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Lifting My Soul To God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 5, 2016
Today is an example of “lifting my soul” during the ongoing team conflict that occurred several years ago, which I mentioned a few days earlier. Lifting our souls (telling God what we are thinking, feeling, wanting and measuring these against God’s character) is the way to get things out, to give ourselves perspective, to remember who the real enemy is and to seek God’s help.
 
Had trouble getting to sleep: was cold, had to go to the bathroom several times, so 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 and wise and faithful you are.
 
You are the star breather, the One who arranged them into galaxies, who put our solar system in just the right place so we can observe the universe, who hung the earth on nothing, who put it in just the right orbit at the perfect speed, who tilted its axis and spun it perfectly so each day and night are of optimal length. You set each condition of the solar system exactly right so that carbon-based life could exist on earth. Praise 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 to us what you will use for good. This present painful situation, these messy and hurtful circumstances have come with your permission and you are using them to develop us 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 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 through our 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, 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 us through it all.
 
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Conformed to Christ

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 4, 2016
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 perpetural Perfection.
 
You are the One I can trust today, the One who rules every day, who rights, who redeems, who restores, who reigns in every circumstance. You are God, you are Great, you are Glorious and you are Gracious.
 
I commit 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 such breaking, I love the outcome of seeing you more, of worshiping you better by faith, of growing in trust, of seeing your great power at work.
 
In thinking about my inability to bring a good resolution to the team conflict mentioned earlier, you used my failure 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 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.
 
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A Poem of Worship

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 3, 2016
 
From EDIFIED!
 
Here’s a poem of worship, flowing from meditation on Psalms 62:1 and 73:25. May it encourage you as it did me.
 
 
Whom have I
in heaven but you?
And Earth has nothing
I desire besides You.
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Elohim—Creator
Adonai—Master
Yahweh—Savior
Nissi—Defender
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Stars’ Creator
Day’s Designer
Life’s Sustainer
History’s Ender
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Creation’s Redeemer
Sinners’ Savior
Hearts’ Transformer
Mansions’ Maker
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Strong Shepherd
Living Bread
Church’s Head
Judge of all dead
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Day Giver
Need Provider
Spirit Refresher
Soul Purifier
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Heart Pursuer
Spirit Lifter
Soul Lover
Heaven Bringer
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Worthy of Praise
You Ancient of Days
Your name we raise
In endless praise.
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy!
 
Whom have I
in heaven but you?
And Earth has nothing
I desire besides You.
Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy, Period!
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Light in Darkness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 2, 2016
Praise you this morning, Lord, for your provision of a wonderful bed, of a warm house, of a fine wife, for Josh being here to visit us, for challenges in life.
 
I praise you for your perfect faithfulness, perfect love, perfect wisdom, and perfect provision. Because of these I can rest in you in the midst of difficulties. No matter what, I can choose to exalt in you and take shelter in you. I give you honor, glory and praise, for it is your due.
 
But all the exaltation I can give you is far smaller than what you deserve. I praise that in spite of what I am, you have given me the privilege of being a called member of your family, of being allowed to give you worship, and having the privilege of praise in every moment of life.
 
It is a glorious thing to belong to you, Lord Jesus, to walk with you, to bask in your love, to gaze upon your beauty, to be in the process of transformation.
 
I praise you again, Lord God, my dear Heavenly Father, for the weaknesses you have put in my life. Primarily I think of my inability to help my little wife get well. Yesterday was another relapse with what appears to be low sodium; this brings on confusion, and loss of memory. Giving her lots of electrolyte drink and salty foods seems to help, but doesn’t bring her up to proper levels.
Praise you that we already had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for today and that he ordered a blood test yesterday to determine her sodium level. He will tell us what to do medically from there.
 
But in this midst of this setback, you are at work. As a result of it Barbara is bringing out more and more of the things that bother her, wrong thoughts, ideas and feelings that have entrapped her for years. Now under the pressure of her illness these are surfacing so they can be dealt with. And in my weakness I desperately need God’s wisdom in how to proceed from here in helping her.
 
Lord, I praise you for your answering my long term prayers for ongoing growth for us both. You have answered with problems; we determine to respond with praise. I thank you now for the wisdom, direction and help you will give today, and tomorrow, and on into the future. Amen.
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Beautiful Words

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 1, 2016

Each morning as we drive to Barbara’s group therapy sessions, we sing this song together. What beautiful words to describe beautiful thoughts about our beautiful God’s creation.

 
Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world
 
Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
 
Mine is the sunlight
Mine is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise ev’ry morning
God’s recreation of the new day
 
–Steven Curtis Chapman & Eleanor Farjeon
 
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Psalm 35:28

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 30, 2016
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 His 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, being 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 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. You, O Lord, are trustworthy.
 
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Being a Glory Giver, not a Glory Stealer

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 29, 2016
From Edified
 
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”
Hebrew 13:15
 
My plane had taken off from Istanbul over an hour late and was now circling Frankfurt for the second time. It was 6:15, my train left at 7 pm. and my train ticket was for this train only. It looked doubtful that I would make it. I could feel the tension of worry building in my body.
God often gives me tests like this, opportunities to trust Him, Will I praise Him in faith, or worry in fear? If I give a response of faith and praise, then God gets great glory, for we are all being watched continually in the battle of life by spiritual beings—angels and demons—as well as people. If I give in to fear, I rob God of glory because I am worshiping the idol of having everything go my way, of being comfortable.
In this case, with His grace, I remembered to praise Him while still struggling with worry, and the inner tension lessened. After the plane landed, I quickly made my way to passport control, then to baggage claim where I waited for my bag—and waited and waited—another chance to turst and praise. Finally it came out. Then there was the long dash to the train platform—I got there with 7 minutes to spare. Whew!
Then it began again, for my train was late! Late enough so I would probably miss the next connection. Another chance to praise God! And I did, this time with more enthusiasm, telling Him that if He allowed me to miss my next train, I was sure He had something better for me.
That is a key aspect here: if our plans don’t work out, we can be certain that God has a better plan. We can trust Him with that. If we are praising Him in the midst of the changes and challenges, we will be more alert to the opportunities He will give, having us meet someone, be an example, share a word of comfort or witness.
In the end, the other train waited for our arrival and I made it home that night. In all this God showed Himself faithful again, while giving me a chance to grow in my faith.
Each such “test” is another chance to put a brick in the wall of faith that God is building in our lives, a chance to live by truth, to give Him honor. We just have to recognize what is happening: “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord” (Ps. 50:23).
 
Prayer: “Father, help me to praise you when things are not working out, when failure and problems loom. Help me to be a glory giver, not a glory stealer, praising in faith based on your good character. May you be honored in my life today. Amen.”
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Psalm 35:24-27

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 28, 2016
 
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 these comments on Psalm 35, I was involved in helping a group try and resolve a conflict. The leader, who had been confronted by his teammates on abusive leadership, maintained that he was blameless and all the rest of us, including those he asked to help him, 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 pride, such self-righteousness, selfish ambition and self-deception. 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, for what you will do, 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; may he come to a true and deep repentance and thereby to a greater usefulness for you, Lord. Thank you for leading us 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, gracious and loving.]
 
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, vindicating your servants, Lord, may you be exalted as we obey you, 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 so that you can eventually bring us out into wider, greener pastures.]
 
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Swampy Days

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 27, 2016
From Edified!
 
“I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.”
Psalm 119:168
 
Recently I spent two weeks on a difficult spiritual trek, slogging through a swamp of mists, mud and mind-numbing darkness. I was wrestling with some serious negative issues with no discernible positive outcomes. And the negatives were amplified by my not being well physically.
 
While in this swamp, the Spirit challenged me to continue to use all that God has taught: praise, journaling, confession, meditation, reading the Word and prayer. Doing these took a lot of effort because I really didn’t want to do them. It was like struggling through deep mud, taking one difficult step after another without any seeming progress. Living the truth that “Knowing Jesus is enough for joy, period!” had to be done on faith, without any positive emotions and against plenty of negative ones.
 
One night I went to sleep meditating on Psalm 31, “I am like a piece of broken pottery, I hear the slander of many, there is terror on every side…but, I will trust in you, Lord. I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hands….’”
 
The next morning while still in the last of my dreams, Psalm 62:1-4 welled up in my mind, “My soul finds rest in you alone….From you comes my salvation…you only are my rock….” As I came out of sleep, I noted a difference: I found myself on the edge of the swamp, the Son was shining and there were the first discernable rays of joy in my heart again.
 
The situations hadn’t changed at all; the uncertainty was still there, the hard choices were still going to have to be made. But God’s Word proved true again: focusing on Him and obeying what He had taught brought me out of the swamp and into the light once more.
 
If you are struggling with something, let me encourage you to keep going to Him, processing your thoughts and emotions, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving, thinking Truth, encouraging yourself in the Word, meditating on Scripture, knowing that He is at work and will bring you out.
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone.”
 
Prayer: “Praise you, Lord, that your precepts and your statutes guide me in what is right, that they protect me from what is evil and give me light to move forward. Help me to keep on doing what is right no matter what, to keep on thinking and trusting your Word. Forgive me for my unbelief. May I bring you honor by walking in truth and obedience today. Amen.”
 
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Psalm 35:19-23

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 26, 2016

Continuing in Psalm 35
 
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, wanting his power, wealth and standing. Satan has the same motives 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.
 
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, nurturing our first love for Him.]
 
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. Let us follow David’s good example, and make “my God and Lord” our refuge right away!]
 
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