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Psalm 11:1-2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 11, 2018
 
Psalm 11:1 “In the Lord I put my trust;”
 
[Yes, Lord, I willfully choose to trust you, not myself, not people, not circumstances, not power, nor politicians. You alone are the One to rest in, for you alone are All-powerful, All-knowing, All-seeing All-present, and All-loving.
 
Therefore, I choose to praise you in and for all things–all the proof we need for trusting you, Lord, is found in your faithful, sinless, pure and positive character, displayed in the rich outpouring of your Love in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, I choose to trust you.]
 
“How can you say to my soul, ‘Flee as a bird to your mountain’?”
 
[No mountain will save me, no mountain will love me, no mountain is impregnable. Only You, Lord God Almighty, are the actual, adequate refuge and strength needed; you alone are my High Tower, my Mighty Rock and my Stronghold.
 
To you, Lord, I will flee when worry, fear, danger or loss threaten. To you I will offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving—praising you when it costs me, when I don’t feel like it–thereby honoring you and opening the way for your salvation to come to me. Your help is all I need.]
 
Psalm 11:2 “For look! The wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow on the string, that they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.”
 
[If I fly to temporal help, I make myself vulnerable to attacks of the enemy. If I set my heart on a desired solution rather than God’s glory, I have made myself open to attack, to loss, to failure, pain and death.
 
However, if I set my heart on praising you, Lord, rather than on having my way, my desire, my plan, than you will shield my head in the day of battle.
 
I may not get what I desire, but I will be able to exalt your name in praise, fulfilling the purpose you have for my life and live in the freedom of knowing you will do what is best.
 
What a privilege to live for you, my Great King, Ruler of the universe, Spinner of the Earth, Bringer of the dawn, Beginner and Ender of time. You are the One to be exalted, praised, honored and worshiped.
 
So I bow before you now in surrender, I will rise up before you to obey you this day with all my heart. May the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to you, my mighty Rock and my Redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)]
 
 
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Delighting in Jesus, from EDIFIED!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 10, 2018
 
“‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
Isaiah 40:25, 26
 
Last night, Lord, I thought about context, and how important it is in our walk with you. When we fall into troubles, if all we see is that trouble, we are disappointed, frustrated and discouraged. But if we have the larger context of you and your great and wide plans in the situation, then our response is couched in your perspective and can bring glory to you.
The larger context is this: You are the Great, Glorious, Gracious Creator of all, the Breather of stars, Source of the solar system, Spinner of the earth, Bringer of the Dawn. You are the Sovereign God: All-powerful, Almighty, All-knowing, All-loving.
When your creatures rebelled against your goodness, you in your rich grace and fathomless love, entered this sinful world, suffered greatly, died painfully, rose powerfully and bought us back. We deserved Hell, but instead you gave us Heaven. You chose us before the foundation of the world, in spite of the great cost to you.
You called us, you cleansed, forgave and transformed us. You equipped us for and assigned us to special service wherein we are empowered to do what has eternal importance. You gave us significance and security in yourself. You made us your beloved children. You delight in us, rejoice in us, cherish us.
Everything that comes to us is filtered through your love and power. You give us opportunity to glorify you by faith. You give us opportunity to be weak so that your power may be seen in our lives. You are moving history to a conclusion and taking us with you.
What a difference this context makes! Wow! To live with you, to live for you, to be your child, your ambassador, your herald, your workman, your messenger, your servant, your partner in work, your fellow heir, your brother, and in the end, your bride—what great and marvelous privileges.
You are a wonder, O God, for all these gifts you have given to me, your enemy, the one who rebelled against you for so many years, who is stubborn in selfishness, slow to learn, who gives you pain every day in my willfulness, my self-dependence, my trusting myself instead of you, in my grieving and quenching your Spirit. How great is your love, how great is your forgiveness, how great is your grace.
You, as my Savior-Shepherd, have now allowed a new difficulty (challenge, adventure) into my life. Looking at it from my perspective it is unwanted, painful and negative. Looking at it from your perspective, it is good and profitable possibility. You will give me the grace, not to just cope with it, but to more than triumph over it and to give you honor and glory through praise in the midst of it.
No human being could ever think up a God like you; you are too good to be true! And yet you are more than true as you are Truth itself: pure, clean, shining, solid, sure, unchanging. You are the only One to be trusted fully. We glorify you, we lift you up in praise, we rejoice in you and in your making us your beloved children. Great are you, Lord and wonderful is your name.
 
Prayer: “Today may you be lifted up in my life, glorified in my living, exalted in my being, my Lord Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of the universe, and Shepherd of my soul. Amen.”
 
(Picture from the internet–David Bowman Art)
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God Sightings

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 9, 2018
This week I had a number of God sightings in a potentially humiliating moment. While sitting in my cardiologist’s office, I realized that I’d locked my keys in the van! Immediately the Spirit prompted me to give thanks instead of complaining and castigating myself. And to not worry about making it to two other appointments we had that morning.
 
When we left the office, I tried to get in the van, but to nothing worked. I tried to call a neighbor who could bring me a spare key, but he didn’t answer. Then came the first God sighting: I noticed that the very back “wing” windows of the van were open–a possible way to get in. I tried to force them open further, but to no avail.
 
Then I decided to walk half a mile down the street to the repair shop of a friend who might be able to help, but he was gone. Then I saw the Ace hardware store a little further up the street and the idea came to buy a hacksaw there–that was God sighting number two. I also got another customer to give me a ride back.
 
I then cut the opening mechanism on the right, back window and went into the Dr’s office to get Barbara. When going in I noticed a waste can right by the door; the receptionist said I could borrow it. This was God sighting number three, for without the extra height the waste can gave me, I never could have gotten in the window.
 
Barbara then held the window pane back while I stood on the waste can and wriggled in the very small opening, and was able to lock the doors from inside. Thank you, Lord, for the adventure of seeing you answer our prayers for help.
 
We were than able to make it to two other medical appointments we had that morning. And I could share those God sightings with a good number of other people, encouraging them, too, to trust God in midst of each “adventure.”
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Magnificent Majesty

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 8, 2018

Thank you, Lord, that all which will come to us today, will come from your hand.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your wonderful wisdom, working consistently in the lives of your children, bringing guidance and goodness, difficulties and protection.

You know what is best, you know what is right, you know what is loving, for you are the wise and powerful One, that entirely good One whose heart is set on bringing glory to yourself through doing what is good and merciful.

I praise you that in your mercy, you bring positive pressure on us to see truth, to come to ourselves and surrender to you. You are the One we can trust, the One who is our refuge and strength, our joy and wisdom, our Shepherd and King.

Through challenges and adventures (including suffering, tragedy and persecution) you give us opportunity for faith-responses, for glory-giving, for grace-demonstrations, for clenched-teeth praise, for faith-filled obedience. These provide opportunities to fulfill the purpose of our existence: to bring honor to you, to be reflectors of your glory, exalting your name and your Word above all other things.

I praise you now for another day, another opportunity to live for you, to live by faith, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and thereby honor you while opening the way so your salvation can flow further into my future and that of those around me (Ps. 50:23).

May you be glorified today in my thoughts, actions and words, may those around me be touched by your Spirit overflowing from me. May grace be the fragrance of my life. For your glory may I be a strong aroma of life to those around me who are looking for truth. May many more be swept into your Kingdom. Amen.

 

 

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From EDIFIED!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 7, 2018
 
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalm 50:14,15
 
I could feel the old, familiar tension rising as I approached the traffic light: would I make it through before it turned red? If I didn’t make it, I’d have to stop and wait, losing precious seconds! Worry, impatience, discontent all started to flow.
 
Then the Spirit brought to mind the verses in Psalm 50 that I’d been meditating on, highlighting the privilege of giving thanks no matter what happened. “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me and prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God” (Ps. 50:23). This was followed by some insights on patience which came because the light did turn red and gave me a chance to think.
 
Patience is more an outcome than a quality: it flows from our relationship with Jesus. The more intimate our relationship is, the more patience will flow. This is because patience comes from knowing the character of God, knowing that He has a plan. It comes from exalting Him in our minds and hearts, grasping ever more deeply how big, powerful, wise, just and merciful He is. It comes from knowing that He is in control and is working things out on His time table, not ours.
Patience comes from trusting Him instead of trusting our own judgment which leads to worrying. It comes from accepting that He is in control, protecting us from what is truly evil, developing our character, carrying us forward to His goals. It comes from laying aside the idea of getting our plans accomplished and seeking instead to join God in what He is doing. It comes from setting our hearts on things above. It comes from abiding in His love, obeying the Truth He has given us.
That is why there is no place in Scripture where we are told to pray for patience. Rather, we are told to be worshipers and confessors (Psalm 34:1-3, 1 John 1:9). When we exalt God for His greatness and power, and in the light of this, confess our lack of trust, our fears, our selfishness–and instead focus on Him, our impatience melts away in the light of Truth. So when the traffic light turns red, instead of groaning, we can say, “Thank you, Lord, for what you are doing with this interruption.”
Prayer: “Lord, today I want to walk in the Truth of your character. Help me to remember how great and good you are when I am tempted to be impatient. Help me to rest in the knowledge of your power, your perfection, your patience at work in my life and move through whatever comes, trusting you to work out what is best. Amen.”
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Psalm 23:6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 6, 2018
Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;”
 
[Goodness and mercy are your constant gifts to your children, Lord; it is a certainty that in each situation you are pouring these out into our lives. Very often we cannot see them at the moment– but when we can look back at a difficult situation, there they are: goodness and mercy were following us!
 
An example is the disappointment I had recently. After waiting two weeks for an overhead door installer to come, he only did half the job and then left, saying, “I’ll be back in about two weeks!” I could see no goodness and mercy in that! But, the next day while talking to one of my disciples, I found that he had worked as a door installer and he offered to come and finish the job for me.
 
We both profited: he needed some extra income; plus he knew where to get the springs I needed at a very reasonable price; and I got the doors done earlier. We both saw God’s goodness and mercy in the first man not finishing the job.
 
This pattern has been and will be true throughout the whole of our lives with you, Lord Jesus. You are always faithful, you are consistently good and you are deeply merciful– whether we can see it at the moment or not. Praise be to you my wonderful Shepherd!]
 
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
 
[What a hope for the future: I WILL be in your presence for eternity. Therefore, death need hold no fear, the shortness of life no panic, the uncertainty of future no threat. We dwell in hope as we press on to what you have for us in this life, and more so in the next.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the One we yearn for, live for, hope for. And our hope is as certain as your Love, as your Word, your Power, and your present Presence! Glory and honor are due your wonderful Name, Lord Jesus. May my life give you that honor today as I trust you through praise and thanksgiving in and for all–before I see your goodness and mercy.
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Psalm 23:5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 5, 2018
Psalm 23: 5b, “You anoint my head with oil;”
 
[Shepherds put oil on the heads of their sheep to keep away pesky insects, to heal wounds, to refresh and so when the sheep butt heads, they will slide by and not be badly injured.
 
Oil here can represent many things: the Holy Spirit, protection, blessing and healing. You, Lord, provide for us all these blessings and more in your gracious giving, pouring out continually from your unending, inexhaustible store of riches.
 
As it says in Ephesians 1:2 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who HAS blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians goes on to detail some of these blessings:
–He chose us before the foundation of the world.
–He has made us holy and without blame before Him in love.
–He predestined us to be adopted as His children.
–It was His good pleasure to adopt us.
–We are accepted in the Beloved, Christ.
–In Him we have redemption through His blood.
–We have the forgiveness of ours sins according to the riches of His endless grace.
— And in 1 Peter 1:3 it says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life….” ]
 
Truly, “My cup runs over.”
 
[You, Lord, give us what we need–and far more. What I actually need is air, water, food, clothing, shelter and love. But when I look at all you have given me, it is way beyond that, much more than what I need spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically, socially, financially and in every other realm.
 
Now it is my privilege and responsibility to share these with others, to let your blessings flow through me to those around me. For example, the joy you give me should bring joy to others as I am kind, thoughtful, positive and helpful to them, whether I feel like it or not.
 
The material provisions you’ve given I should be sharing around. The spiritual riches you give I should also be passing along, for, in your Kingdom, getting and hoarding is not the norm, but receiving and giving.
 
So, when we go to church on Sunday, we can go filled with the Lord’s riches and grace as well as insights from our quiet times during the week, ready to give to others as they have need, as well as to receive what the Lord may have for us. May we continually overflow with the wonder of our walk with our Shepherd, Jesus, bringing encouragement, hope and perspective to all around us.]
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Psalm 23:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 4, 2018
 
“I will fear no evil for You are with me….” Ps 23:4b
 
You, Lord God, are ever present, ever with us, your little lambs. If there is evil threatening, you are there, watching, providing, protecting in whatever way you deem best.
Often we are living in limbo, in fear of possible danger or disappointment, uncertain of what is going to happen. When the doors to the future open, we have no idea what is on the other side. But there is one thing we can be sure of: that you are there on the other side of that door, waiting to greet us with the path prepared.
 
As you announce in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In you we can rest.
 
“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
 
The shepherd’s rod is a stout club to beat off attackers. Your rod is powerful, effective, more than sufficient to protect us from whatever Satan can bring against us–for you are invincible, undefeatable and all powerful. You have already won every battle at the cross.
 
And then there is your staff, the shepherd’s crook used to guide and correct your sheep as we stray. You are faithful to warn us when we wander willfully out of the way: you tap us on the shoulder, or you pull us back, giving us a wack if we need it. You guide us persistently, even when we insist on rebelling, trusting ourselves rather than you.
 
You are absolutely faithful, fully wise and eternally good. Praise you that your pristine and positive character assure us of your perpetual protection and provision, all shown in the next phrase:
 
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”
 
As the good Shepherd, you bring us into positive places to graze. On the edges of the pasture may lurk wolves, bears, lions, or the great serpent, Satan. Their presence, however, does not need to disturb us, for you are our protector. No one can skirt you, no one can thwart your plans or purposes. We can ignore the threats of the enemy and quietly, peacefully feed on what you have given, resting in your goodness, greatness and glory.
 
You are our Shepherd, our Warrior King who has defeated the enemy. As we remain in the shelter of your Word, your Way, your Wisdom, praising you in and for all, we are safe from true harm. You may lead us through many challenges, but in these you will protect and carry us through as we follow you. Help us, your little lambs, to do so today.
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Psalm 23:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 3, 2018

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;”

[At least one of the paths of righteousness you will lead me on, Lord, goes through this dark valley. It may be a time of dying to a desire, to my will, to a possession or it may be physical danger and sickness or death of a loved one or myself. Whatever it is, I do not need to fear that evil will triumph.

There may be loss and suffering, but in the end, evil will not win because Jesus is already the Victor and I belong to Him.

Think of Paul in his shipwreck described in Acts 27. In the midst of a great storm there were days and nights of uncertainty where Paul was cold, wet and hungry; and then the crashing of the ship into a sandbar and everyone having to swim to shore through crashing surf. There was evil: the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners, Paul included, so they couldn’t escape, but that was prevented. Then the viper bit Paul, but God protected him and no harm was done.

It was a dark valley, but in it, the witness of Paul shone brighter in his faith, in his declaration of God’s sovereignty, in his prediction (all possessions will be lost, all people will be saved), and in his being protected. Without that dark, the light would have not been seen so clearly.

As we take refuge in His love, power and truth, God does not always protect us from what will harm us physically, but from what would harm us spiritually. Then we can shine in the darkness of this world as a light house for those seeking Truth.

The valley of the shadow of death is not a threat but an opportunity to fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring the One who walked this road before us and will walk with us through it again. So, let us look to Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).

Let us follow the advice of the Word to “throw off everything that hinders [our natural worldview] and the sin that so easily entangles [addiction to comfort, selfishness and security, to name a few] and run with perseverance the race marked out for us [some of which will go through the valley of the shadow of death], fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2a) and we will come out on the other side, into a pleasant place: “He brought me out into a spacious place, he rescued me because he delighted in me” (Ps. 18:19).

 

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Psalm 23

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 1, 2018
Home again from the hospital, doing well.
 
Psalm 23:1, 2 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
You, Lord Jesus, as my Shepherd, MAKE me to lie down in green pastures—you don’t ask what I think or want. You select the pasture I need now and keep me there as long as is necessary so I can grow and deepen, mature and develop to become more like Christ, a better instrument in your hand.
 
Joseph in the OT didn’t particularly want to be a slave, or go to prison, but those were the green pastures you had for him. And there he learned to deny self, to live for you and to be a good administrator. This made him fit to save many others, including his family, the Egyptians, and the line of Jesus–so the Messiah could be born and eventually save us!
 
When finding ourselves in green pastures that aren’t pleasant (sickness, time in the hospital as I just had, loss, disappointment, heartache or failure, to name a few), we can follow this advice: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you KNOW that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
 
In the hand of our Shepherd, difficulties are directive, problems are providential and heartaches can be healing if we cooperate with Him, continuing to lie down in the green pastures He selects.
 
A key aspect here is to embrace what He brings with thanksgiving rather than just suffering through with discontent and complaining. To embrace is to receive grace, to complain is to reject it: “God resists the proud [who reveal their pride by complaining] but gives grace to the humble [who accept with thanksgiving what He brings]” (James 4:6).
 
So, let’s trust Him to know what is a green pasture for us and join Him in what He’s doing in and through it, in and through us.
 
 
 
 
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