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Participating in Prayer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 16, 2025 Respond

“Be always on the watch, and pray….” Luke 21:36

For tjhe past few days we have been talking about prayer, God’s idea, a way of having us partner with Him. Today i want to ask  you to join God in what He’s doing by praying. Here are 5 points I’d ask you to intercede  for.

1.Pray for an end to the war in Ukraine, senseless loss of life. This is a big request, but not too big for God. As He has brought peace in Gaza, so He can do here.
2. Pray for an awakening in your country, a movement of God to bring many to Himself.
3. Pray for God’s protection and provision for His persecuted children
4. Barbara had another invasive skin cancer operation, this time on her nose. It was deep, requiring a skin graft. Quite uncomfortable. Pray for quick recovery and embracing this new challenge.
5. Pray for two friends who are facing financial challenges in their ministries; may they consistently offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and as they “call upon the Lord in the day of trouble” may God answer in a way that will bring glory to His name.
Thank you.
Picture: our prayers moving the hand of God:
May be an illustration
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Running Free

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 15, 2025 Respond

“In my anguish I cried out to the Lord and he answered by setting me FREE” (Ps. 118:5).

You, Lord God, are the Freedom-giver—

giving us:

freedom from eternal death,

from punishment,

from condemnation,

from selfishness and Satan,

as well as from fretting and fear.

You are always at work to set us free from things that bind us, ever on a deeper level, in a higher way.

Praise be to you

for your wisdom,

your insight,

your understanding.

 

You operate with full knowledge,

certain of which thing to work on next,

which enemy to defeat,

which sin to reveal,

which point to camp out on until we respond.

You don’t guess and fumble as we do in life; you know exactly what is wrong and you know exactly how to deal with it, for you are the Creator, the Healer and the Freedom-bringer.

Help us to walk in the freedom you have for us, for, “…if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

Picture: running in the freedom of the Lord

May be an image of horizon and twilight

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Fittings Recovered

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 14, 2025 Respond

“Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for you will answer me.” Psalm 86:6,7

It never ceases to amaze me how God is so involved in the details of life, the little things that are unimportant even in the every day events. Here’s an example.

We are now working on updating a heating system; we actually started last year and at that time I bought a whole bag of copper fittings for this costing about $400. I decided not to leave this bag out in the open so no one would take it and put it away. But last week I went looking for it in every place I could think of, but nothing. So, following what the Lord has taught me, first I thanked the Lord for this situation (sacrifice of thanksgiving). Then I prayed, “Lord, you know where that bag of fittings is, and if it is possible, if no one took it, I pray that you will show me where it is.”  I again looked in every place I could think of, but nothing.

Then one of my part-time helpers came to visit. He has done “ordifying” for me, so I asked if he’d seen these fittings. “Maybe,” he said, and led me out to a storage shed, went to a corner, reached down in the back of the bottom shelf and pulled out a cardboard box. “Are these them?” he asked—and they were! God answered my prayer and again showed Himself strong and loving. 

This is an example of Ephesians 3:19 “… to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge….” This was the experiencing the love of Christ, not just knowing about it. It’s the difference between knowing what a chocolate cake is, and eating a slice of it. 

These events happen everyday in our lives, some small, some large, each giving us a taste of Christ’s great love for us. Watch for them, savor them, may they lead to worship.

Picture: the bag of fittings.

No photo description available.

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God’s Creativity in Prayer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 13, 2025 Respond

More on God’s multiple purposes for prayer:

Prayer is a way to declare that we are weak and need help. “Hear me, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” Psalm 86:1

And it is our affirmation that God is bigger than us and can handle anything. “save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God….” Psalm 86:2

Prayer is revealing: as we pray we expose what our real desires are. ” Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I lift up my soul to you.” Psalm 86:3

As we pray according to His stated will, we are surrendering to Him. “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

If we pray according to His character, we are  immersing ourselves in His beauty, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.” Psalm 86:5

And as we gaze upon Him in prayer, we are being transformed into His likeness. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory….” 2 Cor. 3:18

Let’s not neglect this great privilege and weapon in the great battle between light and darkness.

Picture: call to prayer.

May be an image of text

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Prayer Privilege

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 12, 2025 Respond

God is very economical in what He does. That is, He often accomplishes a number of things in one stroke. Take prayer for an example.

Prayer is God’s idea, it is an invitation to join Him in His great works. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6:10

It is the opportunity to participate in wielding enormous power anywhere in the world. “We…do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding….” Col 1:9

In prayer God offers us the power to make  things happen that otherwise would not “You have not because you ask not….”

In prayer God gives us access to Himself at any time we want to enter His presence. “

In Revelation the prayers of the saints are called an incense to God, a beautiful, pleasant scent we can give Him.  Rev 8:4

More to come tomorrow.

Picture: prayer on duty, by aaron-burden

May be an image of fog and grass

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Our Wonderful Lord

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 10, 2025 Respond

Praise you, Lord Jesus,  the Liberator, the Leader, the Lover of my soul.

You are a marvel, so different from any human being,

so pure,

so persistent,

so powerful,

so perfect in your character.

You never change, you never vacillate, you never alter your ideas. You are rock solid stable, ever loving, ever correcting, ever-forgiving.

With you we can move through the valleys of failure and selfishness, sin and poor choices and

still come out to a good place because of your grace and goodness where You faithfully work to:

convict us,

guide us,

warn us,

call us,

protect us a

nd chasten us—with you there is always hope for growth and progress.

You reverse the second law of thermodynamics, bringing order out of chaos!

 

Therefore I give you honor and praise and glory, Lord Jesus, for to know you is to be given

stability in your love,

grace in your commitment,

hope in your power,

peace in your forgiveness,

joy in your presence,

delight in your beauty,

wisdom in your Word,

strength in your might,

help in your compassion,

and guidance in your wisdom.

Your goodness and desires for us are summed up with this: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13).

Prayer: “Glory be to you, honor be to you, obedience be to you in my life today, Lord God, that your Name may be lifted up before men and angels. Help me to hear you, to comprehend and obey you for your glory. Amen.”

Picture: God’s faithfulness displayed in  the seasons:

May be an image of grass

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Our Patient God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 9, 2025 Respond

“…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve….But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Praise you, Lord God, for the many opportunities you give us each day to choose

for you or others,

for good or evil,

for positive or negative,

for what is constructive or destructive.

Many of these choices seem innocuous and unimportant, but are steps towards or away from where we should be. For instance,

to choose to read email before doing my quiet time,

to choose to have extra helpings regularly,

to choose to look at things which stimulate negative thinking,

to choose to speak selfish words,

to close to complain,

—these all move me in the wrong direction.

When I indulge in such sins, they produce a sense of guilt and remorse, of emptiness. Over time these build up in my soul, clogging the flow of grace, sapping energy, bringing discontent, discouragement and possibly depression.

But,  Praise You, Lord Jesus, for the continuous working of your Spirit to both convict and guide, to teach truth and encourage, to give perspective and heal.

He ia at work, so when I have chosen what is wrong, and am convicted of it, you bring me to confession and cleansing. You forgive me, reminding me of  your full rich love and how each failure is a potential doorway to deeper surrender, further breaking and spiritual growth. You remind me of the effectiveness of your death in bringing forgiveness, of your unending love for me, of your knowing all about me and still delighting in me—illogical as that may be, it is full of grace.

I praise you, Lord God, for your great patience, your rich love, you infinite forgiveness. Help me to recognize the opportunity to trust and follow you rather than my own desires and those of the devil. May I please you with obedience and honor your name every day!

Picture; Our Patient Jesus interceding for us.

May be an image of 1 person

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Trust?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 8, 2025 Respond

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes” (Ps.118:8,9).

You, Lord God, are:

absolutely trustable, but people are ever fickle;

you are mighty, people are weak;

you are eternal, people are fleeting;

you are infinitely wise, people have very limited understanding and knowledge;

you see all, people see only a tiny portion of reality;

you know the future, people can only guess;

you are good by nature, people are evil by nature;

you are loving, people are selfish;

And the list of contracts goes on.

So–who are we going to trust?

Trusting in you, Lord God,  is always wise,

to take refuge in you is always good,

to rest in you is always right.

Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for you are the Creator and King, Lord and Savior, Judge and Victor.

“To you be glory in my life today and forever more.

Help me to flee to you with each challenge, problem and difficulty,

to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving so the answer can come from you and bring you glory.

Help me today to distrust myself and to trust you instead. Amen.”

Picture: the Great Creator God reaching into our lives

May be an image of 1 person

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The Truth will set you Free

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 7, 2025 Respond

“In my anguish I cried out to the Lord and he answered by setting me free” (Ps. 118:5).

You, Lord God, are the Freedom-giver—

freedom from eternal death,

from punishment,

from condemnation,

from selfishness and Satan,

as well as from fretting and fear.

You are always at work to set us free from things that bind us,ever working on a deeper level, in a higher way.

Praise be to you for your wisdom, your insight, your understanding.

You operate with full knowledge, certain of

which thing to work on next,

which enemy to defeat,

which sin to reveal,

which point to camp out on until we respond.

You don’t guess and fumble as we do in life;

you know exactly what is wrong

and you know exactly how to deal with it,

for you are the Creator, the Healer and the Freedom-bringer.

Help us, Lord, to walk in the freedom you have for us,

to trust you completely, surrender to you entirely

and to follow you wholeheartedly. Amen

Picture: the expansive freedom Christ offers us, if we will only listen and obey.

May be an image of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and mountain

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Best Response in Trouble

Published by S.M. Wibberley on October 6, 2025 Respond

A warm thank you to the 120 friends who sent greetings and prayers to Barbara after her cancer operation. Very thoughtful of you all!

“Let those who fear the LORD say: ‘His love endures forever.’” Psalm 118:4

Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are my Shepherd,

that we can know that whatever comes, you have led us into it.

You led your disciples into the storm on the lake, into the opposition of the crowd, into the pain of your death.

And because You have the larger picture, we can trust and follow you as you walk with us into the future.

Psalm 118:5-9 goes on to say, “In my anguish I cried to the LORD….”

This is the proper response to any situation, going right to you, O God, fleeing from

self-pity,

worry,

fretting

and anger

to embrace your goodness, wisdom and love.

And You WILL respond to our prayer: “In the day of my trouble I will call on you, for you will answer me” (Ps. 86:7).

And your answer begins inside us: “I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my FEARS” (Ps. 34:4).

“In my anguish I cried out to the Lord and he answered by setting me FREE” (Ps. 118:5).

Forgive us, Lord, for not seeking you first, not calling on you, not crying out to you.

Help us to seek you first in all that comes, so that we may honor you before the world, the flesh and the devil.

Picture: Jesus embraces us and takes our burdens

May be an image of 1 person

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