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Usefulness in the Hand of God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 30, 2015

Praise be to you, Lord God, for your wonderful wisdom working consistently in the lives of your children, bringing protection, guidance, goodness and difficulties. You know what is best, you know what is right, for you are the wise and powerful One, that entirely good One whose heart is set on bringing glory to yourself through doing what is righteous and merciful.

I praise you that in your mercy you bring positive pressure on us to see truth, to come to ourselves and surrender to you. You are the One we can trust, the One who is our refuge and strength, our joy and wisdom, our Shepherd and King.

Through challenges and adventures (suffering, tragedy and persecutions) you give us opportunity for faith-responses, for glory-giving, for grace-demonstrations, for volitional praise, for clenched teeth obedience. These provide chances to fulfill the purpose of our existence: to bring honor to you, to be reflectors of your glory, to exalt your name and your Word above all other things.

I praise you now for another day, another opportunity to live for you, to live by faith, to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and thereby honor you while opening the way so your salvation can flow further into my future and that of those around me. (Ps. 50:23)

May you be glorified today in my thoughts, actions and words, may those around me be influenced by your Spirit overflowing from me. May grace be the fragrance of my life. For your glory may I be a strong scent of life to those around me who are looking for truth. May many more be swept into your Kingdom. Amen.

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From the devotional book "EDIFIED!"

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 29, 2015

“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 and my train left at 7 pm. My train ticket was for this train only and 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 worshipping 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. 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 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 and I made it home. 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 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, praising in faith based on your good character. May you be honored in my life today. Amen.”

 

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Psalm 23:6

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 28, 2015
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;”
 
[Goodness and mercy are your constant gifts to your children, Lord; it is a certainty that in each situation you are pouring these out into our lives. However, very often we cannot see them at the moment. Then when we can look back at a difficult situation, there they are, goodness and following us!
 
Like the disappointment I had recently. After waiting two weeks for a door installer to come, he only did half the job and then left, saying, “I’ll be back in about two weeks!” I could see no goodness and mercy in that! But the next day while talking to one of my disciples, I found that he had worked as a door installer and he offered to come and finish the job for me. We both profited, as he needed some extra income, he told me where to get the springs I needed at a very reasonably price and I got the doors done. We both saw God’s goodness and mercy.
 
This pattern has been and will be true throughout the whole of our lives with you, Lord Jesus. You are faithful, you are good and you are merciful, whether we can see it at the moment or not. Praise be to you my wonderful Shepherd!]
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”
 
[What a hope for the future: I WILL be in your presence for eternity. Therefore death holds no fear, shortness of life holds no panic, the future holds no threat as we press on to what you have for us in this life and more so in the next.
 
You, Lord Jesus, are the One we yearn for, live for, hope for. And our hope is as certain as your Love, your Word, your Power, and your present Presence! Glory and honor are due your wonderful Name, Lord Jesus. May my life give you that honor today as I trust you through praise and thanksgiving in and for all.
 
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Psalm 23:5b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 27, 2015
 
 “You anoint my head with oil;”
 
[As my Shepherd you care for me, pouring out your goodness on me every day. Oil here can represent many things, among them the Holy Spirit, protection, blessing and healing. Shepherds put oil on the heads of sheep to keep away pesky insects, to heal wounds, to refresh. You, Lord, provide for us all these blessings and more in your gracious giving, pouring out continually from your unending, inexhaustible store of riches.
 
As it says in Ephesians 1:2 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” The following verses detail some of these blessings.
–He chose us before the foundation of the world.
–We are holy and without blame before Him in love.
–He predestined us to be adopted as His children.
–It was His good pleasure to adopt us.
–We are accepted in the beloved, Christ.
–In Him we have redemption through His blood,
–We have the forgiveness of ours sins according to the riches of His endless grace.
— And in 1 Peter 1:3 it says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life….” ]
 
Truly, “My cup runs over.”
 
[For you, Lord, give us what we need and far more. What I actually need is air, water, food, clothing, shelter and love. But when I look at what you have given me, it is way beyond that, much more than what I need spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically, socially, financially and in every other realm.
 
Now it is my privilege and responsibility to share these with others, to let your blessings to me flow over, through and onto others. For example, the joy you give me should bring joy to others as I am kind, thoughtful, positive and helpful to them, whether I feel like it or not. The material provisions you’ve given I should be sharing around. The spiritual riches you give I should also be passing along, for, in your Kingdom getting and hoarding is not the norm, but receiving and giving.
 
So when we go to church on Sunday, we can go filled with the riches, grace and insights from our quiet times during the week, ready to give to others as they have need, as well as to receive what the Lord may have for us.
 
May we overflow with the wonder of our walk with Jesus, bringing encouragement, hope and perspective to all around.]
 
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Thanksgiving Morning

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 26, 2015
Praise be to you, Lord, for your protection and provision, for your goodness and grace. We awoke this morning in our own house, with heat, light and water, with clothes, food and furniture, with your love, presence and kindness. We are able to see, hear, walk, talk and use our hands. For all this we give thanks
 
But more than that, I praise you that we can be your children, in the Kingdom of Light, in your Love, in your Favor, in your Grace. I praise you that you have taken us from being condemned criminals, filthy in our foolishness and rebellion, to being forgiven, cleansed, adopted, commissioned and embraced. I praise you that you have given us all that our hearts could desire—love, joy, peace, eternal life, purpose, meaning, hope and a future.
 
But far beyond that, you have given us yourself, you, the Eternal, Living, All-powerful Creator who is Holy, Perfect, Good and Gracious. In your goodness and love, Lord Jesus, you were willing to leave the pure perfection of heaven to come to live in the flea infested, filthy, sin-ridden violent world among selfish, evil and hateful people.
 
And you did this to redeem, at great cost, all of those rebels, knowing that a good percentage of them would spurn your offer of grace, forgiveness, love and eternal life. You are the ultimate in love, giving and goodness.
 
How can we doubt anything that you have to say? You promise your presence as our Great and Good Shepherd, leading us through life, over the hills of opposition, through the valleys of difficulty, out onto the plains of pleasantness and on into more adventures with you.
 
As we read the news and see the crumbling of societies and the spreading of war, we can rest in you, knowing that you have a plan to move all to a conclusion where evil will be eliminated, grace will be great, good will be glorious and we will be in your presence forever.
 
In the light of such truth, we can only fall before you in thanksgiving, rejoicing in your beauty and grace, your goodness and glory. May we honor you today in word and thought, in motive and deed, for you are our Mighty Rock and Refuge (Ps. 19:14).
 
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Psalm 23:5

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 25, 2015

“I will fear no evil for You are with me….”

You, Lord God, are ever present, ever with us. If there is evil threatening, you are there, watching, providing, protecting in whatever way you deem best. If we are living in limbo, uncertain of what is going to happen, when the doors to the future open and we have no idea what is on the other side, we can be sure that you are there, waiting to greet us with the path prepared. As you, Lord, declare in Jeremiah 29:11, “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.” In you we can rest.

“Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Lord, your shepherd’s rod is a club to beat off attackers; it is powerful, effective, more than sufficient to protect us, for you are undefeatable, invincible, all powerful; and you have already won the battle at the cross.

And then there is your staff, the shepherd’s crook used to guide and correct sheep as they stray. You are faithful to warn us when we wander willfully out of the way: you tap us on the shoulder, or you pull us back–you guide us persistently, even when we insist on rebellion. You are absolutely faithful. Praise you for your wisdom, your love, your faithfulness that assure us of your protection and guidance.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

As the good Shepherd, you bring us into positive places to graze. On the edges of the pasture may lurk wolves, bears, lions, or the great serpent, Satan. Their presence, however, does not need to disturb us, for you are our protector. No one can defeat you, no one can thwart your purposes. We can ignore the threats of the enemy and quietly, peacefully feed on what you have given, resting in your goodness, greatness and glory.

You are our Shepherd, our Warrior King who has defeated the enemy. As we remain in the shelter of your Word, your way, your wisdom, praising you in and for all, we are safe from true harm. You may lead us through many challenges, but in these you will protect and carry us through as we follow you. Praise be to you for your marvelous gift of being our loving, wise and faithful Shepherd. Glory be to you forever and ever.

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Psalm 23:4

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 24, 2015
 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil;”
 
[At least one of the paths of righteousness you will lead me on, Lord, goes through this dark valley. It may be a time of dying to a desire, to my will, to a possession or it may be physical danger and sickness or death. Whatever it is, I do not need to fear that evil will triumph.
 
There may be loss and suffering, but in the end, evil will not win because Jesus is already the Victor and I belong to Him.
Think of Paul in his shipwreck described in Acts 27. In the midst of a great storm there were days of uncertainty where Paul was cold, wet and hungry; and then the crashing of the ship into a sandbar and everyone having to swim to shore. There was evil: the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners, Paul included, so they couldn’t escape, but that was prevented. Then the viper bit Paul, but God protected him and no harm was done.
 
It was a dark valley, but in it the witness of Paul shone brighter in his faith, in his declaration of God’s sovereignty, in his prediction (all possessions will be lost, all people will be saved), and in his being protected. Without that dark, the light would have not been seen so clearly.
 
As we take refuge in His love, power and truth, God does not always protect us from what will harm us physically, but from what would harm us spiritually. Then we can shine in the darkness of this world as a light house for those seeking Truth.
 
The valley of the shadow of death is not a threat but an opportunity to fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring the One who walked this road before us and will walk with us through it again. So let us look to Jesus, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
 
Let us follow the advice of the Word to “throw off everything that hinders [our natural worldview] and the sin that so easily entangles [addiction to comfort, selfishness and security, to name three] and run with perseverance the race marked out for us [some of which will go through the valley of the shadow of death], fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2a) and we will come out on the other side, in a pleasant place. “He brought me out into a spacious place, he rescued me because he delighted in me” (Ps. 18:19).
 
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More on Psalm 23

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 23, 2015
More on Psalm 23
 
As my Shepherd, Lord Jesus, you lead me beside the still waters—you give me time to be with you, to take in, to gain eternal perspective. You lead but I must both follow and drink, I must choose to spend time in your Word, in worship, in intercession and confession, in pouring out my heart and lifting my soul to you. And I can do this because you are “good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all who come to you” (Psalm 86:5).
 
As I choose to drink from your Word and revel in your presence, you will restore my soul: bring refreshment, insight, wisdom, understanding, greater faith and more praise. You restore my soul to more of its pre-fall perspective, making me more like yourself. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…” (2 Cor 3:18).
 
You will then lead me in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake—again, I must choose to follow. I can be sure that where you lead me will be righteous and upright, pure and positive and godly and good.
 
If I sense leading which is not one of these, then I can know that this is not you, but the subtle and sneaky call of the world, the flesh and the devil. This I want to reject so I can give you glory in all I do; therefore for the sake of your name, help me to gladly follow your righteous lead, no matter how much self-denial it requires.
 
Praise you, Lord God: you are my King, my Sovereign, my Shepherd, the One to be obeyed and feared, loved and served. Praise you for the wonderful and powerful privilege of being both your sheep and your ambassador in a fallen and faulty world, bringing your light to a deluded and deceived people.
 
Praise you for your Holy Spirit to fill, empower, guide and encourage. I praise you for your care, your protection, your provision, your presence throughout the day. May I be filled with your Spirit; may I be a vessel of grace to all I meet today; may I be a useful instrument in your hand, Lord, obeying you, living worthy of your calling and pleasing you in every way. To you be glory, honor and praise in and through my life today.
 
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Psalm 23 Green Pastures

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 22, 2015
You, Lord Jesus, as my Shepherd, make me to lie down in green pastures—you don’t ask, you make me lie down. You select the pasture I need now and keep me there as long as is needed so I can grow and deepen, mature and develop to become a better instrument in your hand.
Joseph in the OT didn’t particularly want to be a slave, or go to prison, but those were the green pastures you had for him. There he learned to deny self, to live for you and to be a good administrator. This made him fit to save many others, including his family, the Egyptians, and the line of Jesus so the Messiah could be born and eventually save us!
 
When finding ourselves in green pastures that aren’t pleasant (sickness, disappointment, heartache and failure, to name some), we can follow this advice: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you KNOW that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1:2-4.
 
In the hand of our Shepherd, difficulties are directive, problems are providential and heartaches can be healing if we cooperate with Him, lying down in the green pastures He selects.
 
A key aspect here is to embrace what He brings with thanksgiving rather than suffering through with discontent and complaining. To embrace is to receive grace, to complain is to reject it: “God resists the proud [who reveal their pride by complaining] but gives grace to the humble [who accept what He brings]” (James 4:6).
 
So, let’s trust Him to know what is a green pasture for us and join Him in what He’s doing in and through it, in and through us.
 
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What Wonderful Provision!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on November 21, 2015
I praise you that as I awoke, you were there, Lord Jesus: my Shepherd, my elder Brother, my King.
 
I praise you that this day I shall not want, for you in your wisdom, your riches, your power have already provided all that I need and much more.
 
As it says in 2 Peter 1:3,4 “His divine power HAS GIVEN US everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” We just need to learn to take it up and use it, such as learning to be filled with the Spirit, to put on the armor of God, to lift our souls to God, to meditate on His Word and to flee temptation.
 
In addition, through his glory and goodness Jesus “has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you MAY PARTICIPATE IN THE DIVINE NATURE and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
 
Wow! We are able to participate in His divine nature! What a gift, to have the Holy Spirit indwell us, as He did David, Isaiah and Daniel. We are truly different from all other creatures and peoples because, as His born again children, His divine nature dwells in us!
 
Help us, Lord Jesus, to live today in the reality of your provision and personal indwelling. Help us to take up and use all that you have given so we can live godly lives, bringing you honor and shining light and hope to all those around us.
 
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