Glorify yourself in us, through us, in spite of us, Lord.]
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Psalm 5:12

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 7, 2020
Psalm 5:12 “For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;”
 
[Yes, you do, Lord, you bless those who have bowed before you, have received your pardon, have been cleansed of their sin by the blood of Christ, have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ and have become members of your family.
 
You bless us daily with your presence, your love, your grace, your goodness, your wisdom, your power, your protection and your purpose. To be your child, to know you is to be blessed beyond conception, beyond imagination, beyond belief!
 
Truly you are worthy of our wholehearted worship: “Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).]
 
“you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”
 
[Every day we live in your favor as your dearly beloved children, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in. You are enthused to meet with us each morning as we awake– are we as enthused to meet with you? You are pleased when we come to you in prayer, you are delighted when we bring our problems to you, you are glad when we intentionally walk with you through the day.
 
Your favor surrounds us, covers us, protects us, guides us, provides for us. “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 18:30).
 
You, Heavenly Father, Shepherd Jesus, Faithful Holy Spirit, are fully, truly, absolutely worthy of worship, obedience, exaltation and love. So, I bow before you this morning, I give myself to you anew. I pledge my obedience to love and praise you for what you will bring today, no matter how it may appear to me. May you be glorified in my life today.]
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Psalm 5:11

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 6, 2020
 
 
Psalm 5:11 “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy.”
 
[Yes, you, Lord Jesus, are our Refuge and Strength, our Mighty Rock and Defender, our Fortress in the day of evil. You invite us into your protection, you open the way to safety, and for all those who come, you give joy.
 
Truly, knowing you is wonderful: you are the Mighty Shepherd, the Powerful Creator, the Strong Sustainer, the All-knowing King, the Majestic Victor over all evil–who in the end will right all wrongs–and you are our High Priest who lives forever to intercede for us. Yes, knowing you is enough for joy!]
 
You “Spread your protection over them,”
 
[You are our tent of refuge spread over us every day, every minute: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”!!! (Psalm 91:1).
 
As we choose to live in the grace of your presence, your light banishes darkness, your power defeats worry, your plans erase confusion, your love overcomes fear.
 
You are our personal protection, our gracious guide, our constant keeper and our persistent provider. We can praise you for whatever comes, good or ghastly, delightful or difficult, nice or nasty, for you are wise and good, powerful and protecting, allowing only what can be used for growth, good and your glory!]
 
“that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
 
[It is such a privilege to love your name, Lord Jesus. You are Yahweh, the Eternal and Holy I AM. You are Elohim, the Triune Creator and Faithful Redeemer. You are Adonai, the Lord of all who has the right to demand full obedience and faithfully provides all we need so we can do so.
 
We love your name and with all our being rejoice in you wholeheartedly, enthusiastically, willfully! May this bring you much honor today as we continually offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving in whatever you allow.]
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Light Fellowship

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 5, 2020
Light Fellowship
 
As with other such start-ups, we first met in homes. One major goal was to develop leadership and out of the five male believers mentioned last week, four were potential elders and one possibly a deacon.
 
This is an unusual situation to start with. In the previous church plant we were involved in, the early believers had been very much fringe people. I earlier described them as starting their spiritual life at minus 22 and it took a long time to get them up to above zero. They all turned out well in spite of the rough spot, some of them going on to do big things for the Lord. Our five present new believers were starting at about minus five and some moved forward rapidly.
 
However, Satan was not slow in seeking to torpedo this new work. A worker from another group brought a young fellow named Falcon, who claimed to be a believer. He attended regularly but since his earliest contacts had been with the Catholic Church, he began to draw the others in that direction.
 
Over time, Falcon and Chris left us for the Catholic Church. Falcon said he was more comfortable there because he never had to take any responsibility, and if he didn’t come one Sunday, no one asked him why. Chris had other reasons: he wanted to get to Europe, and the priest promised to help him with that, while we did not.
 
Then Freedom moved to Europe to marry. He was the one I missed the most, for we had a very close friendship, and his energy, creativity and determination had been key in the development of the fellowship and other believers.
 
In the founding of Light Fellowship we did a lot of things right, but we also made one big mistake. In focusing on leadership development, we failed to keep up the momentum of evangelism. It is a fact that for a church plant to “take off” there needs to be a “critical mass” of fifteen to twenty committed believers. We never did reach that number and eventually, after we left, Light Church fizzled and was closed down.
 
That was a very sad event for me; it was the “death of a vision.” On the positive side, however, most of the believers from Light have joined other churches and continue to grow in their spiritual life, and that is a great encouragement.
 
I have prayed for a “resurrection” of Light Fellowship, clinging to the promise in Psalm 1:3, given to the one who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.”
 
That phrase, “Whatever he does prospers,” is what stands out to me. May Light Fellowship prosper in whatever way the Lord chooses! Looking back at it, so far it has been that the believers trained and nurtured have gone on to be a blessing to other fellowships. Prospering from God’s point of view can be very different from our perspective and desires. We need to trust God and move on with Him.
 
Picture: Freedom and his wife
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Psalm 5:9-10

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 4, 2020
Psalm 5:9 “Not a word from their [my enemies] mouth can be trusted;”
 
[Satan is the father of lies: his native language is deception, so nothing he says can be trusted. Just look at how he dealt with Eve in Genesis 3. Every statement was a twisting of truth either by insinuation (“Did God really say….?”), by outright contradiction (“You will not surely die….”) or by accusation of God (…for God knows that when you eat…you will be like God….”). Not one word from Satan or his forces is reliable.]
 
“their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.”
 
[In our enemies there is no life or light or love, all is rebellion against what is true, right and good. The words and thoughts of Satan and his hordes are destructive, debilitating and demonic. Yet we somehow naturally believe the lies of the devil, like, “If you do this, you will be happier than in denying yourself for God,” and “Don’t miss this one, you’ll never have another chance to indulge yourself like this.”
 
We are drawn like moths to Satan’s flame, to the illusion of comfort and power, excitement and fulfillment. But we end up getting burned and having, as the Psalmist says, a mouth full of gravel, broken teeth and ongoing pain. Such is the result of listening to advice from the kingdom of darkness.]
 
Give us wisdom and insight, Lord, so that we might discern and willfully reject the lies of the enemy and walk instead in the light of Truth and Righteousness and Grace, so that your Spirit can have full reign in our lives, bringing you ever more glory.
 
Psalm 5:10 “Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.”
 
[You are the One who must deal with my enemies, O Lord, whether they be demons or people being used by the devil. And praise you, Lord Jesus, that you have defeated them through your obedience, humility, meekness and self-denial, rescuing us from the dominion of darkness, bringing us into your Kingdom of Light!
 
What a wonder, what a joy, what security, safety, purpose and freedom–freedom from the evil of the enemy, the lies of Lucifer, the seduction of self and the rot of rebellion! Help us to rest in your protection today by walking in obedience and praise.]
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