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Looking Up

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 24, 2019
 
Reminder: all these devotionals I originally wrote in my worship journal for myself, to nurture my first love for Jesus and to practice thinking Truth. May the do the same for you!
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Praise you, Lord God, for a new day, a fresh gift from your hand, toasty warm with grace, steaming with potential, deliciously spiced with your presence. As someone said, every day is a gift, that’s why we call it “the present!”
 
I praise you, Lord Jesus, my Good and Great Shepherd, for all that you will give today: your provision, protection, presence and preparation in all that will come.
 
Praise you for the privilege of nurturing my first love for you, worshiping you, praising you, focusing on you, accompanying you through the day, joining you in what you are doing and checking in with you on what my role is.
 
May there be no sneakiness on my part, doing what I’m not sure you would want, instead of looking to you for guidance. I confess my sin of doing that, of ignoring you in making decisions, of setting my heart on gaudy baubles of pleasure rather than on your kind eyes of wisdom. I confess my double-mindedness, my half-heartedness, my rebellion and unbelief.
 
Forgive me for these serious, glory-stealing sins. It is not worth it to try and do things I’d like without checking in with you; I only end up with a mouthful of gravel! Help me instead to be open to you in all things, so that I may live in the light of your presence, of your Truth, of your wisdom, of your grace.
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for your efficacious sacrifice, your great forgiveness, your powerful cleansing, your consistent application of discipline, and your persistent patience with me in my failures.
 
You are Great, you are Good, you are Gracious and thereby worthy of praise, honor, worship and obedience both today and forever. May you be honored in all I do today. Amen.
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Psalm 28:3-5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 23, 2019
 
Psalm 28:3 “Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil, who speak cordially with their neighbors but harbor malice in their hearts.”
 
[This is not what most people think of as evil—appearing to be cordial–but would label as goodness! Yet you, Lord, look beyond appearances to the motives, at the intent of the heart and label this fake cordialness as sin. Lord, help us to also be intent on seeing our sins as you view them, and being harsh with the evil in our motives, rejecting it and living instead with love and grace in our hearts towards our neighbors.]
 
Psalm 28:4 “Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what their hands have done and bring back upon them what they deserve.”
 
[You, Lord God are a righteous and loving God, therefore you deal with what is evil. You, Lord Jesus, will come as judge and bring clear, just, right condemnation on those who have refused to believe in you, on those who refuse the truth and live according to their own ideas.
 
Praise you, Heavenly Father, that you do not allow evil to go unchecked now and unjudged in the future. I can trust you fully to do what is righteous and merciful, as you have made it possible for everyone to have their record of evil wiped clean with the blood of Christ–if only they will believe in Him.]
 
Psalm 28:5 “Since they show no regard for the works of the LORD and what his hands have done,”
 
[This is a description of selfish independence from God, a rejection of His values, His work, His Word. They do not acknowledge Truth, God, His divinity or His marvelous accomplishments. All is natural, all is science, all is man-centered. And all who live so will fail.]
 
“he will tear them down and never build them up again.”
 
[They are fighting God, and it is futile. He will win in the end in righteousness. They will fail in rebellion. They will fail both in this world and in the judgment to come, because you, Lord God, are sovereign, the One to be obeyed, revered, glorified and honored. I praise you for your goodness and purity, your hatred of evil and love of righteousness. In you we can trust!
 
As you have, in your mercy and grace, clothed me in the righteousness of Christ, may, by your power, my life be the opposite of those described above, so that you may be honored in my words, revered in my actions, exalted in my reactions, and praised in my relationships.]
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God is our sun and shield

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 22, 2019
Another good one from EDIFIED!
 
“My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 84:2
 
There is in each of us that deep longing for something more than this earth can give. As one friend said recently, “There is a question that keeps coming up inside, ‘Is this all there is?’”
God has given us a yearning for Him, a gift we often don’t recognize. This longing can be disguised as an undercurrent of dissatisfaction, or a realization that no matter how well things go, there is still some emptiness inside.
 
We tend to confuse this longing for God with our desires for material things, accomplishment or human relationships. However, no matter what we do about it, this longing is there, showing us the emptiness of life without Him, pulling us towards Him.
 
If we pay attention to, and cultivate this longing, it can become a positive passion, the burning “first love” that draws us deeper into our relationship with Christ. Ignoring this yearning means we will be like the Ephesians who, Christ said in Revelation 2, would be judged for losing their first love and falling from the high place God had for them.
 
Part of cultivating that passion is consistently looking to see who God is. Psalm 84:11 gives us two pictures of our wonderful God: “…the Lord God is a sun and a shield….” Think about what the sun does for us. It gives warmth without which life can’t exist. It is the source of light so we can see, and it makes many other things possible including food (light interacting with chlorophyll), energy (all usable energy has sun light as its ultimate source), clean water (the weather cycle providing clean rain comes from evaporation), the rhythm of the seasons (regulated by our distance from the sun), variety in weather (sunny days and cloudy days, calm and storm), direction (the sun rises in the East and sets in the West), discipline and rest (night and day), beauty (sunrise and sunsets, shadows to highlight the landscape), and consistency (it comes up every day).
 
Our God is like this, providing all this and more for us. We are surrounded by His love and provision, but sadly take most of it for granted.
 
God is also our shield, like the atmosphere, filtering out what will harm us, such as negative rays and meteorites. There are many promises in Scripture of His protecting us from what is harmful (e.g., Ps. 23, 1 Pet. 1:5). He knows what is good for us and lets the pleasant and the painful positives come through while keeping out that which will damage us spiritually.
 
I am tempted to complain at some of what He allows to come through the filter of His love, but must come back to His shielding us from all that is truly evil with wisdom and power, and in praise bow before His will.
 
It is good to remember that our God is our sun and our shield, to note what He does for us every day, and to cultivate the deep yearning of our souls for His presence and grace by spending time with Him, in worship, in the Word, in intercession.
 
Prayer: “Lord, help me to recognize your work in my life as my sun and shield, to be thankful, to give praise in all, to cultivate the relationship you have for me, for your glory and for the growth of all those around me. Amen.”
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King of Kings

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 21, 2019
“The King is mighty; he loves justice—you have established equity;”
Psalm 99:4a
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Ruler of the universe, Creator and Sustainer of all. You are the star-Breather, the atom Keeper, the earth Spinner, and the dawn Bringer. I exalt you, King Jesus, for you are mighty and powerful, the Most High, the immeasurably strong, majestically great and eternal God.
 
You are undefeatable, unconquerable, unlimited, unending. You are the Source of all strength, the Provider of all power, the Author of all authority. You are the Ruler who reigns in all regions of life. No bird flies without your knowledge, no man sins without your grief, no person acts without your seeing, and no evil is allowed that cannot be woven into your plan of redemption and revival.
 
Before you, we all are judged by the same great and sinless standard, for you are the perfect, holy and righteous Judge. You know all our thoughts, all our motives, all our secret acts, all our manipulations, all our rebellion against your standard of perfect goodness. You can, without dispute, pronounce what is evil, punish what is sin, banish what is wrong.
 
You, the sinless, pure, untainted and perfect God, will remove sin from your presence. And you will purify from sin all those who come into your shelter of salvation so we may live forever in holy and harmonious relation with you, eternally giving glory to you.
 
Lord, “…you have done what is just and right.” Therefore, we will “Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy” (Ps. 99:4b,5). We praise you, Lord God that we can bow before your footstool, that you allow us entrance into your presence, that as we come in the blood of Christ, that our worship is acceptable to you.
 
I exalt you Lord God for what you are: pure and powerful, good and gracious, mighty and magnificent, wise and wonderful, holy and happy, eternal and ever-present, all seeing and all knowing, intimate and involved, caring and consistent, loving and lavish, rich and real, forgiving and forever.
 
You, Lord God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—are Triune and total in yourself; you are worthy of worship without considering how your qualities benefit me—and they certainly do!
 
Prayer: “To you be glory and honor today in my life as I live under the hand of your love and protection, deeply satisfied in you, Lord God, the great Shepherd and King of my life. Amen.”
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Wow, what a God!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 19, 2019

I awoke with somewhat negative feelings this morning, perhaps from thinking too much about my books and or on the problems I’m having with my workers. But my feelings are not the measure of reality. Your the measure. So instead focusing on these very temporary matters, I want to be thinking on you, Lord Jesus, to be rejoicing in you and who you are throughout the day.

And who are you? You are the eternal One, always there; the Righteous One, always doing what is best; the Holy One, always working from right motives; the Mighty One, towering over every creature; the Glorious, doing mighty and magnificent works; and the Beautiful One, infusing your creation with your stunning beauty.

You only deserve our love, our devotion, our worship, our obedience, our fervor, our focus.

I praise you that you consistently work to lift our eyes from the temporary to the Timeless, from the minuscule to the Majestic, from the created to the Creator.

You are the One to be worshiped and I repent of thinking so much about sales and success., the lies and laziness around me.

Guide me in being balanced in a biblical way, in approaching all work in partnership with you, doing all Ain your time, in your wisdom, in your power. I thank you for all you will do in response to my prayers.

Again I praise you, for you are my Lord, standing against the enemy as my Refuge, my Fortress, my Stronghold, my Shield, my Protector. In addition, you are my Provider, my Shepherd, my Guide., leading me on the path you have prepared. And you are my King and my God., my final authority

To you be glory in this day. Help me to be a glory giver at each step, at each juncture, offering praise for the pleasant and the sacrifice of thanksgiving in every problem, difficulty and disappointment, thereby honoring you.

You are the One whom I am to follow, to gaze upon, to focus on, to worship, to love. Help me to do that so that you may receive continual exaltation before humans and angels.

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Chapter 60 Egyptian Souvenir

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 19, 2019
Chapter 60 Egyptian Souvenir
 
In 1986 we got an invitation from one of our fellow workers in Egypt to come and give them input on how to do outreach. They had arrived in Cairo just a couple of years before and were struggling with how to begin ministry. The letter we got invited us to a “Flight to Egypt.”
 
We had a very positive time, had helpful things to share from our experience and were treated like royalty. Little did we know that this was a foreshadowing of the ministry God had for us down the road.
 
I brought home a “souvenir” from Cairo, one that nestled quietly in my body for several weeks before showing itself. Then at first I thought I had the flu. After a few days the symptoms subsided, but then reappeared.
 
We called our doctor friend and he sent me for a blood test. “Just as I thought,” he said, looking at the results, “Hepatitis A. You need to have full bed rest!” That was more easily said than done, for I had to go out to the university and get permission to not work. They said I needed to go to the government hospital for treatment.
 
Our local friend, Charles, went with Barbara to the infectious diseases hospital to get me admitted. When the preparations were done, Barbara called me to come.
 
I had company at the time so we all got into a taxi to go to the hospital. I brought along my bucket in case I had to throw up again; I was continually nauseous, very weak and staggered when I walked.
 
The doctor wouldn’t accept the blood tests I brought because they were from a private lab. I had to have another, official one done. The technician who tried to take my blood had a hard time finding my vein, poking me over and over again. I almost fainted. Finally, I was taken to a room where I could get into bed and Barbara went home.
 
An orderly brought me supper on a metal tray. There were no dishes, just indented areas in the tray for the food. And there was only liquid food: soup, a salad of yogurt and sliced cucumbers and a fruit compost. However, there were no utensils to eat with. It turned out that each patient is responsible for bringing his own silverware, but no one had told me that. So here was my food, but I couldn’t eat it! My response was anger!
 
I went downstairs to the pay phone to call Barbara, but it would not accept the token I had. Again my anger rose up and I flung the token across the room in a fit like a three year old. This tide of anger was a total surprise to me, uncontrollable as it was. Later my doctor friend told me that such anger was not unusual as Hepatitis lowers our inhibitions so that our emotions flow without restraint.
 
That night my roommate, an older man, kept the light and radio on all night. The locals in general are afraid of the dark, for that’s when evil spirits are at work; therefore there’s always a light on in the bedroom. And the noise of the radio helped to comfort the man, it seems. But it didn’t comfort me!
 
The next day when Barbara came, I forcefully requested that she bring me something to eat! She went home, cooked a nice chicken breast and a vanilla pudding and brought them to me, along with a fork and spoon. I was very thankful.
 
That afternoon there was a loud crying in the hall, a heart-wrenching wailing. Someone had died and the family from the village were doing their death wail. It was not very encouraging for the rest of us with infectious diseases.
 
That night was again a sleepless one, with lights on, radio going, and nurses shouting to each other in the hall. The next day was Sunday. I was having a nice nap in the afternoon when Barbara shook my arm. I opened my eyes to see all seven of the Smith family looking down at me, smiling broadly.
 
They said I was a nice, bright yellow and looked like an Asian. They also said that they were not afraid of getting anything from me. Although they didn’t know it, once I turned yellow, I was no longer contagious.
 
The doctors were glad to have me in the hospital because they could practice their English and German on me. But I was not happy to be there–I wanted to get home where I could sleep. After giving me one intravenous infusion on the first day, they hadn’t done anything for me, so why stay?
 
On Monday when Barbara came with more vanilla pudding, I asked her to tell the doctors that I wanted to go home but when she talked with the main doctor, he was not happy and exclaimed, “Why do you want him to go home?”
 
Barbara replied, “What can I say? He’s my husband and wants to go home. I have to do what he says!” That made perfect cultural sense to the doctor and he agreed to release me.
However, when she went to sign me out, it came out that I had not been properly registered. So first she had to get me checked in, then get me checked out. Finally, we were able to go home.
 
Then began a long convalescence with me in bed for several weeks. The good part was that I got to eat lots of vanilla pudding—eating sweet things were part of the treatment–and I had time to read a lot of books—twenty-one, to be exact.
 
There was also more time to pray and memorize Scripture. As usual, when I was seriously sick, the Lord was calling me aside to teach me new things.
 
The negative side was that I was physically weak and my brain was not working very well. That persisted for three months. Then one day it was like a switch flipped and my mind kicked into gear again. Another adventure completed in following Jesus.

Picture: Barbara with our very good friend, Dr. Alsan—brilliant diagnostician, author of medical books, mathematician and chess champion–who diagnosed my hepatitis.

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Lavish Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 18, 2019
 
You, O God, are the Lord of lavishness, full of Love and Life, Laughter and Light.
 
I praise you for your wise working in us in very practical ways, dealing with all the details, right down to the subatomic level, keeping everything humming along, keeping it all together—”He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). You care for us wonderfully, persistently, lovingly and graciously.
 
It is especially warming to think of your loving care for us in contrast to what we deserve. I give you honor and glory for your personel and powerful, persistent and perfect agape Love.
 
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for what lies before us today: on our part partially planned but truly unknown, while on your part it is fully planned and fully known. What an amazing thought: you have gone through the day of each one of your children—hundreds of millions of them–preparing things in detail, planning personalized lessons, readying guidance, protection, chastening, blessing and provision.
 
And you do the same for the non-elect, pouring out your goodness and attention on those whom you know will never believe. “…your Father in heaven…causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45).
 
You are truly the God of Grace, the God of Goodness, the God of Giving. To you belongs all glory and honor, all praise and applause, all worship and exaltation, all obedience and reverence, all fear and love. Such care, such compassion, such cherishing, such comprehensive love is found in no one else.
 
We fall to our knees in wonder, we bow down in awe, we rise up to surrender, to give you honor in belief and obedience. May you be exalted in our lives today.
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Psalm 28:2-3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 17, 2019
 
Psalm 28:2 “Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help,”
[Where else can I look for mercy and help but you, O Lord? , You are the Source of all help, you are the Spring of all mercy. In the midst of raging wars, stricken refugees and political upheaval, in the midst of suffering, sickness and sadness, you hear our cry for help.
As we look away from the negatives to the goodness and beauty here on the earth–the green of Spring, the fruitfulness of Summer. the colors of Fall, and the white blanket of Winter–this all is but a reflection of your great, faithful and wonderful character, reminding me that I can trust you to hear, to answer, to protect and guide.]
“Hear…as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.”
[To focus on you, the One who dwells in the Most Holy Place of Heaven—and also within me–is the right thing to do, for there is no real help in any other place. You are the one who is moving History to a conclusion and taking us with you.
You are the Holy One who knows what is good and edifying for us, whether it be relief or regret, what is peasant or difficult. I can trust you to bring, in your mercy, what is needed. In you I can hope and therefore I can praise you before there is any sign of your working.]
Psalm 28:3 “Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who do evil,”
[Lord, keep me from joining the wicked, from doing evil whether in thought, word or deed. Help me to live according to the position you have given me, being a son of the Most High, a child of the mighty King and an appointed ambassador of Jesus. Help me to live in your power, to be filled with your Spirit, to be obedient and diligent in doing what is good.
I praise you that you help me every day, guiding me in deciding ahead of time to be gracious, kind, helpful, servant-hearted, and then, when the moment comes, to immediately respond with those qualities, along with thanksgiving and gladness.
I praise you for how you are changing me in this way instead of dragging me away with the wicked; in my old nature I do deserve to be cast out, rejected, judged and condemned.
 
However, in you, Lord Jesus, I am forgiven, cleansed, loved, helped, guided and protected. I am being transformed, growing, deepening and changing through your working in me in your mercy, strength and love. Praise be to you for your gracious and great provision; may you be exalted in my life today.]
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Psalm 28:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 16, 2019
Psalm 28:1 “To you I call, O LORD”
 
[You are the great I Am, the LORD of all, Yahweh, the Holy One who is totally other, totally self-sufficient, without need of anyone. You are pure and sinless, spotless and good, your glory is in your holiness. You hate sin and will punish it but love the sinner and provide a way of forgiveness and escape. You are the LORD, worthy to be worshiped, worthy of praise, worthy of reverence and awe, fear and obedience. Glory belongs to you; may it flow from my life to you today.]
 
“You are…my Rock;”
 
[You, the Great and Mighty One have made yourself to be my Rock: impregnable, unshakable, unmovable, unassailable, undefeatable. In you there is security, in you there is safety. Nothing can get through you to me expect what you allow in your wisdom and love. I can rest in you, be secure in you, trust in you. You are the everlasting eternal Rock, ever the same, ever trustable, ever good.]
 
“do not turn a deaf ear to me.”
 
[I praise you, Lord, that your ear is ever listening, never deaf towards your children. You are the prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God. You delight in having us come to you in prayer, and you delight in answering. You may chasten us by not answering when we are willfully living in sin, but the problem then is with us, not you. Praise you for your faithful, loving, Fatherhood commitment to hear and answer your children.]
 
“For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.”
 
[This is true: if we had no access to you, how would we be different from those who don’t believe, who live in the land of death, from those who have already died? In you, Lord Jesus we are given access to light, life, love, and lasting goodness—for that is what you are. And you are always there in our lives.
 
Praise you that your Word ever speaks to us, that you are active to bring us through each valley, through each dark night, through each difficulty and danger, for you are our great Shepherd who speaks and is not silent.]
 
Lord, today I lay my life before you on the altar of obedience. I praise you now for what you will bring, for how you will guide, for how you will protect. Because you are only good, I can trust you to do what is right, to bring what is best, to lead in what is wise.
 
May you be glorified in my life today, Lord God–honored, lifted up and exalted in my thoughts, motives, words and actions. Protect me from the evil one and evil men; protect me from myself; protect me for your own glory. I praise you now for all you will do in this day. Amen.]
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More on Psalm 27:1

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 15, 2019
 
Further thoughts on Psalm 27:1,
 
“The Lord is my light”
 
[In my darkness, when I can’t see the way, when confusion reigns and I don’t know what to do, you, like the sun, shine your light on my path, Lord Jesus. At the right time, we will be enlightened. Praise you for your faithfulness in always illuminating the way.]
 
“And my salvation.”
 
[You, Lord God, are the Star Breather, the Earth Spinner, the Dawn Bringer, the History Ender, the great Redeemer and mighty Savior. You are at work in great power, in deep wisdom and in unquenchable love to bring what is best within a broken world.
 
I think of all the times over the years you have protected me in driving, all the times I should have had an accident, yet you alerted me, or kept me from changing lanes or had others avoid me.
 
Thank you for keeping us safe when the brakes on my aged vehicle give out–twice, but both times in good places, preventing accidents. I praise you for what you are doing every day to protect us, both from our own foolishness and from others’ errors.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, for your great faithfulness and love, your gracious, undeserved protection and help. Truly you do protect and deliver on every level: eternal, temporal, spiritual, intellectual, volitional, emotional, physical, financial, social, and vocational.
 
You shield, you deliver, you provide, you warn, you rescue, you embrace. And why? Because you are love itself, you cherish your children, you delight in us, you choose to love us in spite of what we naturally are.
 
I praise you in repentance for my unbelief, in wonder for your gracious forgiveness, in humility for your undeserved kindness, in deep thankfulness for your unceasing love, in amazement at your delight in your children, in joy for your marvelous, rich, positive and good character.
 
In you I am safe, in you I am secure, in you I am significant, in you I ma supplied with all I need. Praise you that you are able and willing to save to the uttermost those who believe in you.]
 
“whom shall I fear?”
 
[With a God like you watching over me in love, tenderness, forgiveness and power, who else could have sway over me? Who can bring real damage to me when you filter out what is truly harmful? You only are the One to be feared, to be obeyed, to be revered. Praise be to you in all, Lord Jesus, Redeemer of all, especially of those who believe.
 
I praise you now for what you have planned for my life today, I delight in your power, rejoice in your provision, and revel in your perfection. May you be exalted today in my life, for you deserve all glory, honor and praise, in and for all things.]
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