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Mercy and Truth

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 17, 2024

More thoughts on Psalm 86:15, “you are a God who is full of compassion, gracious, long suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.”

You, Lord God, are rich in mercy and truth—mercy and truth for us are opposites: one soft and pleasant, the other hard and unyielding. Only you, Lord, could put these two together!

You don’t shy away from pointing out our sins (truth) and at the same time do not give us what we deserve (mercy)

As it says earlier in Psalm 86, “Among the gods there is none like you, neither are there any works like yours…. You are great and do wonderous things.” You are, in a sense, too good to be true, but you are more than true, for you are Truth itself: immutable, unwavering, solid and eternal.

I praise you that you are full of compassion, gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy and truth. Help us all to live in the light of that Truth!

This picture shows  Jesus combining Truth (sin requires a sacrifice) with Mercy (redeeming his enemies).

May be an image of 1 person

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What a wonderful God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 17, 2024

Lately I have been re-memorizing Psalm 86, where the wonderful description of your character stands out:

“you are a God who is full of compassion, gracious, long suffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.” Vs 15.

Yes, You, Lord, are full of compassion—loving, kind , ever doing good and forgiving.

 

You are gracious—giving us the opposite of what we deserve. In spite of our wicked unbelief and rebellion You pour out blessing and provision in every area:

–physically with food, water and shelter;

–emotionally with acceptance and approval;

–mentally with guidance in clear thinking;

–spiritually, giving us the Holy Spirit to live within;

–futurely—giving us meaning and purpose, hope, belonging and a certain future.

And You, Lord God, are long suffering—never abandoning us as we zigzag through life, giving you pain every day as we disobey, go our own way, trust ourselves rather than you.

You never tire of correcting us, chastening us, caring for us.

Truly, there is no one like You, Lord Jesus, You who has done great and wondrous things. As we face new challenges in life, help us to remember who you are and trust you.

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Walking in the light

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 15, 2024

“I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.”  Psalm 89:1,2

 

I’ve been meditating more on Psalm 89:15, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,” meaning those who are learning to recognize you in every detail of the day, to be aware of your constant work in their lives and therefore to praise you in every circumstance. They see frequent “God sightings,” as you clearly meet their needs.

These believers, “… walk in the light of your presence….” They are aware of your faithful attendance to them, of your being with them, shining your wisdom into their lives, lighting the way.

“They rejoice in your name all day long, they exalt in your righteousness….” You are their focus, your qualities are guiding their thoughts, and therefore their actions and reactions, “for you are their glory and strength.” They are constantly looking to you for help, drawing their significance from you, aware that belonging to you is a great joy, that you are the meaning of life, the importance of existence, sharing your greatness with them.

Walking in the light of his presence is a decision we can make every day, every minute. What are we waiting for?

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Daniel’s Example

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 15, 2024

Today I read in the book of Daniel, chapters 1 through 6. In this reading, five of Daniel’s characteristics stood out.

When Daniel requested to exchange the king’s food in favor of vegetables and water, his supervisor said no and Daniel didn’t argue, but he also did not give up. He went down one level in administration and asked his guard, offering him the same 10 day trial of his proposed diet. This time the man said “yes.”
Here we see his all characteristics:
–he was full of faith knowing God would help him;
–he was respectful,
–resourceful,
—courageous
–and persistent. The Lord honored him in this.
As we look at each instance in Daniel’s life we see these same godly qualities again and again. When faced with the King’s order to have all the wise men executed, Daniel respectfully asked the executioner why, and then asked for time, which was given.  Then he went to the king (that was a dangerous thing in itself) and asked for time to learn the dream and it was granted it. In all this he trusted God and was respectful, resourceful, courageous and persistent. And you know the outcome with God revealing the dream and its interpretation.
Daniel was also an example to his compatriots, Shadrack, Mishek and Abednigo, and they exhibited the same qualities, standing firm in the face of a terrible death. threat. And God honored their obedience and faith.
And in the last incident with the lion den, Daniel did not cave to fear. He did not alter his behavior to protect himself, not shrinking back from doing what he knew to be right. He did not protest, but accepted the king’s order and trusted God. Again, you know the outcome.
Because of his outstanding qualities, Daniel served under four kings and saw one become a believer.  We should also cultivate these qualities in our walk with the Lord: be full of faith,  respectful, resourceful, courageous and persistent, and watch him bless you as He did Daniel!
picture from lionofjudah.ucoz.com
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The Doorway for God’s Glory

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 12, 2024

The last verse of Psalm 50 reiterates this powerful truth of thanksgiving: “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me and prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” (NIV)

How often have I blocked God’s help by a rebellious heart, by an unthankful attitude? By my complaining rather than trusting?

This truth of Psalm 5f0:23 is a vital one for us in this difficult Middle Eastern country we lived in as we are continually faced with attacks of all kinds from the enemy. But in giving the “sacrifices of thanksgiving” we can open the way so God can turn these seeming defeats into victories—something we have seen happen often.

Like the time our 6 year old went to the corner grocery store to buy bread (a very common practice here) but didn’t come home! We thanked God for what He was doing in this crisis, and looked for him but no success. Then there came a knock on the door and there stood the daughter of the janitor of our former apartment building. She said she found him a mile down the hill still looking to buy bread! This happening reopened our relationship with that family—God had a purpose and a plan.

When we trust, that brings glory to Him instead of to us. When we give thanks, we express our faith in God’s wisdom in allowing this situation and in His power to straighten it out!

Prayer: “Lord, lift my eyes and thoughts to you when difficulties come. Help me to remember to give thanks for what I don’t like so I can give you glory and cooperate with you in bringing your desired outcomes. Amen.”

May be an image of body of water, nature, twilight and grass

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God’s Phone Number

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 11, 2024

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.”  Hebrews 13:15

As I was reading through Psalms in the NIV, a new aspect of an old truth leaped out at me. Ps 50:15 has often been called “God’s telephone number:” “…call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will honor me.” But, the preceding verse gives two conditions to be fulfilled before we call upon the Lord in our day of trouble. “Sacrifice thank offerings, fulfill your vows in the Most High, and [then] call upon the Lord….”

First we are to give thanks in all.

Then we are to obey what we know to be right.

And third, we are to call on God as our first resort, not the last.

“Sacrifice thank offerings”—this points to the fact that to give thanks in and for all things is not an easy, inexpensive response. It can require great self-denial and sacrifice. In difficult, disappointing, painful situations it requires going against our emotions, sometimes against logic, and usually against the opinion of the crowd. But it opens the way for the Lord’s helping us.

To offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving is getting up the shield of faith, so we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one: fear, worry, anger, jealousy, and lust, among others. Giving thanks focuses us on God, the fact He has a plan and calls us to holiness. This focus makes these temptations fade in power, and as we look to Him we can quench these fires.

Just call God’s phone number and see his help roll in!

May be a doodle of 1 person

 

 

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Better Perspective

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 10, 2024

God has  higher plans, greater purposes for us than we can know. We, however, like the Israelites, persist in our rebellious ways, refusing to trust Him. “…. they did not believe his promise” (Ps 106:24b).

We look not to God, but to the problems before us; we fail to recognize that each difficulty, each obstacle, each burden is a chance to see God’s promises come to pass, to see Him act, to bring Him glory. We fail to flee to the Word, to remind ourselves of God’s promises and how He fulfilled them in the past.

“They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD” (Ps 106:25). Lord, we fail to praise you for the difficulties you allow in our lives. We choose NOT to see them as a call to action, to an adventure with you, a chance to join you in your great redemptive plan for the universe. We see only our own inconvenience.

Therefore we grumble, bringing great dishonor to you—our unbelief, our rebellion against your Word and Character steal glory and praise and honor from you before the unseen hosts of demons and angels, from before the people around us, from our own eyes. We dishonor you for the sake of our own convenience!

Forgive us, Lord God, Heavenly Father. For your name’s sake cleanse us, bring us forward in our relationship with you. Help us to spot our sins, our selfish tendencies, our self-absorbed self-serving, self-centered orientation, and to reject them all.

Help us to walk instead in the light of your gracious, powerful, wise and loving presence, lifting up your name in praise for all that comes to us:

— both light and shadow,

–what is pleasant and distressing,

–positive and negative,

–health and sickness,

–success and failure,

–fulfillment and emptiness,

–fruitfulness and frustration.

For then we will be joining you in your great plan of redemption and transformation of all.

May be an image of scorpion grass and French lavender

 

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Higher Plans

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 9, 2024

“Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.” Psalm 106:3

Lord Jesus, you love righteousness and justice. You who are pure and perfect, you call us to your high and holy standards, promising us blessing when we keep them.

But sadly, we do not do this consistently, for we are so self-centered, so self-willed, so self-serving. Just like the Israelites, “We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly…they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea” (Ps 106:6,7).

In our crises, large and small, we, like the Israelites, forget your goodness, forget all the ways you have helped us in the past. Instead we get impatient and wallow in disappointment and self-pity. We look only at our own plans and lack of self-fulfillment, forgetting all that you have done in our lives: the protection, the provision, the prayers answered, the many positives.

But, Lord God, even when we don’t repent, you are patient and good to us, fulfilling your purpose for us, as you did with the children of Israel: “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known” (Ps. 106:8).

You have higher plans, greater purposes, deeper reasons for acting than just dealing with our sins—you save us in spite of what we are and give us a significant part in your plans. You have mercy because of your great heart of love for all, because of your great and mighty plans for the future.

Help us to be able to see things from your perspective and walk with you in what you are doing!

May be an image of nature, tree, grass and road

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Certain Help

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 8, 2024

‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him….’ “  Psalm 91:14

 

You, Lord Jesus, are faithful, you are the epitome of follow-through. You speak a promise and it will come to pass. You bind yourself with a Word and always do it.

For instance, in Psalm 91:1 you powerfully declare, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” There is no doubt, no possibility of failure in this rest, if we remain in the protection you have provided.

I praise you, Lord God for your righteousness displayed here:

you cannot lie,

you always follow through,

you promise and act,

you continually keep your word.

I praise you that your character never changes:

your Word never fails,

your faithfulness never ends,

your presence never ceases,

and your love endures forever.

Psalm 34:4,5 show your faithfulness to bring your promise of help to pass, even in storms like in this picture:

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.”

He deals with our fears before our problems. He is wise, good and trustable!

May be an image of water hyacinth, lake and grass

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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 7, 2024

Dealing  with difficulties

In Jeremiah 1:19 God calls to us, “‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.” All He wants is our admission of our own inadequacy, weakness and need. With that, we can step back to prayer and let the Almighty One do the work in and around us, obeying Him in the part He has for us, rather than carrying the burden of the whole matter.

However, we tend to fight, push, work and strive against forces we neither understand nor can possibly defeat. All the while our Lord patiently calls to us, “Come, take refuge in me, let me fight this battle for you.” Our reply should be, “…the LORD has become my fortress, (like in this picture) and my God, the rock in whom I take refuge” (Psa. 94:2).

Our part is to pray, praise and trust while we attend to the daily duties that really do belong to us. At the right time and in God’s way these desired things will come to pass–as He deems best. In the meantime, our Lord is more interested in the development of what we are than in what we get done. As my wife is fond of saying, “Waiting on the Lord is the greatest economy of time.”

Prayer: “Lord, help me to bring my problems, frustrations, failures and dreams to you, to leave them with you and to be faithful in obeying you in the mundane duties I know are your will for me to do. May you fight for me, may you bring to pass all that you desire. I praise you now for what you will work out. May you be glorified in it all. Amen.”

May be an image of Eltz Castle

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