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Feelings or Faith?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 7, 2019
“Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me….Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.” Psalm 43:3a,4
 
Dawn comes and I awake to have my time with God. But there is no freshness, He seems far away. What is wrong? Is it sin? (I confess all the Spirit brings to mind.) Work overload? Tiredness? Probably some of each, but mainly it is my feelings.
 
Emotions are definitely the least reliable part of my being. When I allow them to rule, I end up feeling like this fellow here on the left: out of touch and at the mercy of whatever emotional wind that might blow.
 
To combat these negative feelings, I need to keep an ear open to the Spirit’s conviction and guidance, and to press on with what is right: worshiping, confessing, reading, praying, trusting that God is near as He promised.
 
This is a chance to live by faith, to believe God’s Word when I have no inner confirmation. It’s a chance to be weak, to live by faith, to praise Him for what I don’t like (feeling far away) and to go again to Scripture to remind myself of Truth.
 
Psalm 43:2 expresses my feelings well: “Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” Then verse 3 gives me a good prayer to combat this: “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me [not my feelings], let them bring me to your holy mountain, the place where you dwell.” God’s Word gives light, and I can affirm by faith that I am with Him who is “my joy and my delight,” and I praise you, “O God, MY God.”
 
The advice in the last verse of Psalm 43 speaks strongly to me, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
 
He is at work and is carrying me along whether I sense it or not! He will work all out, so I can praise Him ahead of time for and in all.
 
All this brings to mind that beloved saying, “Knowing Jesus is enough for joy.” This is a chance for me to live it willfully by faith!
 
Prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to believe and trust you when my feelings tell me the opposite. Help me to think Truth, to act on Truth, to praise according to Truth today. Amen.”
 
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Psalm 37:28b-29

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 7, 2019
Psalm 37:28b “They [his faithful ones] will be protected forever,”
Your commitment to your children is iron clad, rock solid and monumentally strong, something we can rest in more and more as we get to know you more and more. Praise be to you, Lord, for your strength of character, your utter dependability, your never changing, perfect and powerful love.]
 
[You, Lord Jesus, live forever to intercede for those you have purchased with your blood. You live forever, so our protection will go on forever, in this life, through death and on into eternity.]
“but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;”
[Sadly, those who refuse to submit to your Kingship, your Word, your Truth, your offered Salvation and Love, will be cut off forever–they and their children who follow them. How sad this makes your heart, yet you rejoice for each one who does believe and follows you.
Psalm 37:29 “the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.”
[A repetition from verse 27, a bookend to this thought of your great and gracious giving of what is good to your children. Yes, we will inherit your land and we will live in it with you forever: no death, no depression, no end, no evil, no loss, no sadness, no sickness or sin.
You, Lord God, are the only One to be followed, obeyed, worshiped and exalted. You are worthy, you are wonderful, you are wise, the Only True God. I bow before you this morning, I give you glory, exaltation and praise. May you be honored in my life today as I praise you in and for all. Amen.]
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Psalm 37:27-28

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 5, 2019

Psalm 37:27 “Turn from evil and do good;”

[Clear and simple command. This is part of fearing God, walking in His way, obeying His commands, living in His value system, all of which bringing blessing to our children. Our primary motive in turning from evil and doing good should be loving you, Heavenly Father—we should be lovers first, then servants, with our heartfelt desire to give you glory. Then our secondary motive is to bring what is good to our children: “their [the righteous’] children will be blessed” 37:26.]

“then you will dwell in the land forever.”

[Such obedience to your commands places us squarely in the center of your will, meaning we will dwell with you, live with you, work with you in whatever good place you have chosen for us here, and will end up in the everlasting place of the New Heaven and New Earth.

We can praise and glorify you at each juncture, knowing that you are in control, guiding, directing, protecting, providing each moment. To live in such certainty is a wonder, Lord. We praise you for your faithful, powerful goodness–especially in the midst of difficulties, like the one I’m in now (2017) with my wife again fallen into the deep hole of despair, depression and darkness, an attack of the enemy after recent advances. But, knowing that you are good, powerful and with us, I choose to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.

Psalm 37:28 “For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.”

[You, the Holy and Perfect One, love those whom you have justified—Ah, if only all people would come to you and have that forgiveness and cleansing, acceptance and belonging, transformation and joy!

In you, Lord, there is no end to our joy, to our getting to know you, to our growth and the revelation of your glory. Praise you, Lord, for what you are doing, for how you are working, for what you will do.

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Psalm 37:25-26

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 4, 2019
 
Psalm 37:25 “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”
[This is certainly true in my life, for now I am old, and can look back and see how you have provided for me over all the years. I remember the Christmas we had no money to celebrate, and shortly before the 25th we got a check in the mail for $70, repaying me for a loan I’d made 3 years before and had forgotten about! It is definitely true, Lord, that you provide what is necessary through all our days.
 
You are our rich, wise, gracious Shepherd, powerful enough to provide all that is needed–and way beyond our needs, as you often do. We can trust you, we can rest in you, both during want and during plenty. Help us, Father, to keep that wonderful, biblical view of life–that we truly have no lack, even though by our own desires and the world’s standards we may seem to.]
 
Psalm 37:26 “They are always generous and lend freely;”
 
[With the view of a Father who provides all, we can and should be generous, freely sharing what we have been given. We need to grow more in this. Help us to know how much to give and where. Praise you that you will lead us so.]
 
“their children will be blessed.”
 
[As we give and live for you, our children will receive more grace and goodness from you; they also will learn to give, learning that you provide what is needed and that we can trust you 100%.
 
I saw this principle at work recently in a sermon by a young teacher; his message had depth, understanding, specific application and a concrete challenge for us to take away. He was a third generation believer, standing on the shoulders of his parents and grandparents, given a definite head start in life, understanding things I only grasped much later.
 
Praise you, Lord for the blessing you give to our children through us as we trust and obey you. May they serve you well to the end; may our grandchildren grow to be men and women of faith, making you the center of their lives, serving you well to the end.
 
Guide us today, Lord in how we should act and live, trusting you, lending freely, following you so that we might bless our children and bring you more and more glory. Amen.]
Pictures (2): we were young and now we are old
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1998

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 3, 2019
1998
As the work progressed on our little house in CT, the Lord provided lots of great help. At the end of that first week Barbara and Josh arrived, which gave us a boost.
 
More significantly, an experienced retired fellow from our church, John, came multiple times and guided us through a lot of the building process when our own limited experience proved inadequate. Then my brother, Les, and brother-in-law, Chris, came out from Ohio and spent a week of their vacations helping us.
By the end of the three weeks we were pretty beat, but very pleased with all the work that had been accomplished. The complete shell of the house was up and closed in.
 
There was, however, one unhappy note for me. I had ordered the steel roofing and made special mention of when I needed it. But when I called a couple of days before that date to check on it, the man said that I had never actually told them to order it.
 
I was angry. However, the Lord knew what He was doing, and I had to choose to praise him for it even though I didn’t feel like it.
 
When I came back two weekends later to put on the metal roofing, our friend John came to help and under his direction we spent the first six hours making corrections in the rafters.
 
Now I saw the reason for the Lord preventing the roofing from coming when I wanted it. If it had come according to my desire and I had put it on by myself, it would have been done poorly. At that point I had been tired from three intensive weeks of work, plus I wouldn’t have known to make the necessary corrections.
 
God is in control of all that comes into my life and seeks to free me from my own potential errors! I needed to remember that for the next times things didn’t work out according to my plans and desires.
We continued to work on the house on weekends during the winter. Nat brought his Chinese roommate home for Christmas vacation and they both spent hours helping us. In fact, everyone who visited got drafted into doing some work with us.
 
Josh read up on electricity and did all the wiring. He even thought ahead and put in wiring for the internet as well. I did the plumbing with plastic pipes; it was like working with the tinker toy set I’d had as a child and I enjoyed it.
 
At one point we returned from an overseas trip to find that the house had been broken into and all our tools had been stolen: generator, nailing gun, ladders and electric tools–about $2000 worth. There were no firm leads and the police were unable to help us.
 
We had to surrender this, too, to the Lord, praise Him for what He had allowed and move on. Some folks in our church gave us a generous gift to replace some of the tools, for which we were thankful.
 
In order to finance this construction work, I applied for a $20,000 loan. The guy at the bank laughed. “It’s not worth our time to approve such a small loan. Ask for $120,000 and we’ll give it to you!” he said.
 
The Lord, however, gave us another idea. We had received a new credit card offer, which included balance transfers with a 3% interest rate for a year (now you can get 0% offers, but not back then). So we bought all our supplies with one credit card and then transferred the balances to the other. After several transfers the credit card people objected, but when I pointed out that I was only taking them at their word, they relented.
 
During that year we worked at paying off the balance using our own savings, a large money gift from Barbara’s mother and some of our retirement funds. By the end of the year the Lord had made it possible for us to clear the whole $30,000 debt
 
At the end of May in 1999 we made our official exit from the home office as part of our returning to live overseas. We loaded up all our goods in Pennsylvania to take them to Connecticut. I drove the big rental truck, Barbara drove our old Mercury Sable, and the boys had our resurrected van. We left in the evening to avoid the heavy traffic around NYC and arrived safely in Canterbury at 2:30 am.
 
It was ironic that in rural Canterbury where traffic is so light, at this early hour of the morning, I had to wait for three cars to go by before I could turn into the yard of the house where we would be staying!
 
Our plan for the summer was to visit all our supporters before going back overseas while we worked to finish our house. We had to have fully pledged support before we could leave the States. During our time of service at IMI headquarters, all of our churches had continued their support. It often happens that workers returning to work in their home office lose a lot of the support they received when overseas, so we were very thankful for the faithfulness of those that stayed with us.
 
At the same time, the support level needed in the States was higher than it had been when we were in Turkey, so we were $500 “under” each month, causing us to build up a substantial deficit. During the whole time we were in the States we had been praying for God to provide for this lack, praising Him for whatever He would chose to do. We also asked Him to show us what part we should take in this process. Interestingly, He did not lead us to ask people to help us but instead to work on helping others with their financial needs.
 
Later, while we continued visiting our supporters, we ran into an old friend from His Mansion who had married a successful businessman. We had a nice chat, and later they invited us to visit them in NYC. We did not talk at all about money, but shortly after we visited they gave us a large gift that covered the whole of our deficit! And then, when we got back to Turkey, they gave an even larger gift that helped with our outreach work. God provides wonderfully when we wait on Him.
Pictures, top, house after 2 weeks, bottom, middle of 3rd week
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Psalm 37:23

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 2, 2019
Sorry I missed posting yesterday. Barbara required a lot of care in her first day home from the hospital. She is doing well, able to walk around the house, but still has a lot of pain. Thank you for all those who are praying for her.
 
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Psalm 37:23 “If the LORD delights in a man’s way,”
 
[Lord, it is a wonder that you can delight in our ways when we are so prone to sinful, selfish motives, thoughts, words and actions.
 
Praise you that you view us with the perfect and proper balance of love and forgiveness, chastening and grace. Help me to walk in such a way as to give you delight, to be responsive to your leading, your Word, your conviction, your wisdom. Correct me immediately with your staff as I begin to wander. I praise you now for the direction you will give.]
 
“he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.”
 
[Praise you, Lord, that you are actively, powerfully, wisely at work in my life, smoothing the way, protecting my steps, keeping my spiritual ankles from turning.
 
In spite of this, I stumble at times–but you are there to catch me and keep me from falling. I praise you for your personal, intimate, gracious, constant involvement in my life. You, Lord, are the One I can trust, the One I can rest in, the One I can praise at every happening, whether it is pleasant or painful.
 
You are the Sovereign One: wise, good and firm, always doing what is best, right and gracious. Help me to walk with you today, Lord, to move forward in your protection, in your love, in your preparation. Help me not to run out before you, but to wait for your timing. Help me to walk in a way that is delightful to you, that will bring you glory before the angels, demons and people around me. Thank you that you will answer my prayers.
 
Picture: Barbara fresh home from the hospital, doing crossword puzzles, showing her brain is sharp!
 
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Awesome God!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 31, 2019
Barbara’s hip replacement surgery went well yesterday; she has pain from it, but was started on therapy shortly after. Hopefully she will be able to come home today.
 
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“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:1,2
 
Thank you, O God, for the opportunity to praise you in and for whatever comes, to trust you to carry me through. I can do this because you are:
• The Lord God,
• The Triune Ruler,
• Eternal King,
• Unchanging Sovereign,
• Undefeated Commander,
• Wise Judge,
• All-Powerful Leader,
• Mighty Shepherd,
• Merciful Savior,
• All-knowing Guide,
• Unshakable Rock,
• Safe and High Tower,
• Our Ever-present Salvation.
 
To you, O Great One, belongs praise and honor, glory and strength. To you belongs awe, amazement, reverence and rejoicing. To you belongs fear, denial of self and taking up of our cross daily. We can submit to you because:
• You know what is right,
• You know what is best,
• You know everything beyond the moment,
• You know all that will be.
Therefore:
• You are the One to be trusted,
• You are the One to be honored,
• You are the One to be obeyed.
 
As I look at today, it is wonderful to know that you are going to work all things out for good, leading me through the maze of events, the succeeding challenges, adventures and battles against the evil one. In all I can rest in you, in your goodness, in your love and in your power.
 
Prayer: “Today, Lord, may you be honored in my life, in my thoughts, in my motives, in my confession, in my transparency before you. May you be glorified by my walking in humility and brokenness, trusting you, not myself. May you be honored in my praise, in my actions, in my relationships, in my eating, in my work.
 
“Fill me with your Holy Spirit. I bow to you as my Captain and Navigator, surrendering to your wisdom, knowledge and goodness. Help me to hear and obey, to seek your direction and follow it immediately. Glory be to you, Lord God, for you are worthy, deserving of all obedience! Amen.”
 
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Psalm 37:21-22

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 31, 2019
 
Today is Barbara’s hip replacement day!
 
The devotional below was written several years ago.
 
Psalm 37:21 “The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;”
 
[Here is a clear contrast between those who submit to God’s character and those who don’t. The wicked raise money and possessions to the level of an idol, holding onto to them even when it means stealing. The righteous, however, are willing to part with the money God has entrusted to them, distributing it to those in need. And, as we know, giving away money makes us happier; for your principles, Lord, are always the best. Help us to follow your wisdom, walking in the fear of the Lord, caring deeply what He thinks.]
 
 
Psalm 37:22 “those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off. “
 
[And here is the outcome of obeying or disobeying God: receiving riches or being rejected. The choice is clear. I, for one, want to be blessed by God. This begins with belief in His Word and His provision of forgiveness, being born again; and it continues with walking in His Way, growing in our knowledge of God and His commands, listening to the Spirit, obeying what we know to be true, doing what is best. Then blessings roll more and more, and we will inherit the land, whatever land that may be, whether here on earth (like our family farm pictured below) or there in heaven.
 
To be cursed is what we were at birth: alienated from God, living in darkness, a resident of the dominion of darkness, under the devil’s power, cut off from grace, without hope, meaning or purpose. There was nothing in our future but being permanently separated from God, heading into a Christless eternity.
 
But, praise you, Lord, that you made the way out from under that curse, taking it upon yourself and thereby providing the possibility of forgiveness, redemption and reconciliation for every person who has ever lived. So, with the enabling work of the Holy Spirit, we can each make our decision to remain under the curse or move out into your righteousness. You are so gracious, O King, you are so good, O God.]
 
Praise you, Lord God, for what you, in your goodness and wisdom, will do today. Praise you, Heavenly Father, for how you will provide, guide, protect and carry us through the difficult, dark time we are in at the moment, with Barbara’s depression. Give me your wisdom, your guidance, your care today. I thank you for what you will do, knowing that from your hand comes only what is good. May my life bring you glory today.
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Psalm 37:19-20

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 29, 2019
Psalm 37:19 “In times of disaster they [the blameless ones] will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.”
 
[Your hand of protection is always over us, your sustaining grace is always enough. We need not dry up under the withering heat of disaster, nor worry nor starve in famine, for you will provide what we need and will save us either by miraculous provision, by grace, or by death.
 
In you we can trust, Lord, in you we can rest. I praise you that you know how much to provide to carry us through our trials and you give us more than what is needed.
 
It is up to us to take up and use it so that we can be “like a tree planted by the streams of water, which will bear its fruit in its season, its leaf will never wither and whatever he does will prosper” (Ps. 1:3). This is your promise we can experience as we take up, learn and live your Word–which is another huge portion of our inheritance.]
 
Psalm 37:20 “But the wicked will perish: the LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish—vanish like smoke.”
 
[You will send what is needed to destroy the wicked while giving shelter to your people. I praise you, Lord, that you have planned this, that we can know you are going to carry it out.
 
As we see the madness of Ir.an, the hatred of Isl@m, the bitterness, oppression and violence of groups like Ha.mas and IS.IS, the violence of militant Hindus, we praise you that you will deal with them after you have used them to prepare many hearts for the gospel. I praise you, Lord God, for your wonderful and powerful plan which you will bring to pass at the right time.
 
You, Lord God, my heavenly Father, my Lord Jesus, my indwelling Holy Spirit, are worthy of all my love, all my devotion, all my obedience, all my praise. Help me to give these to you throughout this day, trusting in you, resting in you, living your Word’s way as you empower and give wisdom. May you be honored in my thoughts, words and actions today. Amen.
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Psalm 37:18

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 28, 2019
Psalm 37:18 “The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,”
 
[My times are in your hands, Lord; you determine the number of my days and all the happenings in them. You, who live outside time, know completely how long I will live and all that will happen during my lifetime.
 
You, Lord, watch over your children, who are blameless only because their sins are forgiven in Christ. Praise you for you mighty and wise protection. Today I read in an article that those who believe in God and practice their faith live longer (average of 7 years more) and are more healthy than those who do not. Interesting confirmation of your Word.]
 
“and their inheritance will endure forever.”
 
[You have made us heirs, Lord, heirs of the riches of your Kingdom, all of which are eternal. “In his great mercy [the Father] has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
 
“This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…” (1 Pet. 1:3,4).
The first treasure in our inheritance is our relationship with you, the wonder of knowing you in spite of our depraved and sinful nature. I thank you with all my heart, that you are the Great Lover of all your creatures whether they are good or evil.
 
I praise you for your other gifts to us: eternal life, the indwelling Spirit, the written Word, the wisdom, grace and guidance, the protection, provision and power that are ours in you. And in the life to come, untold riches will be poured upon your children so that we might bring more glory to you. I praise you now, Lord, for all that you have already given us, and for all that will come in eternity.
 
Lord, help me today to live in the light of these marvelous, shiny, wonderful truths, that I may bring honor to you continually.]
 
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