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My Powerful Shepherd

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 3, 2024

“Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might.”

Ephesians 6:10

It is good to know you, Lord, my High and Holy Shepherd who hears and answers prayers. You are the same One who heard Moses’ prayers and answered with wonders of power. So you hear and answer in my life, too, albeit in smaller ways.

Praise be to you, Lord, for your goodness and grace, your wonderful, warm love, your constant presence and protection. What a difference between just knowing truth about you, and thinking/resting in that truth. Lord, today I surrender myself to you, commit myself to obey you and give myself to bring you glory.

Help me to be strong in you and the power of your might today, to embrace my weakness and rejoice in your strength. Confessing my sin–basically unbelief and rebellion–I ask for your forgiveness. I ask you to be my Captain and Navigator, agreeing to obey your direction. Fill me with your Spirit, Lord, that I might be useful for you. Fill me to overflowing so that the Spirit spills over onto all those around me, so when people meet me, they may meet you also.

Help me to put on the full armor of God so I can stand against the wiles of the devil; may I recognize his wiles before I fall into them and fight them with your full armor on. Help me to remember that I fight not against flesh and blood but against the forces of spiritual wickedness and do so with praise, prayer and persistence in doing what I know to be right. Help me to recognize that people are not my real enemy; they are just pawns in Satan’s hands; help me to fight him with your whole armor on.

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More Insights

Published by S.M. Wibberley on June 1, 2024

More insights from turning 50!

The second insight is the realization that a lot of the hard work I have done springs from the motivation of greed! I am greedy for more accomplishment, for more fulfillment, for more recognition. Understanding this is very helpful now in evaluating what the Lord would have me do or not do.

The third insight I am embarrassed to even mention, as it reveals the innate self-centeredness of my being. It is now clear that I will never accomplish or become the things I had dreamed of, such as being successful and well known as Chuck Colson or Chuck Swindoll. I have to settle for a smaller sphere of responsibility—and that is good, for it helps me focus on what the Lord has for me, rather than toying with thoughts of grandeur.

Fourth is a simple truth that my dear wife has been telling me for years: take time to recover. I have always run from one event to the next. Now I am beginning to see how I have sinned in not taking a regular Sabbath to rest and be restored. This past Sunday, after a nice afternoon of reading, I went to prepare some tea for myself and noticed that the dishes needed to be washed. I washed them and enjoyed it! Always before this activity has raised my inner tension because the goal was to get it over with and move on to more important items. Today I enjoyed the warm water and the warm feeling of doing something nice for my wife. I am amazed at how God is changing me.

What does all this mean? God is moving me towards His mindset where life is more a rhythm than a race. Take time to savor things, especially relationships; work hard when there’s work to be done, but don’t let the wrong motives of greed, self-centered fulfillment and the desire for glory dictate my decisions; take time to be refreshed and restored, like taking a walk by a brook like in the picture here. Simple, isn’t it? Too bad it took me fifty years to learn it!

I am looking forward to the next decade of walking with God, if Jesus does not rapture us first. I think it is going to be much more of His working through me in quiet ways than me accomplishing much. And that’s good because the glory needs to go to Him!

Prayer: “Lord, help me today to walk in the fear of you that I may be wise. Help me to choose to act out of godly motives, to do the work you have for me, not more. Help me to savor relationships and rest in you, for your glory. Amen.”

May be an image of body of water and grass

 

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Elohim and Yahweh

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 29, 2024

Know that the LORD is God.” Psalm 100:3a

This verse above is a command. We are to willfully accept this truth, to grasp it and internalize it.  This calls for bowing our intellect to Scripture, for we can only know God through revelation.

Praise be to you, Lord God, for giving this information to your tiny creatures, limited by this natural world, unable on our own to see the supernatural. There are hints, but we guess wrongly without your specific revelation.

We praise you for your great love that makes your person knowable. You have revealed yourself as Lord, Yahweh, the holy One, great and glorious, powerful and pure, the righteous Judge and Hater of sin. You are God, Elohim, the powerful and faithful One, showing your power in creation and your faithfulness in fulfilling your promise to provide salvation.

What a God! what a Lord! You are without fault, without lack, without sin, totally sufficient in your triune self, complete in full-orbed wisdom, complete in everlasting love. Help us to  consistently  seek shelter in your mighty power, your perfect love and your rich wisdom. amen.

May be an image of lake, twilight, horizon, fog, grass and tree

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Beautiful and Good

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 28, 2024

This morning for my quiet time I sat on the dock in front of our little house in Connecticut. The sun was rising over the forest to the east, warming the cool, damp air and sparkling on the heavy dew left from the embrace of the night. The morning breeze ruffled the waters, making intricate patterns from the reflections of trees along the edge. Stretching beyond the pond on my left, grasses of various shades nodded in the morning breeze. On my right, trees crowded down to the pond’s edge, some dipping their leaves into the water, each tree with its own shade of green, and different texture of leaf. At my elbow, tall grasses, headed out in rich grain, nodded in elegance.

At the far end of the pond a pair of Canada geese kept a wary eye on me, ever protective of their four offspring. Nearer to me a muskrat swam across the pond carrying a load of freshly harvested grasses like a flag over his shoulder, his journey sending a “V” of ripples across the pond. A redwing blackbird perched among the cattails and chided me.

Closer to the dock, I looked down into the amazingly clear water and watched some fish swimming slowly in circles, their fins lazily sweeping from side to side. At times one would rush at another, chasing it away, then would rise to the surface and nip at something floating there, hoping that it was edible. Out of the deeper parts came larger fish, long and supple, swishing their powerful tails, moving through the water with a purpose. Along with them came a bass, swimming more sedately; suddenly he yawned, stretching his whole body–maybe he had just gotten up!

I had been reading in Psalm 104 the description of the wonders of the world God created. It concludes with the prayer, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works….”

To sit and look at what God has created, to be reminded of how much He loves beauty and wants to share it with us is inspiring, refreshing, restorative. This is just a tiny glimpse of the splendors God has in store for us, first in our relationship with Him, then in Heaven beside Him. The question is, are we taking time to contemplate on who He is, to see His character reflected in His creation and in His Word? I need to do that more. Soaking in these different aspects of truth brings transformation of soul and a deeper love for Him. What are we doing with our time?

 

Prayer: “Lord, you are beautiful and you love beauty. Help me to consistently gaze upon your loveliness as displayed in your Word and world, to bring glory to you as I praise you for how I see you reflected in what you have created. May this beauty flow in, through and out of me to those I will meet today. Amen.”

 

May be an image of lake, horizon, grass, twilight and fog

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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 27, 2024

The following was written in 2011 following an unsuccessful attempt to resolve a conflict on one of our teams, a painful event with a sad outcome.

 

Psalm 34:1 “I will extol the LORD at all times;”

 

[Even now, in the midst of this painful failure, in darkness and despair, I will extol you, Lord, I choose to praise you, the great and sovereign God who is at work doing what is right, bringing good out of every situation. You, Lord God, are worthy of worship even in the worst of circumstances, humanly speaking–for you do not abandon us. You press on in spite of this pain you suffer with us. You are faithful to the end, and therefore worthy of all exaltation.]

“his praise will always be on my lips.”

[Always, no matter what happens, in every difficulty, every hardship, every form of suffering, failure and evil, I can praise you and I choose to do so. You, Lord God are good, through and through. Therefore what you do is good, what you allow you will use for good for your children, bringing breaking and transformation. Lord God, do good in this situation. Have us suffer as long as is necessary; may we learn what we need to and go through what you know is necessary, with your power and strength.]

Psalm 34:2 “My soul will boast in the LORD;”

[If I am honest, there is nothing to boast about in myself, I can only boast in you, Lord Jesus, the perfect One, the pure One, the holy One who never makes a mistake, never fails. To you certainly belongs honor, praise and worship. You are the One to boast in, not myself.]

“let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”

[In this case I am afflicted, beaten down, a failure, but as I think on you, Lord, I can, with my will, rejoice in you.]

Psalm 34:3 “Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.”

[This is the purpose for which I was created, Lord: to bring you honor, praise and exaltation. In this situation, I honor you by faith, clinging to you and to your truth, praising you for what you are doing–what I can’t see or understand yet. To trust you in the darkness brings you glory. Thank you for the light of your Word in this darkness, as illustrated in the picture here.

I will focus on this now, Lord, giving you praise for how you are working things out. At present, from my perspective, there is only total failure and loss, but in reality, there also is the opportunity for giving great glory to you as, by faith, I rest in your wisdom and grace, offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving.]

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Remember, O Lord

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 26, 2024
Missed a post last night because of internet problems.
Lord Jesus, your character–marvelous, rich, infinite and eternal–led you to finish your work on the cross. It is on the basis of your character that we can come to you; In our needs and distress we can cry with the Psalmist:
Psalm 25:6 “Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.”
[Out of these two wonderful qualities of mercy and love you acted into the world, bringing complete, powerful, full-orbed salvation, freeing us from guilt, shame and fear.
Now, in our day, you continue to act out of the same monumental mercy and long-lasting love. It is in you that our trust comes alive. It is your mercy and love that are the grounds for appeal to you. And it is out of love and mercy that you will answer today with what is best, wise and good. We can rest in that truth, praising you now for what you will do without knowing what that will be.
Help us to trust you like that every day and thereby bring honor to your name and joy to your heart.
 
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First Love

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 24, 2024

This post is an example of nurturing my first love for Jesus.

You Lord Jesus, are far better than anything we could imagine, for in you there is no flaw—we have never experienced anything like that here on earth, where everything has weaknesses, problems, faults and lacks.

But in you there is no lack, no end of supply, no failure, no loss. You are all that is good; you are void of what is bad. I praise you that you cannot sin, you cannot lie, you cannot be tempted with evil, you cannot do any wrong–for these are the opposite of your beautiful nature.

You are unchangingly pure, persistently positive, absolutely powerful and unceasingly consistent in protection. Therefore, we can call you our Rock, our Fortress, our Defender, our Shield, our Strength, our Stronghold.

You are glorious beyond our conception, you are great beyond comprehension, you are good beyond understanding and you are gracious beyond measure.

In you is found all we desire, for we were made to live in you, with you, by you, for you. In you we are complete, with you we are protected, by you we are empowered, for you we can live and work, love and die.

Help us all to live in the light of your beautiful, fullorbed character, Lord Jesus.

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Wise and Beautiful God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 23, 2024

As I write this (on a summer day some years ago), I am enjoying a perfect, absolutely gorgeous day: pleasantly hazy and sunny, in the 70s with a slight breeze, giving the air a refreshingly cool touch.

Praise be to you, Lord, for such a foretaste of Heaven and the New Earth, where all will be perfect every day. There we won’t need the challenges of weather or the news to keep us occupied. Your presence and personality, filling all the universe, will be far more than enough to keep us fascinated and focused.

And there are hints that you will have lots of engaging work for us to do there for you. You are such a creative God: there will be no end to the new things you will bring out of your infinite mind and heart.

You, the One and Only True God, are perfect, immutable, lovely and wise, powerful and just, pure, kind and forgiving, gracious and good. You are worthy of our whole-hearted worship, of continual and complete follower-ship, of full obedience, absolute surrender and total trust.

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Hope in God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 21, 2024

“and my hope is in you all day long.”

[In what else, in whom else can we hope? There is no one else powerful enough, big enough, loving enough, wise enough, long-lived enough to hope in. And there is no one else who is faithful, gracious, good and great like you, who cares for your sheep, protects your lambs, leads your flock.

You are the God of hope who desires to fill us with all joy and peace, if we will only trust in you. Then our lives will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13)

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for what you will do in this day, in the large situations before me as well as the small details. I praise you that you will do this in your goodness and grace, in your wisdom and love. I praise you for the need to wait, for the opportunity to trust before seeing your help, for the chance to give the sacrifice of thanksgiving, for the privilege of giving you honor by responding in faith rather than in fear.

You are worthy of our trust, our worship, our obedience, our praise. May you be exalted in my life today, O Lord God, King of glory, Ruler of all.

May be an image of body of water

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May We Obey You Today!

Published by S.M. Wibberley on May 20, 2024
Psalm 25:4 “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;”
[Praise be to you, Lord Jehovah, the holy One who loves to reveal your ways to us. I thank you for what you have shown us through your Word, for what you will show us through your Spirit, and for how you will faithfully shepherd us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake.]
Psalm 25:5 “guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,”
[Praise you that you have made yourself our God and our Savior. As such, you desire to keep us in your way, showing us your truth through your Word, giving us the needed input so we can obey you.
You are Elohim, the mighty and faithful One who has provided salvation through your powerful and personal suffering and have shown your faithfulness by bringing us to yourself, then guiding and protecting us. Having paid the highest price possible, you will certainly follow through in the small acts of applying that salvation to our lives every day. You are worthy of worship! You are worthy of obedience!] May we obey you today.
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