It's a beautiful Saturday morning here on the east coast. The sun is shining. I can hear the birds chirping their praises. And there is the aroma of fresh brewed coffee coming from the kitchen. I really enjoy the smell of coffee in the morning. It sometimes sparks my senses and gives me, what some may call, the perception of clarity. Every Saturday my wonderful husband gets up and brews the coffee as I lay in bed and enjoy, for a moment, my quiet time with my Lord. I can smell the coffee and I know that there will be a cup waiting for me. Often, when my quiet time is extended, Greg will prepare a cup for me and bring it upstairs. He knows that I need my one on one with my Heavenly Father. And he almost always gives me ample time to be still. As the coffee arrives and we sip our morning cup together I invite my husband to join in on my conversation with the Lord. We have a sweet devotional time and ask each other thought provoking questions. Even after 15 years we are still learning about each other.
Greg is working this morning so I am sipping on my coffee and reflecting on how my relationship with El Roi has grown in the past four weeks. How has my perception of myself changed because of His grace and love? This past week I really found myself trying hard to seek God in my reflection. It's so hard to have that kind of a perspective change. I had to constantly remind myself that I am made in His image. And that He sees through my imperfections and loves me in His perfect way. Every characteristic I dislike about me is still there. I just have to stop looking at myself through my and see me as God sees me. Stop focusing on the out and dig deep for what is inside. "Outwardly we are wasting away but inwardly we are being renewed". I suggest that you stop right here for a moment and read 2 Corinthians 4. Go ahead read it. Take the time to digest each and every word. I will make it super easy just click on this link: http://biblehub.com/niv/2_corinthians/4.htm Pretty amazing stuff. How did the God who sees you speak to your heart?
Our God is merciful. Yes He made His light to shine in our hearts so that He would be glorified. We are His treasure. His work of art. A beautiful and intricately molded jar of clay. The world will attempt to break us by telling us we aren't good enough. But God says we are worthy. The world may shout perplexing ideas our way. But God says I am here and will never leave you in despair. The world might throw stones and bruise us. But God says I will put a hedge around your heart. All that the world throws at us are opportunities to reveal God's grace. Like I said last week, His grace overflows from the cracks and holes that the world inflicted. The more the world batters and bruises us the brighter His light may shine. And there is an eternal glory that outnumbers the troubles of this world. He molds us and holds us. We may not be able to see Him in a way that is understandable but through faith we must set our eyes, fix our eyes, glue our eyes on Him the eternal Lord of all.
A few years back, on December 31st, 2010, I remember driving to Abington Memorial Hospital and there was this joy and anticipation in my heart. I was singing along with my praise CD, "Open the eyes of my heart Lord, open the eyes of my heart. I want to see you ....." As I continued to sing there was a soft whisper. I felt the Lord requesting me to be still. I turned the music down as I came to a red light. He whispered words to me that I didn't fully grasp until I walked out of the elevator and saw my mom and sister in the waiting area at the hospital. You see God wanted to prepare my heart for the events that were about to take place over the next few hours. I prayed for eyes to see and ears to hear. And as a result I was able to see and hear Him in one of the darkest moments of my life. And His grace flowed from the large hole that was created that day. That epiphany moment that took place when I walked out of the elevator was when I realized the truth behind the whisper. God whispered to me at the red light, "Be still. I want you to remember that I was there with him at birth and I Am here now." I remember smiling and saying, "Thank you Jesus for being there with my Dad." I had no idea that at that moment things were going in a different direction than the one I would have chosen. My joy was squashed and my anticipation grew. But I had this overwhelming sense of God's presence. And as family members arrived to say their farewell to my earthly dad I remember seeking refuge in the palm of my Heavenly Father's hand. You see He made His presence known. God knew that I needed Him there with me. I needed His grace, His mercy and His power. I felt the power of the Holy Spirit in the most amazing way. As my crazy family sang songs to send dad off as he stepped out of this realm and into his eternal realm, I felt as if there was a silence and my feet were lifted. It was as if I was in the middle of the biggest, warmest and most uplifting hug. My life was altered. And my faith grew.
Some may go through similar life altering moments and come out of it with a much different perspective. Some may have asked, "God where were you?" And others may have had their faith shattered. It funny, as I sit and drink my coffee, that I am reminded of that "seeing is believing" concept. I didn't see that coffee was made for me this morning. But because I know my husband I knew that a hot cup was waiting for me. I didn't have to see the coffee to believe it was in a cup waiting for me to wrap my cold hands around it. I didn't need to see my husband making the coffee to believe he would do it. Again, because I know my husband I believe in him and therefore I am able to trust that the coffee will be there. That my friends is a "believing is seeing" illustration. On the other side of the fence is my younger brother. Thomas is one of those "seeing is believing" types. Yes, he is a doubting Thomas for sure. So the concept of trusting in the "unseen" God is nearly impossible for him. He needs tangible evidence that God truly does exist. And for a long time I wondered why God didn't make Himself known to Thomas on that day in December of 2010. But now I know He did. It's just that my brother needs to be willing to have a perspective change. And I need to continue to allow God's grace to flow from the holes and cracks in me because I am certain that one day Thomas will have an epiphany moment and shift to the "believing is seeing" crowd. Because I believe in God I was able feel the warmth of His embrace and I knew that He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us that day. And I am sure that my brother felt something that day too. He may not acknowledge that it was God holding us that moment. But I believe that as God's grace continues to flow from the family and friends that surround him he will one day look back and remember how grace washed over us all that day.
I pray that God would reveal himself to so many of the people that surround me. I see Him everywhere. I see Him in the trees that reach their branches toward heaven. I see Him in my husband and children. My family and my friends. I even see Him silly thing like coffee. He is there to be my hope for whatever tomorrow holds. He is there as my strength for whatever today holds. He is there as the healer of my past transgressions. He is everywhere! I just need to open the eyes of my heart.
I pray that as we continue this journey of drawing closer to God, El Roi, that we take time to seek Him. Let make a conscious effort to call upon Him every day. Be Still and know He is there.
Questions to think about:
Has there ever been a time in your life where you couldn't "see" God? What happened during that time? What did you learn if anything?
What are some ways you seek God? And how do you know that you found Him?
What is the next thing you feel that God is calling you to do? And how do you think you are answering Him?
Have you ever failed to obey God and then felt like your "vision" was blocked?
Think about a time in your life when God was moving and doing something in your life and you couldn't see where He was taking you. But later, in retrospect, you saw how he was working things out for you.
See you next week.
God bless you
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