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Partnering with God for Joy and Peace

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 29, 2016
Romans 15:13
 
“May the God of hope”
 
[He is the spring of all we hope for, the One wanting to give us all good.]
 
“Fill you with all joy and peace”
 
[This is what we all long for and strive for but fail to get on our own. Our heavenly Father, however, stands ready with ALL joy and peace, eager to pour them into our lives, if we will only join Him in the process.]
 
“As you trust in Him”
 
[This is our part: if we trust, we are given joy and peace; but no trust equals no joy or peace. If we don’t trust Him, we are, in our pride, trusting in ourselves, meaning we are cutting ourselves off from His grace. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). And if we humble ourselves and trust in Him, then He has blessings beyond joy and peace for us.]
 
“So that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
 
[We then can join God in a new dimension, becoming “people of hope,” a hope that will splash over on all those around us. We will be “hope empowered” by the Holy Spirit, becoming more and more like Jesus, the God of hope.
 
So let’s trust, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in each situation and thereby become infused with joy and peace so we can be springs of hope to all we meet.
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Psalm 24:7,8

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 28, 2016
Psalm 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
 
[As the gates in those ancient cities where cranked upwards to allow entrance, so may the doors of our hearts, our thoughts, our souls be lifted up to allow you, Lord Jesus, entrance into every aspect of our lives, giving you the honor and glory you deserve.
 
May we be in submission to the reality that we were created to be dependent on you, to walk in obedience and trust so that your power may be made perfect in our weakness, that honor may flow to you out of every situation and that we may appear with you in glory when you come again.
 
You alone are the great King of Glory: what you are , what you do, what you say all flow out of your glorious being and serve to bring you the exaltation you deserve before all the created hosts of the universe.]
 
Psalm 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.”
 
[This is you, Yahweh, the Holy One: completely other than your creation, completely complete in yourself, needing nothing, being One and fully self-sufficient in your Triuneness.
 
You are the Powerful One, undefeatable and ever triumphant. You fight and win against every enemy of what is good. You, Lord Jesus, came to destroy the works of the devil, freeing us from the fear. You have defeated death and hell, sin and evil, rebellion and shame. You have replaced all these with love and light and life, with joy and peace and hope. You are the mighty One, triumphing in your strength, wisdom and power.
 
We give you praise, honor and exaltation for in your might, you are the pure and sinless One, you are the Just One, bringing proper judgment on sin; you are the Loving One, bringing forgiveness for all, especially for those who believe.
 
You are worthy of praise and we bow before you in worship, we open the gates of our hearts to your kingly presence and we rise up to go out with you into the battle of today, knowing that you, the mighty One, will lead us through whatever will come. ]
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Psalm 24:5,6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 27, 2016
Psalm 24, speaking of the person “who has clean hands and a pure heart,” goes on to say,
 
Psalm 24:5 “He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.”
 
[Thank you for this assurance, Lord, that you are my vindicating Savior, that you have saved me and will bless me by helping me live for you. At the moment I do not see much blessing, with two difficult situations before me–but I can trust that you have a plan and will do what is best. To you be glory now and forever. Amen.]
 
Psalm 24:6 “Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.”
 
[When we seek you, you grant us clean hands and a pure heart through the finished work of Jesus Christ, then you lead us aright, you guide us into obedience.
 
May we seek you only, O Lord, not results, or being comfortable, possessions, success, or our own desires. Instead may we seek you, the King of Glory, the God of Jacob—the Pure One who is willing to identify with those like Jacob–and us–who are selfish, manipulative, stubborn, untrusting and proud.
 
Praise you for your patience in drawing us along into the warm and transforming embrace of your love. Praise you that you do whatever it takes to bring us to surrender in yourself, as you did with Jacob, taking away everything he valued so he would face his need for you. And finally, in his old age, he surrendered: “Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff” (Gen. 47:31).
 
And so it is with us, you do whatever it takes to help us seek you first so that you can bless us with a life in and with you: a new life, an eternal life, an abundant life, a pure life.
 
Help us to surrender to you early on, seeking your face daily so we can be useful instruments in your hands, bringing you honor now, not waiting til later in life.]
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The Wonder of His Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 26, 2016
Praise be to you, Lord God, for the privilege of waking up and knowing that I am at peace with you, that our relationship is good, grace-filled and gloriously positive.
 
Thank you for your wonderful unmerited love, ever flowing to me, over me, around me, as well as going before me. Therefore I can rest in your gentle power, your marvelous majesty, your wide and deep wisdom. I can rest in your wide plans, your deep purposes, your plenteous provision. You are the great God of goodness, the wonderful God of meaning, the strong God of hope. In you I have a future, a stability, a purpose.
 
These are all by-products of your much more significant gift to us: a rich, warm, enthusiastic relationship with you, filled with delight, love and joy. Peace reigns as a I rest in you. Grace flows as I embrace humility. Joy deepens as I move forward in eager submission to your wisdom, to your Word and to your ways.
 
Praise be to you, Lord, the great Triune God, marvelous in majesty, great in grace and caring in compassion. You have made yourself my Father, my Savior, my King and my Shepherd. In you alone is rest, for we were made to be in you.
 
Help me to be in submission and sync with you all through this day, Lord, living in the light of your Word, in the direction of your Spirit and in the wisdom of your understanding. I praise you now for what you will do, for how you will use me, for all that you will bring into my life today.
 
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Psalm 24:3,4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 25, 2016
Psalm 24:3 “Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?”
 
[This means not everyone may ascend and stand before you, for you Lord, being holy and pure, have conditions that men must meet first.
 
I praise you that you do not bend your standards, that you met your demands in Christ so that we can come before you. Praise you that you will not allow sin to enter heaven, that you will definitely eliminate wickedness from the new heaven and earth, while saving those who trust in you. That is a wonderful part of our hope in you, Lord God.]
 
Psa 24:4 “He who has clean hands and a pure heart,”
 
[These we can have only in you, Lord. There is no way we can purify ourselves of all the sinful tendencies and drives which are an innate part of our natural heart, or clean our hands from all the wrong things we have done.
 
David did so much wrong with his hands, killing women and children in his raids, having so many wives, committing adultery and murder, yet you, Lord Jesus, provided cleansing and purity for him and for us. You are the One who paid the penalty so we can have pure hands, and a new heart. Praise be to you!]
 
“who does not lift up his soul to an idol,”
 
[Here is our part, to worship you alone, Lord Jesus. Praise you, Lord, that you are showing me the many idols in my heart, all the things I demand to make myself happy. I praise you that you have exposed so many and continually help me to reject them.
 
You, O Lord God, are the only one worth lifting our souls to, and I commit myself to do that. Help me to quickly spot my idols and reject them.]
 
“or swear by what is false.”
 
[To put value on what is false is a serious sin. Only what you value is worth our time and energy. I praise you that in you we can be free from what is false, for you are Truth itself and the truth sets us free.
 
You know all things and your measure of truth is the one we should use. I praise and thank you, Lord Jesus, for shepherding us into freedom from falsehood and freedom to Truth.
 
You are the wise God who reveals to us through you Word and Spirit what we cannot possibly discover with our feeble intellect. You are the great and wonderful God whom we can worship because you have opened the way to a rich and revealing relationship with you. Help me to walk with you closely through the whole of my day, obeying what I know to be true.
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Psalm 24:1,2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 24, 2016
Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;”
 
[To you belong all things, O Lord Yahweh, the Great Creator: every square inch of land, every drop of water, every plant, every mineral, every molecule as well as every creature. You are the undisputed owner by virtue of creating it all out of nothing.
 
You are therefore worthy of glory and honor, of awe and worship. You are worthy of obedience, for we, too, belong to you as the work of your hands, as creatures before the Creator.
 
Psalm 24:2 “ for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.”
 
[It was you, Lord Yahweh, who spoke and brought the earth into existence. You are the One who planned all, established the laws of physics, set gravity at just the right strength, who put your stamp of design on every aspect of your creation.
 
Your intelligence is seen everywhere: in the complexity, variety and beauty of flowers, giving you honor in their gracefulness and cheer as they bear seeds for the next year; in the design of fruit, with its perfect packaging for seeds and as delicious food for creatures; in the reproduction of animals in various ways, each appropriate for their place of life.
 
I praise you, Lord that you are the founder of all, the source of all, the protector of all, the redeemer of all. You are the God worthy of worship and honor, of obedience and praise, of thanksgiving and self-denial.
 
Praise you that you lead us consistently in the right way, moving us back towards the beauty that was there in the beginning. Praise you that we can know you, walk with you, cooperate with you, be loved by you, the Great Creator God.
 
I give you glory, honor and thanks today. May you be honored in my life. May I bring you joy, not pain; gladness, not sorrow; may I please you, not grieve you. Honor yourself in my life today.
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Amazing Grace: Further Thoughts on Psalm 18

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 23, 2016

Psalm 18:32 “It is God who arms me with strength”

[In my weakness your strength is perfected]

“and makes my way perfect.”

[You know exactly what should happen, what should come, what is right, and that is what you bring. You know how I should respond and guide me in that direction.]

Psalm 18:33  “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.”

[It is in your power that we can accomplish, for without you we can do nothing. It is in your grace that we can move onward and upward in life, keeping on the whole armor, standing in the day of evil, doing all you desire from us.]

Psalm 18:34  “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.”

[You give me ability, strength, endurance and discipline, which I must then develop in cooperation with you.]

Psalm 18:35  “You give me your shield of victory,”

[This is important—it is your shield, it is your victory, the glory goes to you. You want to share with us your victories in your power, to defeat the true enemy in your strength, to triumph in praise, prayer and obedience.  You give you shield, we have to use it. In the three difficult situations before me, I must get that shield up, to rest in you, praise you in my weakness, trust you in prayer and rejoice in the unseen that you are doing behind the scenes.]

“and your right hand sustains me;”

[as I tire and droop in the battle, you lift me up, strengthen me, support me so I can continue on in the fight against the real enemy.]

“you stoop down to make me great.

[This is a beautiful and amazing truth: we are so far below you, yet you lean way down to lift us up and make us great in your sight. This is sharing your glory, giving us your power, wisdom and grace that those around us may see your work in our lives and rejoice in you.]

Psalm 18:36  “You broaden the path beneath me,”

[you, Lord God, are at work in all the details. You open the doors, prepare the way, deal with things we are not aware of and protect us in your love.]

“so that my ankles do not turn.”

[you know what will cause us to stumble, to fall, and to be crippled—and these things you prevent so that we can press on in the battle, thinking truth, praising you, joining you in prayer, doing what your Word says is right.

Praise you, Lord God, for your goodness and graciousness and love. Praise you that I can live in these truths, bask in your light, revel in your love and rise up to run in obedience to you, bringing honor and glory to your name. May that happen today.

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Worship is Needed

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 21, 2016

Praise you, Lord Jesus, that you are the Sovereign King, the One who will work things out, who will bring good things to pass in the best way, no matter what we do.

Help us to play the part you desire, joining you in what you are doing. Today I face two difficult situations; in each a person is bound and determined to do what is wrong and I cannot change them. But I can surrender the outcomes and my desires to you and trust you to do what is best. Help me to not fret, worry or be angry, as those only lead to sin. Praise you, Lord, for what you will do, for how we can trust you.

Praise you, too, Lord Jesus, for reminding me last night that you must be the One I delight in. It was good that you drew me away from work so I could be quiet and hear your reminder. I was in danger of veering off into delighting in projects.

No, as you reminded me, my passion, my first love, my delight must be in you, Lord Jesus, the Creator of all, the Owner of all, the Ender of all. You are the One and Only to be exalted.

Worship is very much is wrapped up in delighting in you, intentionally nurturing our first love for you.  So I delight in you now, remembering that your love is perfect in wisdom and complete in knowledge. In love you are magnificent in power, creating galaxies just by speaking. You are majestic in your grace, forgiving where justice demands punishment. You are mighty in your goodness, pouring it out on both the righteous and the rebel.

In you there is no evil, no sin, no wrong, no error. You are the kind King of Goodness, the righteous Hater of Evil, the just Judge of wrong, the gracious Forgiver of sinners.

Praise you for your loving care, shepherding your rebellious children, displaying great patience in the face of our disrespect, unbelief, disobedience and selfishness.

You, Lord, are worthy of worship. I praise you for the joy you give as I think on how you have worked in my life: personal, powerful, persistent, patient intervention to bring me to my senses and to surrender.

What a wonder you are, Lord Jesus, in your willingness to suffer the anguish of the cross, the despair of abandonment, the pain of rejection, the battering of Satan’s attacks, the horror of becoming sin, the crushing weight of the Father’s judgment, the banishment to death.

There was no need for you, the Righteous One, to suffer these things, but love led the way, faithfulness stayed the course. Praise you for this great display of your rich, loving, gracious Character, O heavenly God!

I love you, I rejoice in your all-sufficient grace, I praise you for your all-encompassing goodness. You are worthy of all-absorbing worship, so I bow down now and give you honor in my thoughts, desires and words. To you be all glory today in my life. May you be the One I delight in.

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Powerful Protector

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 20, 2016

Praise be to you, my marvelous Lord and Shepherd. I awake in the night, and find you there, watching over me. I awake in the morning and find you waiting for me.

You are faithful in your love, passionate in your care, gracious in your provision and persistent in your protection. As thoughts of evil threats came in the night, I can easily reject them by thinking of your presence and power presented in Psalm 18.

You are the protector of the weak and the provider for the poor in spirit, so I can trust you. Your Word firmly corrects my churning thoughts, sweetly soothes my anxious soul, provides positive, encouraging perspective and safely shields me from Satan.

“I love you, O Lord, my strength” (Ps 18:1)—you have drawn me graciously into a rich and strong relationship with you, making yourself my Lord, pouring into my life your strength, sharing with me your power–even though you know I will at times miss use it, rebel, disobey and disbelieve, wounding your heart. You are so gracious!

Your love is lavished on your lazy and illogical sheep because of your majestic and marvelous Character: you are faithful and forgiving, gracious and good, pure and positive. We do not deserve your love and protection, but you are insistent in having a warm relationship with us, pouring your time, grace, care, protection and guidance into our lives 24/7.

You are faithful in the face of our faithlessness. You are good in the face of our rebellion. You are constant in the face of our unbelief.

I praise you, my Lord, my Rock, my Fortress, my Defender, my Shield, my Tower of power, my Stronghold of safety. I call to you, who are worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies (Ps 18:3). I praise you for your protection, glorify you for your deliverance, exalt you for your unbelievably wonderful grace at work in me each day.

You are Lord, you are Life, you are Light and you are Love. You are my Lord, my God, my Savior, my Deliverer and my Protection. You are worthy of praise, worthy of exaltation, worthy of obedience. To you I bow down, to you I surrender, to you I give myself: I lay down before you all that will come in this day: my desires, my plans, my preferences. I give you my will and take yours in its place.

May you be glorified in me today, may my responses be from your heart, your Word, your power. May your Spirit overflow from my life onto all those around me so they, too, may taste of your goodness, and thereby may your Name be lifted up before all I meet today.

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Another Adventure

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 19, 2016

It was a beautiful, warm and sunny Sunday afternoon, so we went for a walk in the woods with Josh, Sarah and the kids. About halfway through I noticed that one of my hearing aids was missing. Instantly I realized what had happened: I’d been carrying little Kenan on my shoulders, and when I put him on or took him off, the hearing aid was dislodged. It had fallen off that point, or somewhat later.

My first reaction was natural, “Oh no!” But the Holy Spirit immediately prompted me to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, “Thank you, Lord, for allowing this. I pray that you’ll help me to find it, as you know where it is.” I then retraced the several hundred yards we’d covered, looking carefully for the missing item, but no success.

As I was searching, the Spirit reminded me of how our car in had been stolen shortly before we moved to Germany in 2009. I had looked for that, too, but did not find it. We’d hoped to sell it and buy a car in Germany, but, as you may remember, the Lord had something much greater in mind for us.

He not only supplied a car through our new friends, Dr. Chris and Melanie, but they paid for the insurance, taxes, repairs and all our fuel for the whole 3.5 years we were there! But much more importantly, He gave opportunity to share the gospel with Dr. Chris, answering his questions so that near the end of our time there, he came to Christ. That was certainly worth losing my 15-year-old rusty car!  So what does God have in store through this loss? We shall see!

I returned to join my family, again looking carefully as I retraced my steps and then we all looked again as we walked back home–but no hearing aid. I returned later in the afternoon with a magnetic stick and swept through the leaves, but nothing. The next morning I brought a young friend who is really good at finding things—but again nothing.

Each of these searches was another chance to trust God in praise. He certainly knows where that hearing aid is, but has chosen not to show me. I don’t know what He intends to do with this, but I can trust Him to know and to reveal it at the right time.

It is so good to relax in His love, to let go of what is temporal (it belonged to God anyway), to hold on to the truth of His goodness and grace, and to rise above the situation.

As it says in Hebrews 12:1-2, remembering that I am surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, I am told to lay aside every weight (loss) and the sin that so easily entangles me  (worry, fretting, anger) and run with patience and perseverance the race He as set before me, looking to Jesus (not to people, possessions or success), the Author and Finisher of my faith (He will carry me through).

Like Him, for the joy set before me (of being His child, of having Him as my Shepherd, of His protection and provision, of a certain future, of spending eternity with Him), I can endure whatever cross may come and despise whatever shame I may feel (for my failure and weakness), knowing that I will be set down in heaven with Him.

What a freeing, empowering perspective! I encourage you to pray that passage for yourself every day for a month and see what God does! And I will wait to see His further purposes in this adventure of loss.

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