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In The Flow

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 20, 2018
 
In continuing our thoughts from yesterday, when we wake up in the morning and find ourselves there with God, we are not only in His hand, we are also in the stream of events that He is orchestrating around us and in us.
 
Each event is designed to carry us forward in the tasks and purpose He has for us. In one sense, We are moved on whether we know it or not: “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps” (Pro. 16:9).
 
In another sense, we are given opportunities every day to replay the Garden of Eden story: we can do our own selfish thing or join God in His great plan. For instance, we can complain and gripe, or join Him through praise and thanksgiving; we can do our own petty things, or, in obedience and self-denial, standing in awe of Him, surrender to His higher and greater purposes.
 
To live in these truths allows us to see more of the wonders God has poured into our lives: meaning, purpose, protection, challenge, adventure, security, significance, honor, goodness and guidance–to name a few.
 
Each day is a new opportunity to join our Heavenly Shepherd as He leads us forth into the pasture of the day, to know that we are moving upward and forward in the perfect plan, in the race that He has laid out for us, filled with purpose and potential for providing Him glory, for defeating the enemy with praise, for seeing others swept into the Kingdom.
 
The negative feelings which will arise from our flesh–feelings of uselessness and purposelessness, of alienation and fear, of self-condemnation and shame–are an affront to this reality. In Him, in the proven Truth of His Word, we can turn from these feelings to Truth and live in the light of His presence, His purpose, His plan that is for our good and His glory.
 
Praise be to you, Lord God, for your mighty, unswerving, unstoppable, wise and wonderful plans, into which you have brought us. Praise you that we are in the great stream of your history, where you are moving things to a righteous conclusion and carrying us with you. Give us discernment so we can wholeheartedly join you in what you are doing.
 
Praise you that our trust can be in you, rather than our own feeble wisdom and inadequate strength, rather than in the government or the weather or money or power. In faith we praise you now for what you are going to do today, this week, and in the rest of our lives.
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It Will Happen!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 18, 2018
One of the wonderful aspects of the truth we looked at yesterday–that God has a plan for good, laid out for history and for us–is that God is absolutely faithful: He plans, and then unwaveringly, inexorably and powerfully keeps on course.
 
This is obvious in the dozens of prophecies given in the Old Testament which are exactly fulfilled in the New Testament, many of them thousands of years after being given. God promises and He brings it to pass, period.
 
The rebellion and evil of Satan, of men, or of me cannot derail His purposes. He has the infinite ability to weave our evil actions into the overall outcome of the good that He desires. As Joseph said to his brothers near the end of his life: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Gen 50:20)
 
This is also seen in Daniel’s life, where every attack on him resulted in more glory for God and more influence for Daniel. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (Pro. 19:21).
 
This was especially encouraging to me as I watched Barbara spiral down into depression and helplessness. God has a plan here and I can trust Him, join Him in it, knowing that in the larger picture, He will use it for our good.
 
God’s faithfulness assures us that He will bring the right outcomes at the right time. His plans are so certain that they can be expressed as finished before they come to pass, calling Jesus, “…the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” Rev 13:8b. The certainty that Jesus would die for us was so solid, so set in stone that God was able to express it as being done before history even began.
 
You, the living God, the Triune Lord, are all we need, for you are the faithful Creator and Ruler of all. To you be glory today as I join you in your plans, listening to your Spirit, living in your power according to your Word, being a being of praise. May you be exalted in my life today. Amen.
 
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Living in His Plans

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 17, 2018
 
Lord, I praise you that I did not wake up alone this morning, for you were there, waiting for me, ready with the elements of this day, carefully arranged, wisely laid out, lovingly prepared. Truly, “My times are in your hands…” (Ps. 31:15).
 
As human beings, we live in the river of history where events propel us through the day, the week, the year and beyond. The vast majority of these events are outside of our control, swirling in and out of our lives without our desire, beyond our power: wars, floods, famines, storms, political changes, economic shifts, accidents, illnesses and deaths.
 
These come and go in seemingly meaningless, random patterns, empowering some, snuffing out the lives of others, bringing and taking prosperity, uniting and separating families and strangers.
 
Even on a personal level I have only a certain amount of decision-making control, mostly in how to spend the time, money and energy given me.
 
In the limited scope of my life, this seems to be quite a bit of power, but outside events can easily disrupt this control: an accident, sickness, loss of income, a fire, a storm, a fight ending a relationship-any one of these can come to me easily without my wanting or being able to prevent it.
 
To think of how powerless I am is disturbing: human beings do not like weakness, randomness and insecurity. However, when we become a child of God, born again into His family, there is a great shift in this scene.
 
While the situation remains the same, one significant truth is added that alters everything drastically: all those events and things that are out of my control are fully and securely in the hands of our loving and powerful Heavenly Father.
 
He who breathed the stars into existence, who hung the earth on nothing, who set it in exactly the right orbit around the sun, who spun it at the needed speed on a perfectly tilted axis, who formed the mountains and valleys, who spoke the animals into life–He is the One who holds our lives, our future in His hands.
 
He is not only in control, He has a specific, detailed plan, one that will not fail: “…the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” And no one can frustrate Him in it: “The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples” (Psalm 33:11,10). No matter how hard we may try, we cannot circumvent what God has prepared: “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Pro. 21:30).
 
And what our Father has prepared for us is good: “‘For 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'” (Jer. 29:11). He may lead us through many difficulties, as the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, but these are for our good, our maturity, our equipping, our bringing more glory to God.
 
So, Lord God, I willingly submit myself to your plan for today, whatever it may be, painful or pleasant, difficult or delightful, and commit myself to honoring you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving for whatever will come.
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And Entry From My Worship Journal

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 16, 2018
An entry from my worship journal two years ago
 
This morning I slept until 7:45! I’d have liked to get up much earlier, as I usually do, but I praise you, Lord, for this. You know what is best, and I praise you for what you have allowed.
 
You are the God of glory, the Lord of Love, the King of kindness, the Ruler of righteousness and the Shepherd of strength.
 
To you we belong, as well as our time, energy, abilities, possessions and relationships. To you also belong trust, surrender, dependence, obedience and love. To you belong worship, praise, honor, fear, awe and glory. And to you belong wisdom, power, grace, goodness and holiness. All of these you share with us whole-heartedly, abundantly, richly, graciously.
 
Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for your sweet shepherding of us through the valley of the shadow of death, through the disappointments, hurts and difficulties of life, through loss, failure, pain and suffering, through conviction, repentance, forgiveness and restoration. You are wise and good in knowing what we need.
 
I thank you for the “limbo” we are in now with Barbara’s illness and the disorientation she is suffering. I praise you, Father, that you have things planned out: how long we must wait, the help you will give and the circumstances we will go through.
 
I praise you, the Sovereign God, who allows us the privilege of choice in our sphere of responsibility, and that you then weave together our choices, both good and bad, and those of others around us, to bring about the great conclusions you desire.
 
Praise be to you for the guidance you will give today, the protection you will provide and the strength you will grant. Help me to make decisions in partnership with you, bringing about what you desire for today.
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From Edified: Your Marvelous Works

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 15, 2018
“For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!” Psalm 92:4,5 ESV
 
O Lord God, you are marvelous and we see this in your creation, with the dizzying array of size, shape, variety, color and texture in plants, animals and landscapes. You have shared with us your love of beauty, your graceful shaping, your wisdom in practicality, your intelligence in complexity.
I think about the million optic nerve cells in a developing baby in the womb; at one point, two sets of nerves grow simultaneously, one set from the eye and one set from the brain, joining at the right place, with each individual nerve finding and joining with its corresponding partner. This perfect weaving brings to our brains an exact image of what is before us. And all this is done in the way you designed.
You made our bodies to be so effective, so compact, so efficient, creating some parts to be amazingly multifunctional: mouths for speaking, tasting, eating, breathing, smiling and kissing. Legs for locomotion, lounging, lifting, lugging and loving.
You build into our being the ability to enjoy a wide range of experiences. You give us the joy of running, of relaxing, of sleeping, of walking in a snowfall, of feeling the warm sun, the crisp cold air, the tingle of frost, the drumming of rain.
You have given us the delight of flowers with colors vivid and gentle, deep and pastel, having tiny beautiful details within, gorgeous shapes without. I think of the rich purple of a tulip’s petals, sheltering the white stem within, like a lady wearing her three-pointed crown, surrounded by her deep brown guards-a tiny world of beauty, waiting to be discovered (as seen in the picture here).
You have made joy available everywhere. Think of the joy of a new born colt, staggering to his feet, shaking off the surprise of birth, running at his mother’s side. Think of the exuberance of a shooting star, streaking across the night sky. Or the contentment of a crescent moon in winter, cradled low in the West in the bare arms of up-stretched winter tree branches. Think of the happy croak of frogs on a warm spring night. Or the joy of a dog, greeting his master in the morning, tail wagging, tongue hanging out, smiling with anticipation of the day.
Your works give us joy, O Lord, they are marvelous, revealing to us your greatness, wisdom and beauty. And this is only a dim reflection of what it will be like with you in Heaven, where all will be more of everything: more beautiful, more vivid, more delightful, more tasty, more varied, more vibrant-for there will be no twisting of sin to mar our vision or your creation.
I exalt you, Lord God for your thoughts from which creation flowed, I glorify you for your marvelous and meticulous works. You are worthy, Lord Jesus, of eternal exaltation, of endless adoration, of timeless, whole-hearted worship. To you be glory in my life today and forever.
 
Prayer: “Lord, I stand in awe of you. May my thoughts, actions and words reflect this awe today to all those around me. Amen.”
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Psalm 34:21-22

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 14, 2018
Psalm 34:21 “Evil will slay the wicked;”
 
[we cannot play with evil and win. In the end it will devour those who indulge in it. The devil always destroys his own, of that we can be certain.]
 
In contrast, “the foes of the righteous will be condemned.”
 
[The righteous will be vindicated and their foes–those who oppose righteousness, including Satan and his minions as well as those humans who reject good and love evil, who refuse to bow before Jesus as God, Savior and Lord–they will be judged, condemned and sent to the holding place of wickedness, locked up forever.
 
Praise you, Lord, for your just and right hatred of evil, for your not allowing it into Heaven. You are purely good and only what is good will be allowed into the new Heaven and earth, continuing for eternity.
 
Praise you that you made the way to eliminate evil from our nature, to free us from both the essence and penalty of sin, to transform us from enemies into emissaries of your Kingdom, from being condemned criminals to cherished children.]
 
 
Psalm 34:22 “The LORD redeems his servants;”
 
[In you, Lord Jesus, we, your beloved servants, have been bought back from the kingdom of darkness, from dwelling in the land of the dead, from unseeing stumbling through life and ushered into the Kingdom of light, sight and life.
 
I praise you for your faithfulness in following through on your promises given in the Garden, Father, to provide a Savior and salvation for all. I praise you for holding open the gate of grace to every human being, continually offering eternal life to all who are willing to come, bow before you and receive your forgiveness.]
 
“no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”
 
[You, Lord Jesus, are the true and mighty Rock of refuge, the Place of protection and pardon, the Fortress of favor and forgiveness. Praise be to you for your lavish Love, your mighty Power, you great Grace and your persistent Goodness as you seek to bring all into your Kingdom, even though you know all will not come.
 
Your unending Love is so Great, so Mighty, so Eternal, so All-embracing, flowing on and on in spite of what we are. You are worthy of our love and adoration, our fear and obedience, our worship and exaltation.
 
Lord, today may you be glorified in my life because you are worthy. May you be lifted high in my being, exalted in my words, extolled in my thoughts, honored in my actions and magnified in my motives. To you belongs honor; may it flow bountifully to you today. Amen.
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Psalm 34:19-20

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 13, 2018
Psalm 34:19 “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all….”
 
[Being righteous in you, LORD, does not protect us from trouble–I think of Job and his trials, of Daniel and the multiple life-threatening crises he experienced. But as you were clearly with each of them, so you are with each of us in every challenge and will properly deliver us from every difficulty when the proper time comes.
 
You may deliver us at the moment, or in a while, or years later or at death; you know the best timing and we can trust you in it. I think of Abraham waiting for a son, of Joseph waiting to get out of prison, of Elisha’s flood of difficulties, of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Jesus in what they suffered. You were with each and delivered them at the right time and in the right way. Praise you for this promise which I personally can trust, even as my wife is in the midst of a distressing illness with no end in sight.]
 
Psalm 34:20 ‘he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
 
[Here is a clear reference to how you protected Jesus in His beatings, crucifixion, anguish and death. In spite of all the physical abuse he took, you kept his bones whole–every single one. You are the God of detail, of power, of total awareness.
 
So you also work in our lives. I think of the many times you have spared me in driving, times when I should have had an accident because of my own poor choices, but you sovereignly intervened and kept us safe.
 
You are God, you are King, you are wise and you are powerful. You are worthy of our trust. I surrender myself to you this day, willingly giving my life into your hands again.
 
Fill me with your Spirit, may He overflow onto to all whom I meet today. May you be honored and exalted in what I think, say, do and accomplish. May I praise you in and for all things. May your name be lifted up by my responses to whatever comes. I praise you for the privilege of exalting you in the midst of suffering. Amen.
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Protection!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 11, 2018
From Edified!
 
“Your faithfulness will be my shield and my rampart….”
Psalm 91:4b
 
Today, Lord Jesus, I walk in amazement under the canopy of your love, knowing that you look at me, not with tolerance, or thinly disguised disgust because of my stubbornly selfish responses, but you see me clothed in your righteousness! You look on me with delight, with joy, with pleasure, glad to have me as your child, as your brother, in your family, in your Kingdom.
 
You call me to meet with you each day as you stoop low to gather me to your heart, enjoying our interaction. I praise you that, contrary to all logic, you revel in our relationship, you delight in doing good to me, you rejoice in being my rampart, you savor shielding me from harm. And all this when I deserve the opposite: there is no earthly reason for your love; no, only heavenly reasons.
 
I praise you, O Elohim, that in your power and faithfulness you consistently shield my head in the battle of each day, you always stand as the rampart between me and the attack of the enemy; I can rest in you.
 
You are the Most High, the All-knowing, the All-present One, so you are never caught off guard, are never late, are never out-witted by the enemy. Your defenses are impregnable, your presence is unassailable, your plans are impenetrable: the enemy can never get by you without your permission; you are always the Victor in the end!
 
You, Lord Jesus, are a wonder, a marvel, majestically awesome, massively powerful. Your great compassion has sowed in me the seed of love for you, the seed of submission, the seed of adoration for you. As I gaze on you in worship with unveiled face, you are moving me towards living those sublime words: “Whom have I in heaven but you, and earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).
 
I adore you, I lift high your name, I revel in you, I exalt you. I offer you praise, glory and worship, O Great and High King, Lord of Glory, Ruler of the Universe, Judge of all, Redeemer of all sinners, Savior of all those who believe, Concluder of all history. You only are fully Patient and Profound, Gracious and Good, Pure and Perfect. You only are worthy of worship!
 
Prayer: “To you, Lord Jesus be joy, power, authority, victory and honor today, now and forever. Guide me in giving you glory this day. Amen.”
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Painful Progress

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 10, 2018
From the devotional book EDIFIED!
 
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires [“lusts” as KJV says] that battle within you?”
James 4:1
 
I was unhappy, very unhappy–and didn’t know why. I snapped at my wife and was impatient with my boys. I felt very tired. There was no sweet spirit of peace and pleasantness flowing out of my heart; instead there was the acrid stench of bitter selfishness.
Situations like this explode out of me periodically and I am taken by surprise when I act so badly. However, our gracious Lord, who knows all and controls all, was simply giving me another lesson in faith.
While this upheaval was going on, 1 Peter 1 came up in my devotions; verses 6 and 7 spoke clearly to this situation: “…for a little while you have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials, those have come so that your faith…may be proved genuine…”
Aha! One reason for the coming of these inner pressures is the Lord showing me where my faith is not genuine. I expect myself to be “spiritual” when in actuality I am a redeemed but desperately wicked sinner in need of God’s constant grace.
Turning to James, I read in chapter 1, “Consider it pure joy, brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (Jam. 1:2-3).
Again, here is the truth: God was using this distress to make me grow by giving new revelation of the depravity of my heart. And my responsibility? To give thanks even though I felt the opposite, and then ask forgiveness from God and from those I’ve trampled on and to repent, being kind to them instead.
Taking a pen and paper, I claimed the promise of Psalm 86 “…Rejoice the soul of your servant, for I lift my soul unto to you,” and began telling God all that was in my soul: my worry, fear, anger, frustration, selfishness and impure thoughts that had surfaced under the pressures of my unhappiness. One by one I brought them under the blood, and surrendered them to Christ, asking again for the filling of the Spirit. Then I ripped up the paper.
Along with this, I went to bed early and got a good night’s sleep. The result? Today has gone exceedingly well. The outward pressures of today are greater, my responsibilities more, but the Lord is strengthening my faith, leading to trust, praise and rest in the midst of turmoil. As He shows me my weaknesses, I can lift my soul in confession and surrender, and He is bringing joy to my soul. What a faithful and wonderful God we have-and what a powerful Word He has given us to bring light and peace.
 
Prayer: “Today, Lord, help me to remember how weak I am and how great and powerful you are. Help me to praise you in the difficulties of the day so your power can work in my life, so I can live in a way that will bring honor to you. Amen.”
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Wonder

Published by S.M. Wibberley on March 9, 2018
I praise you, Lord Jesus, that, in spite of things not going the way I desired yesterday, you gave wisdom and grace to respond with thanksgiving and surrender, to move through with grace and wisdom, not giving into fear or disappointment or self-pity. You are the One who ultimately decides what will actually happen, whether it lines up with my desires or not, so I thank you for your chosen goodness which you pour out constantly on me.
 
I praise you for your Eternal Goodness, your Rich Wisdom, your Almighty Strength, your Perfect Righteousness, your Exacting Justice, your Marvelous Mercy, your Expansive Grace, your Lavish Love, your All-pervasive Presence. I thank you for your Inscrutable Triuneness, your Tender Care and your Flawless, Unchanging Character.
 
You, Lord God, are the One to be worshiped, to be praised, to be trusted, to be obeyed. Forgive me for thinking too much of the details of life and therefore not reveling and basking more in the greatness of your Being, in the light of your Love, in the loveliness of your Life, in the goodness and greatness of your Grace.
 
You are worthy of honor, exaltation, magnification and thanksgiving in all circumstances. Your sovereignty, your wisdom, your love, your grace insure that you are moving the world to a conclusion of redemption, reclamation and re-creation, where evil will be eliminated and holiness will rule along with love and grace.
 
Therefore we can trust you in all that comes with your permission, we can think your Truth, see with your eyes, give you glory in thanksgiving and praise, and be carried by you to the conclusion you have planned.
 
I praise you for the joy of knowing you, for the salvation of your love, the security of being in your hand, the significance of being your child, the certainty of our future.
 
To you be glory and honor, praise and exaltation, for you are worthy, O Lord. You are the Creator, you are our King, you are our Shepherd, you are our God–you are Lord alone.
 
I bow before you now and surrender to you all you have given me. To you be glory in my life today, O Lord God, Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit. May all around me see you at work in my life; may your Spirit overflow from my being and touch all I meet. May you be the exalted and extolled One today. Amen.
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