February.2, 2010

In An Ordinary Coffee Shop

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Matthew 5:6 (NIV)

Devotion:

I sat down with my cup of green tea and breathed a sigh of relief. My kids were occupied for the morning and I was looking forward to the brief respite that I had coming. Three hours of quiet—no one asking me for anything, no one fighting, no one complaining. Just some good old-fashioned peace and quiet. I planned to make good use of my time by making an appointment to meet with God. But could I trust Him to show up?

I had originally planned to use this rare time alone to "get things done." I had even made a list of all that I hoped to accomplish. But after frustration with my kids, angry words exchanged with my husband, and a nagging feeling that something just wasn't right, I felt God whisper to my heart: Put away that list and spend some time with Me. I knew that was exactly what I should do.

The coffee shop was far from quiet. Loud jazz music played on the speakers and the voices of patrons and machines intruded on my thoughts at first. Could God speak over all the noise? I pulled out my journal and began to write how I felt, what was on my mind, and asked God to speak to me in the midst of this most ordinary of places.

I wrote down that I felt dry, barren, like my soul was cracking from lack of refreshment from Him. I confessed that I had not made time for Him like I should and that my soul felt the gap that had formed. And then I wrote "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening…" and I waited for Him to do just that.

I turned the page of my journal to find Psalm 107:9 written at the bottom of the next page: "For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Astonished, I found the verse in my Bible and began to cross reference the word "thirsty." I had come thirsty. I had come dehydrated. I needed Him to water my soul.

And He did. Frantically I scribbled what He was speaking through His Word. Again and again that morning I was astonished and amazed by what His Word had to say—the many promises of what He would do for those of us who come thirsty. Two hours later, I closed my Bible and journal with a big smile on my face and a full tank of the joy that can only come from spending time with Abba. Like Moses stumbling upon a burning bush in an ordinary desert, I had had an encounter with the Living God in the midst of a most ordinary place.

Do you need Him to meet with you today? Are you wondering if He will keep the appointment? I can promise you that there was nothing special about the way I approached Him. I didn't have a magic formula or extra special direct line to Him. I simply came to Him thirsty—parched and desperate for His living water. I opened up my heart and my life to Him and then I listened to what He had to say. It was that simple and that complex all at the same time. I am grateful that I put away my to-do list, cleared my calendar for that morning and kept the appointment I had made. God showed up and changed my life all over again. All in an ordinary coffee shop.

Dear Lord, thank You for being the God Who Is Near. Thank You for meeting with me wherever and whenever I seek You. Thank You for Your word, which speaks to me, reminding me of Your promises and refilling my soul. I need Your living water, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

Do You Know Him?

Journey to the Well by Diana Wallis Taylor

Come Thirsty: No Heart Too Dry for His Touch by Max Lucado

Visit Marybeth's blog

For the Write Reason General Editor Marybeth Whalen

Application Steps:

Do you need to schedule a time to meet with God? The next time you find yourself with some time alone, consider resisting the urge to get things done but instead find a spot to get away with God. See what He does with that time and prepare to be amazed.

Reflections:

How can you get creative with your time to make some for Him? Is there a to-do list you need to put aside?

Power Verses:

Psalm 63:1, "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." (NIV)

Psalm 107:35, "He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs." (NIV)

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.proverbs31.org

Originally published Tuesday, 02 February 2010.