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Romans 15:13

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 18, 2019
 
Thoughts on Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, as you trust in him, so that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
Let’s look at each aspect of this verse.
 
“May the God of hope”
 
[Our God is the source of all we hope for, the spring of all positive possibilities, the well of all goodness, the fountain of hope. We should look to no other, put our hope in no other.]
 
May He “Fill you with all joy and peace”
 
[Joy and peace are what we all long and strive for, but fail to get on our own. Our heavenly Father, however, stands ready with ALL joy and peace, eager to pour them into our lives, if we will only join Him in the process, as the next phrase tells us.]
 
“As you trust in Him”
 
[This is our part: if we trust, we are given joy and peace; but conversely, failure to trust equals no joy or peace. If we don’t trust Him, we are, in our pride, trusting in ourselves. This means we are cutting ourselves off from His grace. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). But if we humble ourselves and trust in Him, rather than trusting in ourselves, or some leader, or the goverment to supply what we need, then He has many blessings for us beyond joy and peace, as the last phrase tells us.
 
As it says in Psalm 68:6 “…he leads out the prisoners with singing (those who follow Him in trust out of the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of light); but the rebellious (those who do not trust Him) live in a sun-scorched land (where there is no peace, no joy, no hope).
 
“So that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
[As we trust God, we can then join Him in a new dimension, becoming “carriers of hope,” to all around us. We can be people of hope, just as He is the God of all hope–a hope that will splash over on all those around us. We will be “hope empowered” by the Holy Spirit, becoming more and more like Jesus, the God of all hope.
 
So let’s trust our eternal living God, follow Jesus, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each situation and thereby become infused with joy and peace. Then we can become springs of hope, rivers of hope, carriers of hope to all we meet today and every day.
 
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More 1981 Adventures

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 17, 2019
 
We left Adam’s house that afternoon a lot later than we had planned, and it wasn’t long before it was dark. I wanted to press on as long as we could, but the Lord had other plans.
 
Along a lonely stretch of road, my headlights picked up two large sheep dogs, their tails curled over their backs, iron spiked collars on their necks to protect them from wolves. I slowed down, as you can never tell what animals may do.
 
They were off on the left hand side of the road, but just as I got to them, one crossed over in front of us and I was unable to avoid him. After the car struck him, he rolled off to the side of the road.
 
I felt bad about hitting him and wondered if he would survive but wasn’t about to stop and get out in the dark with a large wounded animal. Those dogs can be very fierce. Besides, I had something else to contend with. The impact had rearranged the front of the car and my headlights were now refocused: one shone off up in the air to the right, the other down and off the road to the left. We were not going to get very far that night!
 
I drove slowly to the next town, praising God that nothing worse had happened. We found a hotel and got some rest. The next day we made it back home before darkness came.
 
Shortly after our return from the east, I ate a overly ripe peach and got really sick with diarrhea, vomiting and a high fever. Just after I became ill, two single German women came to visit and set the scene for a cultural clash between Barbara and me.
 
For Germans, any guest has definite priority over family. In addition, in Barbara’s family culture if family members got sick, they were tolerated, but it was clearly communicated that they were being a bother, so they’d better hurry up and get well.
 
In my family culture, however, if you were sick, you were waited on hand and foot and treated like royalty. These contrasting viewpoints had not been much of a problem before now but the arrival of the guests caused Barbara to slip back into German mode, bringing on a conflict.
 
Barbara was busy being a good German hostess, taking care of every need of our guests, while I, from my point of view, was hovering on the edge of death in the bedroom. I was unable to eat, wracked with chills, barely able to crawl to the bathroom when the need arose, as it did often and violently. I was thirsty, but my hand was shaking so much from my chills and fever, that before I could bring a glass of water to my mouth, most of the water sloshed out onto the floor.
 
Every few hours Barbara would come in to poke the pile of blankets and make sure I was still alive underneath them.
During those two or three days I lost so much weight that I looked like a walking skeleton. My wedding ring fell off my emaciated finger and I didn’t even notice it.
 
When the guests finally left and I got well enough to have a coherent conversation, we had a little chat about priorities. Barbara had been sincerely unaware of neglecting me, and was very sorry. Being a good listener and teachable wife, that never happened again.
 
Shortly afterwards it was my turn to be the host. My parents wrote to say that they would come to visit in September as Dad was going to Paris to run in a half marathon. He had given up motocross at age sixty-three and had found more attention and admiration in the runners’ circles.
 
He told us that after Paris they’d come to see us for a couple of days. A couple of days! I understood Dad’s love of moving on quickly, but to come all that way and stay only a couple of days?
 
We finally convinced them to stay for a week, and it was a good time. Dad went out running each day on the streets of our city and usually ended up with a crowd of little kids tagging along behind him—very few people in our country were runners back then.
 
We took a trip down to some of the many biblical sites to give them a taste of the rich history of the area. They were duly impressed and were very glad that they’d come.
Pictures: Dad in Paris, Dad and Nat, all of us in front of our house. Note how skinny I am after my sickness
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Psalm 24:7-8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 16, 2019
Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
 
[As the gates in those ancient cities where cranked upwards to allow entrance, so may the doors of our hearts, our thoughts, our souls be lifted up to allow you, Lord Jesus, entrance into every aspect of our lives, giving you the honor and glory you deserve.
 
May we be in submission to the reality that we were created to be dependent on you, to walk in obedience and trust, so that your power may be made perfect in our weakness, that honor may flow to you out of every situation, and that we may appear with you in glory when you come again.
 
You alone are the great King of Glory. Help us to live in the truth that what you are, what you do, and what you say all flow out of your glorious being and serve to bring you the exaltation you deserve before all the created hosts of the universe.]
 
Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”
 
[This is you, Yahweh, the Holy One: completely other than your creation, totally complete in yourself, needing nothing, being both One and fully self-sufficient as the Trinity.
 
You are the Powerful One, the Warrior King, undefeatable and ever triumphant. You fight and win against every enemy–those who oppose what is good. You, Lord Jesus, came to destroy the works of the devil, freeing us from the fear he has used so effectively against us.
 
You have also defeated death and hell, sin and evil, rebellion and shame. You have replaced all these with love and light, with life and joy, with peace and hope. You are the mighty One, triumphing in your strength, wisdom and power.
 
So, we give you praise, honor and exaltation, for in your might, you are also the Pure and Sinless One, making no mistakes; you are the Just and Righteous One, bringing proper judgment on sin; you are the Gracious and Loving One, bringing forgiveness for all, especially to those who believe.
 
You are worthy of praise and we bow before you in worship, we open the gates of our hearts to your Kingly Presence and we rise up to go out with you out into the battle of today, knowing that you, the mighty One, will lead us safely through whatever will come. ]
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Psalm 24:5-6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 15, 2019
Written several years ago. Psalm 24:5, speaking of the person “who has clean hands and a pure heart,” goes on to say,
 
“He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.”
 
[Thank you for this assurance, Lord, that you, my Vindicator, have saved me and will bless me by helping me live for you. At the moment, I do not see much blessing, with two difficult situations before me–but I can trust that you have a plan and will do what is best. I chose to run with endurance the race you have set before me. To you be glory both now and forever. Amen.]
 
Psalm 24:6 “Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
 
[When we seek you, you grant us clean hands and a pure heart through the finished work of Jesus Christ; then you lead us aright, guiding us into obedience as we seek your face.
 
May we seek you first and always, O Lord, rather than pursuing being comfortable, or possessions, or success, or our own desires. Instead may we seek you, the King of Glory, the God of Jacob—the Pure One who is willing to identify with those like Jacob and us who are by nature selfish, manipulative, stubborn, untrusting and proud.
 
Praise you for your patience in drawing us along into the warm and transforming embrace of your love. Praise you that you do whatever it takes to bring us to surrender in yourself, as you did with Jacob, taking away everything he valued, so he would face his need for you. And finally, in his old age, at 147, he surrendered: “Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff” (Gen. 47:31 NIV).
 
And so it is with us–you do whatever it takes to help us seek you first, so that you can bless us with a life in and with you: a new life, an eternal life, an abundant life, a pure life, a serving and productive life.
 
Help us to surrender to you quickly so you don’t have to take drastic measures as you did with Jacob. May we seek your face daily, so we can be useful instruments in your hands, bringing you honor now, not waiting until later in life.]
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The Wonder of Knowing Jesus

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 14, 2019
 
 
Praise be to you, Jesus, my Lord and God, for the privilege of waking up and knowing that I am at peace with you, that our relationship is grace-filled, good and gloriously positive.
 
Thank you for your wonderful unmerited love, ever flowing to me, over me, through me, and around me, as well as going before me.
 
Therefore, I can rest in your gentle grace, your positive power, your marvelous majesty, your wide and wonderful wisdom. I can rest in your great plans, your deep purposes, your plenteous provision. You are the glorious God of goodness, the majestic Lord of meaning, the strong King of hope. In you I have a future with stability and purpose.
 
These are all wonderful, but they are actually only the by-products of your much more significant gift to us: a wonderful relationship with you which is rich, warm, enthusiastic, filled with your delight, love and joy.
 
Peace reigns as I rest in you. Grace flows as I embrace my place of submission with humility. Joy deepens as I move forward in eager surrender to your wisdom, to your Word and to your ways.
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jehovah, Yahweh, the great Triune God, marvelous in majesty, glorious in grace and caring in compassion. You have made yourself my Father, my Savior, my King and my Shepherd. In you alone is rest, in you alone is peace and joy, for we were made to live in surrender in your embrace of love.
 
Help me to be in submission and sync with you all through this day, Lord, living in the light of your Word, in the direction of your Spirit and in the wisdom of your understanding, waiting for your timing in all. I praise you now for what you will do, for how you will use me, for all that you will bring into my life today.
PIcture: a view of An.kara, where the Lord led us and blessed us with much hardship and joy
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Psalm 24:3-4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 13, 2019
 
Psalm 24:3 “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?”
 
[Not just anyone may ascend and stand before you, Lord, for you are holy and pure, and have conditions that we must meet first.
 
I praise you that you did not bend your standards to let just any uncleansed sinner come, but you met your own demands for holiness in the sacrifice of Christ so that we can come before you forgiven, cleansed and accepted.
 
Praise you that you will not allow sin to enter Heaven, that you will definitely eliminate wickedness from the New Heaven and Earth, while saving those who trust in you. This is a wonderful part of our hope in you, Lord God.]
 
Psalm 24:4 “Who may ascend…He who has clean hands and a pure heart,”
 
[These we can have only in you, Lord Jesus. There is no way we can purify ourselves of all the sinful tendencies and drives which are an innate part of our natural hearts,or clean our hands from all the wrong things we have done.
 
David did so much wrong with his hands and heart, killing women and children in his raids, having so many wives, committing adultery and murder–yet you, Lord Jesus, provided cleansing and purity for him as he repented, and then you gave these to us. You are the One who paid the penalty so we can have cleansed hands, and a new, pure heart. Praise be to you!]
 
“who does not lift up his soul to an idol,”
 
[Here is our part, to worship you alone, Lord Jesus. Praise you, Lord, that you are showing me the many idols in my heart, that is, whatever I demand, apart from you, to be happy. And these are exposed any time I complain: for then I am seeking happiness in getting my way.
 
I praise you that you have exposed so many idols and continually help me to reject them. remembering that you, O Lord God, are the only one worth lifting our souls to. I commit myself to do that. Help me to quickly spot my idols and reject them.]
 
“or swear by what is false.”
 
[To put value on what is false is a serious sin. In the world beauty, wealth, power and position are the predominate and false values. But the truth is, only what you, Lord, value is worth our time and energy. I praise you that in you we can be free from what is false, for you are Truth itself and the truth sets us free.
 
You know all things, therefore your measure of truth is the one we should use. I praise and thank you, Lord Jesus, for shepherding us into freedom FROM falsehood, and into freedom IN Truth.
 
You are the wise God who, through your Word and Spirit, reveals to us what we cannot possibly discover with our feeble intellect. You are the great and wonderful God whom we can worship because you have opened the way into a rich and rousing relationship with you. Help me to walk with you closely through the whole of this day, rejecting idols and obeying what I know to be true, honoring you.
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Psalm 24:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 12, 2019
 
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;”
 
[To you belong all things, O Lord Yahweh, the Great Creator God. Every square inch of land, every drop of water, every plant, every mineral, every molecule as well as every creature is yours. You are the undisputed owner by virtue of your creating all out of nothing, simply speaking them into existence.
 
You are, therefore, worthy of glory and honor, of awe and worship. You are also worthy of obedience, for we, too, belong to you as the work of your hands, as creatures before the Creator.
 
Psalm 24:2 “for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”
 
[It was you, Lord Yahweh, who spoke and brought the earth into existence, hung it on nothing, spun it at the right speed, correctly tilted the axis for proper seasons, and sent it off in the best orbit around the sun. You are the One who planned all, established the laws of physics, set gravity at just the right strength, who put your stamp of design on all aspects of your creation.
 
Your intelligence is seen everywhere: in the complexity, variety and beauty of flowers, giving you honor in their gracefulness and cheer as they bear seeds for the next year; in the ingenious design of fruits, with their perfect packaging for seeds and as delicious food for creatures; in the reproduction of animals in various ways, each appropriate for their place of life; in the immense information and order of DNA molecules; in the complexity of the human body with all its systems and inner communication abilities with synapses, electric messages, hormones and thoughts.
 
I praise you, Lord that you are the Founder of all, the Source of all, the Protector of all, the Redeemer of all. You are the God worthy of worship and honor, of obedience and praise, of thanksgiving and self-denial.
 
Praise you that you lead us consistently in the right way, moving us back towards the beauty that was there in the beginning. Praise you that we can know you, walk with you, cooperate with you, be loved by you, the Great Creator God.
 
I give you glory, exaltation and thanks today. May you be honored in my life as I obey you. May I bring you joy, not pain; gladness, not sorrow; pleasure, not grief. I praise you now for how you will answer this prayer in the day before me, for you are gloriously faithful and fantastically good.
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Power and Protection in Difficulties

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 11, 2019
Written several years several years ago when I faced with three difficult situations simultaneously and turned to Psalm 18 for comfort and encouragement.
 
Psalm 18:32 “It is God who arms me with strength” [In my weakness, your strength is perfected.] “and makes my way perfect.”
 
[You know exactly what should happen, what should come, what is right, and that is what you bring, such as these three difficulties. You know how I should respond and will guide me in that direction.]
 
Psalm 18:33 “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.”
 
[It is in your power that we can come out on top, for without you we can do nothing. It is in your grace that we can move onward and upward in life despite difficultlies, keeping on the whole armor, standing in the day of evil, doing all you desire from us.]
 
Psalm 18:34 “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”
 
[You give us ability, strength, endurance and discipline–which we must then develop in cooperation with you.]
 
Psalm 18:35 “You give me your shield of victory,”
 
[This is important—it is YOUR shield, Lord, it is YOUR victory, therefore the glory goes to YOU alone. Yet you call us to share in your victories by your power, to defeat the true enemy in your strength, to triumph in praise, prayer and obedience. You give your shield, but we have to take it up and use it. In the three difficult situations before me now, I must get that shield up, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, resting in you, praising you in my weakness, trusting you in prayer and rejoicing in the unseen work you are doing behind the scenes.]
 
“and your right hand sustains me;”
 
[as I tire and droop in the battle, I can turn to you, and you lift me up, strengthen me, support me so I can continue on in the fight against the real enemy.]
 
“you stoop down to make me great.
 
[This is a beautiful and amazing truth: we are so far below you in every way, yet you lean way down over the side of Heaven to lift us up and make us great in your sight. This is sharing your glory with us, giving us your power, wisdom and grace that those around us may see your work in our lives and rejoice in you.]
 
Psalm 18:36 “You broaden the path beneath me,”
 
[You, Lord God, are at work in all the details. You open the doors, prepare the way, deal with things we are not aware of and protect us in your love.]
 
“so that my ankles do not turn.”
 
[you know what will cause us to stumble, to fall, and to be crippled—and these things you prevent, or guide us around, and as we follow, we can press on in the battle, thinking truth, thanking you, joining you in prayer, doing what your Word says is right.
 
Praise you, Lord God, for your goodness and graciousness and love. Praise you that I can live in these truths, bask in your light, revel in your love and rise up to run in obedience to you, bringing honor and glory to your name. May that happen today as you bring light to me
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The ongoing story of our friend Adam

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 10, 2019
Leaving the city after our car was fixed, we drove up over the mountains again and down to the village where the car was first looked at.
The main road had a number of little grocery stores scattered along it. Since it was about lunchtime, we stopped and I went into one of the shops to buy some bread and cheese. And who was sitting there, but Adam, the bus driver!
 
“What a surprise to see you!” he said. “I am only home one day in a month and that is the day you stop here!”
 
“And I could have gone into any of the other little store and not seen you!” I replied.
 
Adam insisted that we come with him to his house. He took us up to the second story where he introduced us to his wife and several children. As it was the month of fasting, Ramadan. so he was not eating, but offered us tea. We declined out of respect for him and he was pleased.
 
He took me out on the balcony to show me his garden. There was a woman hanging out laundry on the balcony below.
 
“That’s my first wife,” said Adam. We knew that some men had more than one wife, but Adam was the first one we’d ever actually met.
 
“My brother married her first,” he explained, “but was killed in a car crash soon after. So it was my responsibility as his brother to marry his wife and have children in his name. I was 15, she was 19. We had three children. The first, a boy, we named after my brother.”
 
“I see,” I replied. “So this was an arranged marriage. And how did you come to marry your second wife?”
 
“I had a little shop where I sold and repaired watches and clocks,” he said, “When my eyes got bad from all the close work, I started doing long distance truck driving. On one trip to the South I met my second wife and fell in love with her. When I came home I talked with my first wife about it.”
 
“How did you do that?” I asked.
 
“Well, I asked her if she loved me. She said, ‘Yes.’ So I said to her, ‘Then give me permission to marry a second wife.’”
 
“ ‘No, I won’t,’ she replied.”
 
“ ‘OK,’ I said, ‘then I will have to divorce you because you don’t love me.’ ”
 
“After that she gave her permission for me to marry the second time. I had given her the children she wanted, now I have the wife I wanted.”
 
That began a four-year friendship with Adam. On his frequent bus trips through our city he would often stop in for a visit. He always brought us a nice gift—a whole honeycomb or a polished brass glass-enclosed candle holder or a large box of candy—and as he presented each to us, he always described it as “a worthless gift.” That in itself was a gift, giving us insight into the culture of the East, how the emphasis was on the relationship, not the gift.
 
Later we also made the long drive to visit Adam in his home, spending a delightful weekend with his second family.
During those years there were many chances to share the gospel with him and his family. He took a Bible and read in it, along with other literature. We saw this as part of the reason the Lord allowed our mishap with the car and the difficulty in getting it fixed: it meant meeting Adam and opened up the opportunity for him to hear the gospel. We never know what the Lord is orchestrating through the difficulties He brings into our lives, but can always know it is for good.
At one point we didn’t hear from him for a while, so we called Adam’s home and were shocked to learn that he was dead. He had been using his tractor to help a neighbor by pulling his wagon down the main road when a bus struck him from behind. After some days in the hospital in a coma, he had died.
We were thankful that the Lord had had mercy on him, giving him opportunity to find eternal life. We hope he took it, perhaps in those last hours of life while he was in a coma; we hope that we will see him in heaven.
Picture: Adam and his second wife and child. Note the irrigation ditch made from a log.
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Our Astounding God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 9, 2019
From the devotional book, EDIFIED!
 
“… he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways….”
Psalm 91:11
 
To you, Lord Jesus, the God of creation, the Guardian of Truth, the Giver of grace and the Guide of believers, to you be glory and honor this day. You are the great One: great in purity, in wisdom, in knowledge, in power, in might, in strength. There is no good you cannot do, there is no evil you can do.
 
You are Yahweh, the eternal I Am: sharply separate from your creation, utterly other than your creatures, gloriously unique in your holiness, majestically mighty in your strength, astoundingly outstanding in Your awesomeness, beautifully bright in your brilliance.
 
You are all knowing, all seeing, all hearing. You are intensely, intimately aware of what is happening in the lives of each of your children, carefully filtering events, protecting and guiding in each one.
 
As we make you our dwelling place, “the Most High, who is my refuge….he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone” (Ps. 91:9,11)
How true this is, Lord Jesus, my Shepherd and Protector.
 
How often while I was driving have you prevented me from changing lanes, when if I had, I would have hit a car in my blind spot. You caused me to hesitate, or to look over my shoulder, or to sense that a car was there when I could not see it. You send your angels to help, guide and protect.
 
I think of the dark evening when I was about to cross a small street with no street lights, but for no apparent reason hesitated, and suddenly a black car with no lights flew by. If I’d stepped out as I had planned, I would have been run down.
I think of the Sunday evening, lying on the couch, when the thought kept coming, “I must check my credit card online!” and when I did, found that it was the last day to pay that month! You protect and guide in the small as well as the large things of life.
 
I think of the many times when I was working on some construction project when you narrowly prevented accidents, like when the large rock fell off the stonewall and just nicked the end of my thumb—if my thumb had been ½ inch further in, it would have been cut off! Or when my arm caught in the handle as I jumped off the backhoe and even though I was left dangling, my arm didn’t break.
 
Lord, you have been very active in our lives. You have been with us in the trouble you allowed to come, and then saved us out of it each time. You have delivered us from all our fears as well as dangers.
 
You are wonderful and faithful, powerful and ever present, always true to your Word. You are worthy of praise, of honor, of glory, of adoration, of worship. We bow before you in awe, we rise up to love you in obedience, we go forth to praise you throughout this day for whatever you will bring into our lives in your wisdom, love and grace.
 
Prayer: “Lord help me to live in the truth of your goodness and the light of your guidance. Help me to see your provision and protection, and praise you for them. Help me to obey what I know to be true about you. I thank you now for the answers you will send. Amen.”
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