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Lifting My Soul to God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 7, 2018
Today is an example of “lifting my soul” during the team conflict that occurred several years ago, which I mentioned a few days earlier. Lifting our souls is telling God what we are thinking, feeling and wanting, then measuring these against God’s Word and character. It is the way to get things out, to give ourselves perspective, to remember who the real enemy is and to seek God’s help, surrendering to Him.
 
Had trouble getting to sleep, then was awake often, struggling with negative thoughts about the team’s conflicts. Praise you, Lord Jesus, that in the midst of this turmoil, you led me to think about you and how incredibly powerful, wise and faithful you are.
 
You are the star Breather, the galaxy Arranger, who put our solar system in just the right place under one arm of the Milky Way, so we can observe the universe and see the works of your hands.
 
You hung the earth on nothing, put it in just the right orbit at the perfect speed, tilted its axis exactly and spun it perfectly, so each day and night are of optimal length. You set each condition of the solar system precisely so that carbon-based life could exist on earth. Praise be to you for you great wisdom and power displayed in that.
 
So it is with our lives: in your mighty power, your deep wisdom, your gracious love, you bring or allow what you will use for good. This present painful situation, these messy and hurtful circumstances have all come with your permission and you are using them to develop us as leaders and give opportunity to develop our followers.
 
Lord, help us to let go of our feelings of failure and frustration, and instead to stand firm in Truth, such as, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials, knowing this, that the trying of our faith works patience. And let patience have its perfect work that we may be perfect and mature” (James 1:2,3).
 
Help us to swim in the current of your Truth, Lord, letting you carry us along in the right direction. Help us to reject despair, feeling sorry for ourselves, to reject the embarrassment of failure along with our weariness and to instead embrace what you bring by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Help us to thereby honor you and open the way so that you can show us the salvation of the Lord.
 
I thank you now for what you will do with this mess, for how you will work in and through it to bring growth, transformation and deepening for us as leaders so that you can bring the same thing to all involved in the midst of this situation.
 
I praise you in faith, Lord God, our Great Shepherd, our Glorious Transformer, our Wonderful King. As you used the sins of Joseph’s brothers to provide a way of salvation for the Jews and many others, so you can use the sins in this situation to bring about good and progress for us all. Do that Lord, move in your might, defeat the plans of the enemy, bring glory to yourself. Answer us out of your faithfulness, your righteousness, your goodness and your power. Answer to bring glory to your name, honor through your might and maturity to your children. I praise you now for the answers you will send. Amen.
 
Epilogue: God did not resolve the situation as I desired, but He did answer to deepen and mature most of us through it.
 
Picture of what it looks like this morning, April 7, in Maine (although the picture is from CT–after a system update on my phone, I can’t figure out how to upload my new photos to my computer!)
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Maine View

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 6, 2018
We are in Maine today, visiting very good friends, a healing time for Barbara–when she lets it be.
 
On the way up we visited old friends from Egypt in lower MA, then to Gloucester to visit my cousin and her husband, where we had a very positive and profitable visit spiritually; the next day into Boston to Harvard Square to visit one of my disciples, then up here to Maine where I’ll speak in church on Sunday, returning to Canterbury in the afternoon.
 
God watched over us each step of the way, helping when the power on my phone was about to give out, leaving us without gps help, waking me when I fell asleep while driving and getting us to a gas station just in time when we needed it. Great God, great help, great peace.
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Making Good out of Failure

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 5, 2018
 
I praise you, Lord God, for your great Love, your persistent Faithfulness, your mighty Power, your wide Wisdom, your deep Knowledge, your pure Righteousness, your perpetual Perfection.
 
You are the One I can trust today, the One who rules every day, who rights what is off, who redeems what is lost, who restores what is broken, who reigns in every circumstance. You are God, you are Great, you are Glorious and you are Gracious.
 
I commit myself to praise you with all my heart, with all my being, all the time. I choose to embrace what you bring, what you reveal, what you allow. I thank you for my failures, which point me away from myself to you, breaking me of self-reliance, of pride, of independence, of selfishness.
 
Thank you for your very specific working in my life, your personal, careful, exact plan to fashion me more into the image of Christ. While I do not like it when this includes breaking, I do love the outcome of seeing you more clearly, of worshiping you more deeply, of growing in trust, of seeing your great power at work.
 
In thinking about my inability to bring a good resolution to the group conflict mentioned earlier, you used my failure in this to reveal my unhealthy desire for success and praise, my pride, my selfishness, my wanting a specific time table.
 
Well, all that cannot be changed now, but I can repent, change and grow through it all. To you be glory in it, Lord. I see right now that this failure is a blotch on your name, but praise you that you can turn it into a positive as you desire.
 
Thank you for helping me to recognize my weakness, my smallness, and to see more clearly your greatness and power. It is such a wonderful thing to be your child, to be your servant, Lord, to join you in what you are doing. Help me, help all of us to be humble, to discern what you are doing and to join you in it so we can bring you glory and honor.
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And that is what we are!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 4, 2018
Today’s devotional in EDIFIED! is so uplifting, I want to share it with you.
 
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1
 
Heavenly Father, I share John’s wonder at this astounding truth: that you, the Holy God, the Righteous One, the Just Judge, the Good Creator King, would want to take your enemies, meaning every human being–evil, depraved, ugly, stubborn, rebellious and destructive as they are—and, if they are willing, to transform them into new creatures and adopt them as your children! What a turn-around: to bring your adversary into the palace and place him into your family, making him your heir!
Your astounding act of justification is the great gem of Truth in the New Testament—you, the Just Judge, by the propitiation of Christ’s shed blood, satisfied the law and bought for us, your enemies, complete forgiveness, restoration, eternal life and a place in your plan. By your work, Lord Jesus, we stand justified before the court of heaven.
 
Adoption, however, is another matter altogether. Justification is a forensic idea, meeting the demands of the law, coldly correct, handed down in court. In contrast, adoption is a family idea: warm, welcoming, accepting, being offered to a new position of privilege and grace. And this is what you offer!
 
This Agape love of yours is astounding. In one way, it is a brutal love–brutal to you the Lover, who gives and gives, unswayed by the lack of positive response from the rebellious, self-centered, unbelieving, negative objects of your love–us. This love, so painful to you as you are grieved daily by our rebellion, is so gracious to us: caring, kind, forgiving, correcting, guiding, rebuking, nurturing, providing, directing, cherishing.
 
In making us your children, Heavenly Father, you have invited us into the deep, intimate relationship you have with the Lord Jesus, giving us what you gave Him in His time on earth: grace, affection, fellowship, honor, and authority. As you loved your only begotten Son, so you love your only adopted children. “Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ”!!! (1 John 1:3).
We must stand in awe, in wonder, in thankfulness, Lord God, at your desire and ability to love us so. You have made us those in whom you delight and rejoice. You are gloriously great in your patience and goodness as you faithfully work in us, suffering grief every day at our hands as we, in our laziness, selfishness, pride, rebellion and unbelief, choose to disobey you and do our own deadly deeds according to our own puny plans. And this instead of responding to your invitation to join you in your glorious and great plans for restoring the universe to its pristine pre-fall condition. But you forgive us and continue to work lovingly in our lives.
 
Praise be to you for the greatness of your gift to make me part of your family, your beloved child who is desired, treasured and deeply, dearly loved.
 
However, the real point of these monumental truths is not my acceptance, fulfillment or joy—and these are certainly some of the gifts you pour out on your children—no, actually the point of all this is that you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in your great, illogical, magnificent love, are worthy of praise and exaltation, worship and honor.
 
You are a wonder—no, you are THE Wonder of the world, of the universe, of all time and eternity, and I choose to praise you, the Eternal Ruler, Lord God, King of all time.
 
God, you are my Father and I praise you; Lord Jesus, you are my brother, my fellow heir, my Savior and God, and I praise you; Holy Spirit, you are the indwelling, transforming One and I praise you for your deep, patient work in me. I give you glory and honor, exaltation and praise, for that is what you deserve.
 
Prayer: “Forgive us for failing to marvel at, revel in, exalt in and glorify you for this great and uplifting privilege of being your children. I thank you, praise you, rejoice in you, lift you up and honor you. I commit myself to obey you, Father, just as my elder brother, the Lord Jesus, loved you in obedience. May glory be to you forever and ever. Amen.”
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Psalm 35:28

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 3, 2018
David, envisioning God protecting him and exonerating him before his foes, finishes his Psalm with this commitment:
 
Psalm 35:28 “My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long.”
 
[At this point God had not yet acted to deliver David, but since he had appealed to the goodness and love of God, to the power and the faithfulness of his Lord, he was confident of help coming. So David promises to be a man of praise, continually exalting his Savior.
 
This must be my practice, too, whether things work out according my desires or not.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, that you are in control, that I awake each morning to your safeness, to your surrounding love, to your eternal faithfulness, to your indwelling, unceasing presence. You are always here, patiently unfolding the intricate plan you have for my life, giving me wisdom, direction, endurance, grace, love and joy.
 
It is only in you that we can have joy, for without you this world is meaningless, randomly dangerous and utterly pointless. You, however, are here as our Rock, our Foundation, our Fortress, our Shield, our high Tower and our Deliverer.
 
In you there is order, meaning and purpose. In you there is protection, power and provision. In you there is love, light and life. In you there is goodness, grace and greatness. In you there is caring, compassion and completeness. In you there is healing, help and hope. In you there are answers, reasons and wisdom.
 
To live without you is death in delayed degrees, ever spiraling downward towards eternal destruction. With you there is life with ever increasing light, love and joy, ever spiraling upwards towards our eternal home.
 
So, in you I can rest–for in you I am protected, in you there is rightness and clarity, even in the most difficult of situations. I thank you for the great privilege of being your child and praise you now for the outcome of the present challenges in my life, for whatever you will do in our situation with my wife’s illness and other adventures. You, O Lord, are trustworthy.
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Psalm 35:24-27

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 2, 2018
Psalm 35:24, 25 “Vindicate me in your righteousness, O LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me. Do not let them think, ‘Aha, just what we wanted!’ or say, ‘We have swallowed him up.’”
 
[A number of years ago, when I first wrote this devotional on Psalm 35, I was involved in trying to help a group resolve a conflict. The group’s leader, who had been confronted by his teammates on abusive leadership, maintained that he was blameless and everyone else, including those he asked to help him, like me, were wrong. He thought he’d “swallowed us up” as he steamrolled us with his logical arguments, not realizing that he was demonstrating exactly what his team mates objected to!
 
Lord, protect us from having such blind pride, such self-righteousness, such selfish ambition and self-deception. I am certainly capable of these, too. Expose such sins of ours to us quickly so we can, unlike this leader, immediately repent and avoid bringing dishonor to your name.
 
I thank you, Lord God, that your wisdom is much higher than ours: you are always firm and clear in what is best. I give you glory and honor for what you are doing in our lives.]
 
Psalm 35:26 “May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.”
 
[Lord, may Satan and his hordes all be brought to shame in their attempts to bring disunity and distress. Even years later this leader I mentioned has not accepted his fault and continues to hold a bitter grudge against those who tried to help him; this is distressing to all involved and dishonoring to you.
 
Thank you for leading us all to forgive him as you have forgiven us. In faith I give you praise now for what you are doing in the turmoil this man has caused, for you, Lord, are good and gracious, loving and wise.]
 
Psalm 35:27 “May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, ‘The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.’”
 
[Yes, may YOU win, Lord, vindicating your servants as you see best; may you be exalted as we obey you in humility; may you be the One who is lifted up in our joy and gladness at your goodness. We can trust you in all things, knowing that you lead us through the dark valleys, on difficult paths like the one in this picture, so that you can eventually bring us out into wider, greener pastures.]
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Resurrection Day

Published by S.M. Wibberley on April 1, 2018
Easter Morning!
 
This is the celebration of the greatest event of history, the most expensive transaction of all time, the most painful purchase of all known events, and the greatest rescue of all the stories ever told.
 
Jesus, after resting on the Sabbath day after His death, rose up to roll over Satan, to shatter death’s grip, to blast a hole in the wall around the kingdom of darkness, to let in the brilliant illumination from the Kingdom of Light and Love and Life, thawing the frozen hearts in the devil’s domain. In doing this He prepared the way for millions of prisoners to walk free of condemnation, to be embraced, adopted, forgiven, cleansed, transformed and join God in His mighty Plans to bring all creation back to the pristine perfection of the beginning: a new Heaven and new Earth.
 
Hallelujah, Christ is Risen, and we are risen with Him!
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Psalm 35:19-23

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 31, 2018
 
Psalm 35:19 “Let not those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; let not those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.”
 
David had a lot of enemies who were jealous of his position, power, wealth and standing. Satan has the same motive in attacking us.
 
We have been given eternal life, while he is doomed to eternal death; we have the Holy Spirit living in us, the power of the living Lord, while he is separated from God; we have been made heirs with Christ while he has lost all; and we are children of the King, members of His family, citizens of His Kingdom and partners in His great plans, while Satan is an outcast, a loser and a reject by his own decision.
 
He will do whatever he can do to help us forget who we are in Christ and urges us to veer off onto our own selfish course of life and action, just as he has done himself and tempted Adam and Eve to do.
 
Psalm 35:20, 21 “They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. They gape at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.”
 
[Satan uses people and their unjust accusations to pressure us to get our eyes off of God and onto the natural desires for safety and comfort, significance and fulfillment. And yet in Christ we already have a super abundance of each of these!
 
We must be careful to listen to truth, recognizing the lies of the enemy, and we can do this by daily reveling in the richness of belonging to Christ, by nurturing our first love for Him, and by rejoicing in His living Word.]
 
Psalm 35:22, 23 “O LORD, you have seen this; be not silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord. Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.”
 
[David here makes exactly the right move: when threatened he comes immediately to God for help, seeking input from Truth Himself, from the Most Powerful and Wise One. Sadly, prayer is usually our last resort when it should be our first response. Forgive us, Lord, for trying to do things on our own; help us to follow David’s good example, and make “my God and Lord” our refuge right away!]
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Jesus Let Go, Held On and Rose Above

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 30, 2018
Thoughts for Good Friday
 
On the night before he died, Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. It is enlightening to note what is written before this event:
John 13:3-5 says, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist, and began to wash his disciples’ feet…..”
 
Note that Jesus knew three things that allowed him to perform this lowest possible task.
1. He knew who He was, the Ruler of the Universe, as
the Father had put all things under his power
2. He knew where He had come from: His throne in Heaven,
that he had come from God the Father
3. He knew where He was going: returning to His Father in Heaven.
 
The next word is “so,” followed by washing the disciples’ feet.
 
He could let go of cultural norms and shame because He knew who he was, where he had come from and where he was going, That is, because He had the whole picture, he could rise above any shame and perform this lowest of tasks.
 
What about us? Do we know who we are, where we have come from and where we are going? If we grasp these three facts on an intellectual, emotional and volitional level, we can readily do the lowest task without hesitation, following in Jesus footsteps.
 
So, who are we? Sons and Daughters of the most High King–redeemed rebels who have become royalty, the accused who have become ambassadors, condemned criminals who have become co-workers with God in His great plan to redeem and recreate the universe!
 
Where did we come from? Out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Light.
 
Where are we going? Into Heaven, into the presence of God for eternity, into the arms of Jesus as His Bride.
 
These truths will help us to live as Jesus did, letting go of what is temporary and small in the light of this big picture, holding on to what is eternal and great, then rising above whatever comes into our lives.
 
Let’s think about how Jesus let go of what He had, while he held on to who he was, so he could rise above whatever came.
 
He let go of the glory he had from before the beginning of time and became restricted to a human body, totally submitted to his parents, He held on to His love for the Father, and rose above his abhorrence of sin as he had to live with it for 33 years.
 
He let go of his comfort and pleasure in heaven, coming to live on the earth with fleas, lice, stench and dirt, with evil, suffering, injustice and death. He held on to who He was, the Son of Man, the Son of God, and was able to rise above the terribleness of life on a fallen planet.
 
He let go of His full part in the Trinity by limiting himself to a human body. He held onto his relationship with the Father and the Spirit, praying constantly, following the Father’s direction in detail, and rose above the unbelief of those around him, above the unfaithfulness of his followers.
 
He let go of the privileges and position he had in Heaven where the angels constantly worshiped Him. He held on to the knowledge of what He was going to accomplish on the earth–the salvation of all who will believe–and he rose above the attacks of men, the shame of doing the menial, and the fear of what people think.
 
He let go of his own will. In the garden he prayed, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, but your will be done, not mine.” He held on to the Father’s wisdom and faithfulness, and was able to rise above the terrible physical suffering of beating, whipping and crucifixion; of the emotional pain of being rejected, abandoned by his followers, of the spiritual agony of being abandoned by his Father.
 
He let go of the appearance of failure in his death, He held on to Truth of what was going to happen and was able to rise above defeat, death and the devil to bring light and life to the whole world.
 
We, too, like Jesus, can let go of the values of this world, the ideas of the creatures and culture around us, hold on to the Truth of God’s Word, His love for us, His plan, and rise above whatever difficulties, attacks and pain comes into our lives, like the eagle in this picture (off the internet).
 
Knowing who we are, where we have come from, and where we are going can empower us, as it did Jesus, to deny self, take up our cross and follow Him in serving others.
 
An eagle in flight with upturned wing-tip feathers

 

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Psalm 35:11-16

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 29, 2018
Today we look at a darker part of Psalm 35 where David lifts his soul to God in distress, seeking relief in the attacks coming against him.
 
Psalm 35:11-13 “Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good and leave my soul forlorn. Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting.”
 
In the daily spiritual battle, Satan often uses those around us to attack and accuse us. Those we have done good to now stand and oppose us, accuse and blame us.
 
This can be disorienting, as two versions of the past collide, perhaps causing us to question our own sanity. David needed a touchstone of reality, so he remembered how he had been so kind and concerned for those who were now attacking him:
 
Psalm 35:13b, 14 “When my prayers [for them] returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.”
 
[But these same people had just the opposite response when David was down:]
 
Psalm 35:15,16 “But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; attackers gathered against me when I was unaware. They slandered me without ceasing. Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked, they gnashed their teeth at me.”
 
[Note that these were “like the ungodly” meaning they were probably believers, people who had been close to David.
 
So we, too, can experience injustice and evil from fellow believers who are pursuing their own agendas rather than God’s. And, like David, we must look to Jesus for help.]
 
Psalm 35:17-18 “O Lord, how long will you look on? Rescue my life from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you.”
 
[Your timing, O Lord, is right, but to us suffering always seems to go on too long. Thinking of my wife’s illness of depression, I cry out, “Act, Lord, and bring the changes, bring the deliverance that is needed.”
 
And then, “Lord, help us to wait through well, learning what is necessary, giving you glory in praise through it all. Answer for the sake of your Name, for the sake of your Glory, O Lord.
 
“I can and will praise you now, Lord, for how and when you will respond. For you are wise and good and gracious, making us lie down in the green pastures of depression so we can grow and be more useful instruments in your hands. May you be glorified in our lives.”]
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