S.M. Wibberley’s Blog

In Luke 1 Zechariah continues, declaring that Jesus will come, “to guide our feet into the path of peace,” as in this picture leading us ever closer to the light of your love.

How wonderful you are, Lord Jesus, to call us to the path of peace: peace with you, peace with ourselves, peace with others. You, as the King of Peace, have bought this peace with your death and resurrection.

We praise you for this marvelous gift to us, which we must reach out and take by trusting you: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace AS YOU TRUST IN HIM, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).

And we can trust in you because you are our Sovereign Lord who has redeemed us, saved us, has a plan for our lives and will carry us through with you to the end of history, on into eternity.

More from Zachariah’s prayer about his son John.

Luke 1:76-79 “…you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…because of the tender mercy of our God to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death,”

[We are born into the devil’s kingdom of darkness, unable to find our way without revelation. We were under the curse of death, living in the land of the dying, walking in fear, stumbling through life, unable to understand, for: “…the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Prov. 4:19). But then you, Lord Jesus, the bright and shining Son, came to open our eyes. You are “The true light that gives light to every man….” (John 1:19).

Now, because you have come, Lord Jesus, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (Prov. 4:18).

You have given us sight, and we can choose to use it or not. As we walk with you, you give us more and more light every day, for “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD” (Ps. 89:15). Help us to walk in the light of your gracious and good presence today, Lord, that we may be light carriers to all those around us.

Here is a beautiful message in Luke 1, spoken by Zechariah, addressing his son, John the Baptist:

“you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,” [and so John did, sent by God for stirring up the people’s desire for righteousness.]

Luke 1:77 “to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,”

[This was a new truth, for the Jews thought that through the keeping of the law they could be saved. However, as it says in Romans 3, “But now a righteousness from God, APART FROM THE LAW, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” This is a mystery revealed in Christ; it is the perspective of God, different from the tradition of the Jews.]

Luke 1:78 “because of the tender mercy of our God,”

[And this new way, the costly way of Jesus, is opened because our God is gracious, tender and merciful towards His enemies. We exalt you, O Lord, our God, for your kindness, your grace, your loving goodness towards us when we deserve the opposite. HELP US TO DWELL consistently IN THAT WONDERFUL TRUTH, IN THE LIGHT OF YOUR LOVE!]

As I face the unknowns of this coming day, I praise you, Lord Jesus, for what you will lead me through, and for what you will allow and disallow. I praise you that I can rest in you,

in your wonderful, marvelous, majestic and mighty Character,

sparkling in holiness, shining in purity, glowing in love, radiating forgiveness.

You are perfect, wise, absolute, gracious and righteous.

You are trustable, loving, firm and good.

You are the One and Only to be exalted and worshiped.

In you there is no evil, no fault, no wrong, no error.

In you there is only goodness, righteousness, purity and holiness.

Therefore, to you belongs praise, to you belongs trust, to you belongs obedience.

I bow before you now, surrendering myself and my desires to you in worship, I lay them on the altar of your love, and ask that you will do what you desire with each one. Fulfill what is good, deny what is not.

Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, for your lavish love,

your gracious goodness,

your wise work,

your firm faithfulness,

your cherishing in chastening,

your reasonable rebuking,

your taking us through trials,

your shepherding through suffering,

your working through our weakness,

your maturing us through miserable times.

You are marvelous, Lord Jesus,

you are majestic,

you are mighty,

you are magnificent,

you are worthy of worship and deserving of dedication. “I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies” (Psa. 18:3)

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Praise be to you, Lord Jesus, gracious God, King of glory. May you be honored in my life today through faith,

trust,

obedience,

kindness,

patience,

wisdom

and grace.

Amen.

You, Lord Jesus,

are the King of glory,

the God of goodness,

the Prince of peace,

the Shepherd of supply,

the Lord of Love,

the Light of life,

the Bride-groom of beauty, the beauty reflected in the flowers in the picture below.

You are the Creator of All,

the Sovereign of Eternity,

the Shield of your sheep,

the Stronghold of safety,

the Fortress of faith,

the Rock of reliability,

the Arm of our armor,

the Source of support,

the Giver of grace, the

Provider of power,

the Widener of ways

and the Protector of your people who take refuge in you.

Praise you, Lord Jesus,

Savior of the universe,

Redeemer of all people,

Transformer of all who believe.

You are active, powerful and on time in answering the cry of all who submit to your leadership.

You are deeply caring,

wisely working,

godly in guiding,

persistent in protecting.

You are the only One we can trust–all others and all else are shifting sands.

Help us to walk in the light of these powerful truths, consistently doing what we know to be your will.

Peace reigns as I rest in you, Lord Jesus. Grace flows as I embrace my place of submission to you with humility. Joy deepens as I move forward in eager surrender to your wisdom, to your Word and to your ways.

Praise be to you, Lord Jehovah, Yahweh, the great Triune God, marvelous in majesty, glorious in grace and caring in compassion. You have made yourself my Father, my Savior, my King and my Shepherd. In you alone is rest, in you alone is peace and in you alone is joy, for we were made to live in surrender in your embrace of love.

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, waiting for your timing in all. 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.

Praise be to you, Jesus, my Lord and God, for the privilege of waking up and knowing that I am at peace with you, that our relationship is grace-filled, good and gloriously positive.

Thank you for your wonderful unmerited love, ever flowing to me, over me, through me, and around me, as well as going before me.

Therefore, I can rest in your gentle grace, your positive power, your marvelous majesty, your wide and wonderful wisdom. I can rest in your great plans, your deep purposes, your plenteous provision. You are the glorious God of goodness, the majestic Lord of meaning, the strong King of hope. In you I have a future with stability and purpose.

These are all wonderful, but they are actually only the by-products of your much more significant gift to us: a wonderful relationship with you which is rich, warm, enthusiastic, filled with your delight, love and joy.

Praise you for the gift of knowing you, the Creator, Sustainer and Ender of all.

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 God. Every square inch of land, every drop of water, every plant, every mineral, every molecule as well as every creature is yours. You are the undisputed owner by virtue of your creating all out of nothing, simply speaking them into existence.

You are, therefore, worthy of glory and honor, of awe and worship. You are also 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, hung it on nothing, spun it at the right speed, correctly tilted the axis for proper seasons, and sent it off in the best orbit around the sun. 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 all aspects of your creation.