Words from Wednesday (Devotional)

A Coffee Date

A while back a friend of mine posted her status on FB as this: “{This person} is having coffee with a good friend. God is good!” For some reason that status statement struck a cord with me—did she mean she was having a coffee with God?

And the sad reality is that my next thought was: “I wonder what that would be like.” Yep, that was a reality check for me. Obviously I am in need of more one-on-one time with my Saviour! But imagine with me for a minute what it might be like . . . to actually have a coffee—or tea, or ice cap, or whatever you want—with God. Sitting right there on the chair across from you. Maybe He would get to use your favourite mug, or maybe you’d still save that one for yourself because He’d understand, right? Would I sit in utter awe of his presence or would I dive into my LONG list of questions I have for him? Would I be smiling with contentment or filled with guilt over the sins I haven’t confessed yet? Would He reach over and take my hand or calmly reassure me with His words that He still loves me, even still, even more than I can understand?

That is when I opened my Bible to Psalm 119: 9-48—a wonderful bunch of verses to reflect on for some quiet time with God. They were very fitting for the writer of this Psalm, but also for me today. How can I keep my ways pure? Live according to God’s word. Seek Him with my whole heart. The writer of this psalm continues to meditate on God and His law in the verses that follow. So I sat and read these verses and then read them again.

And I came back to those first few verses. How can I keep my life right? To live according to His Word and to seek Him with my whole being. It’s that simple. But simple is also asking me to not just read these verses, but meditate on them daily. Simple is asking me to actually live out Ephesians 6:18—“to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Simple is asking me to “pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Simple is asking me to stop trying to be my own best friend or filling my time with other people and projects, but instead let God fill that space. It is asking me to give up planning, controlling and manipulating things that I have no control of and placing my fears and anxieties on Him because He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). It’s asking me to be still, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

So, I now have a coffee date—not with my husband, an out-of-town guest, or my girlfriends. I have a long-overdue coffee date with a Good Friend. God is good!