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Entering A New Year

Published by S.M. Wibberley on January 2, 2017

Twenty-Seventeen–a new year, a new start, a white parchment stretching out before us, blank to the horizon. What will God write on it? What will we write? We cannot know now, but we do know that God is good and has prepared a course for us that will move us upwards and onwards, no matter how it may appear.

Hebrews 12:1&2 has been a great help to me this year, assuring me that God has laid out a path for us and that Jesus is running with us. It gives us the perspective needed to realize what great roles He has offered us in the midst of distressful happenings.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,”

[Indications are that we are being watched by many: angels, demons and those who have gone on before us who lean over the balcony of heaven to cheer us on, as well as the people who see us every day. We are not hidden in a corner, but are in the stadium, running for God, and our performance matters.]

“let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

[Realizing our role, we should eagerly look to jettison anything that prevents us from running well. This could range from too much phone/TV/movie/game time, to sin we are willfully engaging in. Like a runner shedding his street clothes, stripping down to just the essentials, so we should eagerly give up what hampers us in this race for life.]

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”

[It’s clear: God has set out a course for each of us; nothing is random, we cannot get lost as long as we stay on the path as it twists and turns, dips and climbs. The race will require perseverance, and endurance, but God gives those, too. Are we going to run or sit and feel sorry for ourselves when the climb is steep or the mud is deep?]

“fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”

[Jesus is running with us! And as we run, we are to keep our eyes on him, not circumstances, other people or our feelings. When we encounter difficulties, we can know they are for the development of our faith as Jesus works to mature and perfect it.]

“For the joy set before him, he [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

[We need to have Jesus’ attitude. As he faced the cross, He looked beyond to being seated again with God. We, too, need to look to where we are going (eternity with God), to count as nothing the shame we and the world try to heap on us, and to rest in the Truth of the coming new Heaven and new Earth. Charles Spurgeon said, “Christian, meditate much on heaven, it will help you to press on and to forget the toil of the way. This vale of tears is but the pathway to the better country; this world of woe is but the stepping stone to a world of bliss.”

So true! So let us run with perseverance and endurance the race He has set before us for 2017, keeping the big picture in mind, laying aside whatever hinders us, looking to Him, trusting Him, praising Him in all, following Him–and we will fulfill the purpose of our lives, honoring Him.

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Psalm 37:6,7

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 30, 2016
 
Psalm 37:6 “He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
 
[Praise be to you, Lord God, for you truly know where we are right and where we are wrong. When we are falsely accused, unjustly condemned, or wrongly attacked, we are to entrust ourselves to you. Then at just the proper time, you will clearly and publicly reveal where we are right in you.
 
The key is that we need to wait for your timing. This means be willing to endure wrong, to pass through the tension of others’ disapproval and condemnation, believing that you, Lord, know the truth and will bring it out at the right juncture. I praise you for the times in my life where you did exactly this, with those attacking me admitting in the end that they were wrong, without my forcing their hand in any way. I praise you, Father of Truth, that you are faithful to bring timely vindication of those who trust in you.
 
Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;”
 
[That can be so hard, so difficult. We want help and justification now! But you, Lord, in your wisdom and complete knowledge, have your perfect timing–which is usually different than ours.
 
“Why do you wait so long?” we cry. Yet you are at work, preparing all for the right time of revelation and deliverance. A good example is Joseph. You kept him in captivity “till the word of the LORD proved him true.” (Psalm 105:19). When Joseph had learned all he needed, then God acted and brought him out to Pharaoh for service.
 
And it wasn’t until more than eight years after becoming the ruler that Joseph was justified before his family, as they came to Egypt for food. Then his prophetic dreams came true as they all bowed down to him. It was God’s time.
 
Am I willing to wait for His timing? Things work out much better that way! Help me, Lord, to rest in you, to patiently trust you, to join you in waiting for the perfect time to answer my prayers–and thereby bring you honor before the great cloud of witnesses that surround all believers (Heb 12:).]
 

 

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Loved, Protected, Prepared

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 29, 2016
From my worship journal, written 5 years ago, but so relevant to our present dark situation.
 
Lord, I praise you this morning for the great and high privilege of knowing you, of being your child, of knowing how I fit into your creation. It is wonderful to have in you acceptance, worth and value, position, power and privilege, holiness, help and happiness. These are your gracious gifts to your children; I can find them in no other source.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are my Savior, my Shepherd, my Sovereign. I praise you for your great Love, for your Faithful follow through, for your pure Perfection, for your high Holiness, and for your gracious Forgiveness. You are always there, always loving, always good, always effective, especially when I cannot see or sense any of this. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them” (Psa. 34:7).
Image may contain: one or more people
(Picture from Museum of Biblical Art)
 
I praise you that you help me as I need it—which is all the time. I thank you for the difficult times you lead me through, I thank you for the problems, the disappointments, the anguish that are important for my growth and deepening (James 1:2-4), opportunities to give you honor (Psa. 50:23). I praise you for your care, your protection and your provision in the midst of it.
 
You, Lord God, are Mighty, Majestic and Magnificent; you are Great, Gracious and Good; you are High, Holy and Humble. You are worthy of worship, of obedience, of glory, of exaltation, of magnification, of honor, of praise. And I want to give all of these to you today.
 
Lord, at this time of such difficulty in my life, one of the most comforting, encouraging things about you is that you have a plan and a purpose in what you do: “The plans of the Lord stand firm forever and the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Psalm 33:11). You know exactly what you are doing and you are going to bring about your great goals no matter what the enemy, Satan, wants, what your enemies, unbelievers, do, or how your children rebel: “The Lord foils the plans of the nations and thwarts the purposes of the peoples” (Psalm 33:10).
 
I praise you with my whole heart, with all that is within me, for your wisdom, your power, your love and your faithfulness–all of which are displayed in your planning, promises and past performance. These give me great security, for when all seems to fall apart around me and in me (as it is now), I can know that you are at work bringing to pass your plans for history, for the universe, and for me.
 
Just as you were with Joseph, so you are with me. You were with him when his brothers sold him, when he trudged through the desert in shackles, when he was sold again in Egypt to just the right man, when he was put in prison, when the man who promised to help him forgot—you were at work, preparing Joseph for the great task of saving many and preserving the line of Christ, playing the role you had for him.
 
So you are doing in my life. I can trust you, no matter how bad things seem to get. I can know that you are carrying me forward, not because I deserve it, but because you are the God of Love, Light and Life who has proven your care for me, and for every other person in the world, over and over again. I can rest in your Truths when, from my perspective, everything is going wrong.
 
You only, Lord God, are my rock, my salvation, my high tower, my fortress, my sanctuary. In you I am safe, in you I am protected, in you I have refuge. I praise and thank you for your goodness to me in every way, none of it deserved, all of it appreciated.
 
I thank you for your care and protection you will provide for today. I bow before you in worship. I surrender to you my will, my life, my future. I rise up to obey you no matter how I feel. Help me to keep on the armor, to stand firm in your Truth, to follow you consistently. To you be glory in my life today. Amen!
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Light Bearers

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 28, 2016
From my worship journal, written December 2011 when Nat and Abby were visiting us in Germany with their first son, little Benaya
 
Praise you, Lord, that you are the One in charge, that you know what is best and that you allow things into our lives that we would never choose ourselves–events that will prove to be of great use to us and to you in the long run.
 
Benaya was awake quite a bit in the night, crying before 5 am so I got up, took him into the living room and shortly he fell asleep as we sat in the easy chair, both of us waking up about 7:30. He felt much better and so did I!
 
This gives me a late start in the day, which I don’t like–but it is your day, Lord, and I praise you for it. It is so good to be flexible and let go of things easily and quickly, moving on with you in what needs to be done.
 
Thank you, Lord God, that you are Sovereign, in control, moving things ahead, working with our errors and even our sins and the rebellion of mankind to bring about your over all plans. Praise you that no detail escapes your attention, that you arrange the smallest aspects to give all people the opportunity to hear and believe. Praise you that you love all, have provided the possibility of salvation to all, and work with all to bring understanding. As Jesus said, the Holy Spirit “will reprove the world [everyone] of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…” (John 16:8).
 
I praise you that you call us to partnership with you in this, giving us truth and wisdom, desire and guidance so we can be carriers of the gospel, purveyors of truth, giving light to all those around us. Praise be to you for your graciousness in including us in such a great and wonderful work.
 
You, Lord God, the Triune One, are worthy of worship and glory, honor and praise all the time. Praise you for your Word that gives revelation and insight, light and direction. I am so thankful for how, over the years, you have gotten me into your Word in mediating, in reading, in studying and, as a result, have brought continual growth .
 
You, O God, are the great and good One, before whom I now want to bow and worship, whom I want to fear and obey, whom I want to honor and exalt before all I meet today. Help me in this, Lord. Truly, it is a joy to belong to you, it is a delight to delight in you!
Image may contain: 1 person, sitting and baby
 
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Beautiful Disasters

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 27, 2016
From EDIFIED!
 
“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
 
The last few days of my time in the States in June brought one disaster after another. The almost new starter in my van went bad and the replacement one I had installed in PA cost twice what one did in CT. I got a sore throat the last night there, the beginning of a cold—and I didn’t have time to get sick. My plans to return to CT on the 17th were foiled by the decisions of others, making me wait until the 18th, so I lost one day of work in CT. My computer seized up and wouldn’t allow me to send email.
 
When I finally did leave on Friday for CT, I realized I’d forgotten to give an important item to someone and had to return to do that. On the way home the traffic was the worst I’ve ever seen, with numerous slowdowns, including going 10 miles an hour for 24 miles.
 
At the one gas station stop I made, someone was in the single bathroom for a long, long time. Then I locked myself out of the van by accident, with the keys inside. I was late in getting home, losing three hours of good work time. And the materials I’d ordered two weeks ago hadn’t been delivered yet! Then when we brought the pickup truck over to unload the roofing I’d brought, it ran out of gas halfway there. Then I realized that I’d forgotten the charger for my computer in PA, and since I was leaving for Germany Monday morning, there probably wouldn’t be time to get it.
 
In each of these happenings, I was weak: things certainly were beyond my power to control. And in each of these happenings the Holy Spirit said to me quietly, “Don’t complain; this is an opportunity to praise!” He had to remind me because I’m a slow learner–and with His help in each instance I did praise, for our God is Sovereign and Good, Wise and Strong. Everything that happens comes with His full knowledge as well as His purpose and grace. The chance to be weak, to appear foolish or to have plans foiled, are opportunities to give Him glory and to honor Him through the praise of faith.
 
As these burdens came one after another, with His help I carefully lowered each one before Him in praise, and was able to stand upright, unencumbered by self-pity, anger, frustration, disappointment, or complaining. Each event then became a step up in my walk with Him, an opportunity to take up His grace, to rest in trust and to rejoice. What a privilege to walk with such a God! What a privilege to go through difficulties so we can honor Him with praise.
 
And as I praised, He worked all out, true to Psalm 50:23, “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
 
I never really got sick. At the gas station I could get back into the locked van because the back door was not latched but tied shut to accommodate the roofing I was carrying. The building materials arrived early the next day and were exactly enough for the job. God sent people to help. All the work got done. The computer straightened out with a restart. The charger arrived an hour before I left for the airport, and He enabled me to be completely ready for the trip.
 
What a God we have! Even if things don’t work out as we desire, we can still praise Him for His wisdom and for how He will use this. Truly, Knowing Jesus is Enough for Joy.
 
“Lord, help me to always think in terms of Psalm 50:23, praising you in and for all things, knowing that you do what is best and I can trust you. Amen.”
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Safety?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 26, 2016
From EDIFIED!
 
“Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Ps. 127:1b). So it is with trying to protect ourselves.
 
We can make all the preparations we want, but unless you, in your great power, actually protect, there is not much that we can do.
 
Jericho comes to mind: high and thick double walls and a powerful army within, but against the Lord there was no defense as you caused the walls to fall, the army to be defeated and the city to be destroyed. Sodom and Gomorrah, Babylon and Tyre, Samaria and Jerusalem—at the right time your just judgment fell on each and there was nothing that any person could do to prevent the just destruction of these cities.
 
Without your care, we are totally vulnerable. With your care, we can live in your security by faith, in trust, with thanksgiving. You, O Lord God—Triune, Pure and Powerful—are worthy of praise, honor and glory.
 
Your Love, your Wisdom, your Grace are high, mighty, good and everlasting. Your character shines in holiness, gleams in goodness, sparkles in graciousness, illuminates in gloriousness–all exposing your expansiveness.
 
No matter what happens in my life, you, O Lord God, are worthy of worship, honor, praise and obedience. May you be glorified in my life today, Lord Jesus, as I trust in you with praise and obedience. Amen.
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Christmas Day

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 25, 2016
 
December 25, 2011 Christmas Day, the remembrance of the Savior’s entrance into the world clothed in human flesh.
 
As I look at my little grandson standing here beside the couch and see his weakness, his vulnerability, his need for help and protection, I think of you, Lord Jesus. You were willing to come in this ultimate form of weakness, into a dangerous, sin-warped world, to put yourself into the hands of faulty, selfish and sinful parents, who might not obey what the Father commanded. You were willing to be weak so that, in you, we might be strong.
 
And you, Heavenly Father, were willing to send Jesus into such a situation, to be attacked, chased from Bethlehem to Egypt and to Nazareth. He lived in the midst of disease, danger and distress, surrounded by the dreadful effects of sin in the lives of all those he met. Yet you were willing to send Him.
 
Praise you, Holy Spirit for accompanying Him, guiding the human Jesus with your divine wisdom, empowering Him at the right moments for suffering, healing many and a dreadful death.
 
We praise you that Christmas is also the ultimate in demonstrating your faithfulness, O Lord God, as you fulfilled your promises, made first in the garden of a coming Savior; you had already made all the plans and preparations and were ready to go.
 
Then over the thousands of years you carried through, working through the seed of Adam, the descendants of Abraham and the line of David, bringing together Joseph and Mary at the right time. Praise you, O Lord, for your wonderful, powerful, trustable and gracious faithfulness.
 
Praise you that in sending Jesus, you opened the way for a cascade of gifts to be poured into the undeserving lives of your rebellious, twisted, ugly creatures. the ones whom you knew would believe that Jesus is the Christ.
 
The first gifts are, becoming your beloved children, being in your family, being indwelled with the Holy Spirit and led by our Great Shepherd. Through these we have eternal life with you, we are equipped with the full armor to stand against the world, the flesh and the devil, working in a partnership with you.
 
You also give meaning and direction, guidance and greatness. You give peace, patience, protection and power. You provide growth, insight, wisdom and joy.
 
Being in the Lord Jesus we lack nothing–we have an abundance of goodness flowing from the glorious riches of your Kingdom. Praise be to you, Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, for your wonderful, rich provision and presence.
 
I give you glory and honor and praise for the length, the breadth, the height and depth of your great and enduring love, demonstrated so clearly on Christmas day
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Psalm 37:4b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 24, 2016
Psalm 37:4b [“Delight yourself in the LORD,”] “and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
 
[When we delight in you, Lord, we are giving you first place in our hearts. You become truly our God, our final authority; you are the Mighty Lord, ruler of our hearts; you are our first Love, the most important One in our lives.
 
Therefore, you can safely give us other things, knowing that they will not become idols for us. Whatever you give us will be a tool, not a temple, it will be a help, not a hindrance.
 
There is also a second meaning to this phrase, I believe. As I praise you, Lord, as I focus on you, delighting in you, worshiping you in all, you will put the right desires into my heart and then fulfill them in whatever way and time you know is best.
 
This means there will be a shift in my desires from self-centered and temporary goals, to loftier and more eternal ones. I will go from wanting God help me in my vision to wanting to join Him in His great plans.
 
For example, I will go from focusing on success and fulfillment to wanting God to have as much glory as possible. I will go from wanting to be comfortable and safe to wanting as many people as possible to come into the Kingdom. I will go from assuming my goals line up with His, to asking for Him to show me His goals. I will go from assuming my motives are correct, to letting Him guide me in examining my motives so I can reject the negative and neutral ones, and act out of godly ones.
 
As I delight in Him, there will be successive worldview shifts, for the light of His presence will expose where I am unconsciously acting out of my natural, western worldview. For example, delighting in Him leads me away from highly valuing comfort to delighting in “weakness, insults, hardships, persecution and difficulties.” It will lead to to grasping and internalizing the uncomfortable truth that, “…when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10)
 
Delighting in Him is what led us to leave everything in 1979 to live in the challenging and uncomfortable environment of the Middle East. Delighting in Him is what led us to each subsequent and difficult decision: leaving the Middle East to return to the US in 1993; returning to the Middle East in 1999; leaving again in 2008 to live in Germany. None of these moves were what I preferred, but delighting in Him made me want His plans more than my preferences. Obeying Him was the only viable option—the best and wisest one.
 
Delighting in Him is also the means of moving through the present difficulties of Barbara’s illness. His desire for our growth and our ability to give Him glory through offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving over and over, is far more important than our comfort or ease. His plans become much more important than ours.
 
Delighting in you, Lord, is the way to freedom from self, sin and Satan; it opens the way so you can place in our hearts your desires; it is the way to a healthy and happy dependence on you; it the way to the fierce and fine joy that you want to share with us.
 
Help us, Lord, to continually delight in you, to find our primary pleasure, our joy, our satisfaction in you, so that we may bring to you every day, honor and joy, praise and pleasure, glory and greatness. Amen.
 
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Psalm 37:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 23, 2016
Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD,”
 
[What an easy command to obey, if we are willing. There is so much in you to delight in, Lord. You are the loving and gracious One, full of kindness, goodness and thoughtfulness. You are richly generous, wisely firm, powerfully active and eternally faithful.
 
You are the good Shepherd, leading us well; you are the mighty Warrior, protecting us from the enemy; you are the Hater of sin, moving to eliminate it from the universe; you are the majestic Savior, providing a door of escape in the wall of condemnation; and you are the Bringer of righteousness, sharing your purity with those who will accept it.
 
You see all, know all, provide all that is good. You are all-present, all-seeing, all-knowing. You are always with us, protecting from true harm, leading us through deserts and dark valleys, bringing us out into wide pastures. You provide all the grace, refuge and wisdom we need.
 
You are the Creator, the Sustainer and the Ender of all. You are the Savior, the Sanctifier, our Supervisor. You are the wise One, the wonderful One, the winning One.
 
You hate sin but love the sinner. You perform the impossible in keeping your law while making a way to redeem us criminals.
 
You live outside of time, so you know the future. You are never late, always know exactly how to help and give us far more than we need. You give us constant God sightings, providing, protecting and helping us just when we need it. You thereby deepen our understanding of your love and develop our faith, if we are just willing to notice your often subtle work.
 
You are the King, the Ruler, the Sovereign, our Lord. You are worthy of worship, praise, glory and honor. To delight in you is not hard! Help us to actively do that through this day, giving you honor, bringing joy to us, and deepening our first love for you.
 
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Steady, Sure, Secure

Published by S.M. Wibberley on December 22, 2016
From EDIFIED!
 
“…I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.” Psalm 70:5
 
Praise you, Lord for your steady presence. As I think on you and your unswerving faithfulness to your Character of love and purity, goodness and forgiveness, faithfulness and grace, I find answering echoes in my own being—a rest in you, a growing trust, a desire to obey you, a lessening of the pendulum swing of my emotions. In you is safety, in you is security, in you is peace.
 
When I make a mistake, when I sin, you don’t jump on me or condemn me or reject me. You put the arm of your Spirit around me, draw me to yourself, tell me of your love, and graciously talk with me about what I have done wrong. You lead me into confession and repentance, reminding me of your purchasing pardon, assuring me of your faithful forgiveness, encouraging me to make right choices from here on. You are a gracious Father, a forgiving Lord, a loving Brother. In my relationship with you I am safe.
 
I praise you for your Spirit’s work of conviction, guidance, teaching and revelation. He shows us what we could never discover with our meager minds, our tiny thoughts, our rebellious research.
Praise you for your positive provision and your continuous care, your fine heart and your gracious intent. With you we have life, with you we have peace, with you we have hope, with you we can choose for joy. These we find nowhere else.
 
Thank you that you draw me on in this relationship with you, encouraging me to spend time with you, to think your Word, to see as you see. I praise you for your great patience with me, correcting me over and over again, teaching me over and over again, slowly moving me upward on the steps of life while willingly enduring the pain I cause you in my wrong choices.
 
You are the well-spring of all good; without you life is a desert: dry, hostile, threatening, dangerous and in the end, deadly. With you, life even in the desert of this world is lush, green, growing, refreshing, secure and joyful. You help us get our roots down deep into the water of your Word, you make us fruitful, you keep our life leaves green, you protect us in the midst of danger and make us successful in service to you.
 
You, O Lord God, are worthy of worship, of following, of obeying, for great is your heart, pure is your mind, eternal is your being, good is your intent.
 
Prayer: “I love you, Lord Jesus, I praise you, I bow before you, honor you, give you my life, my day, my all. Help me to live worthy of the
privilege of being your child. Amen.”
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