Today’s Daily Bread ~ Coffee

Psalm 138:3 – When I pray, You answer me; You encourage me by giving me the strength I need.

I love coffee.

I love that first cup of the morning.  I love the merrily gurgling sound of the coffee maker.  I love coming downstairs to that warm, inviting aroma.  I love pouring the milk and spooning the sugar.  I love breathing in the fragrance as I raise the mug to my lips, and I love the warmth that spreads down to my toes as I take that first sip.

I do love my coffee.                                                

During the 2011 Lenten season, my husband and I gave up caffeine.  Having gone through the detoxification process before, I chose to ramp my coffee intake down two weeks prior to Ash Wednesday.  It didn’t make it much easier.

My body was used to that jolt of artificial energy every morning.  My physiological system issued a painful headache in protest, but still I persevered.  After about a week, I found that I actually felt better.  Without my afternoon pick-me-up, I fell asleep faster and stayed asleep longer.  Fully rested, I bounced eagerly out of bed instead of sluggishly and reluctantly.  I came downstairs, made myself an herbal, non-caffeinated tea and got to work, eager to meet the day.

By the end of Lent, both Mike and I were toying with the notion of saying goodbye to caffeine forever. 

And then I caved. 

We still enjoy our morning cup of coffee, but not wanting to rely on it quite so much, we’ve switched to half-caff.  I do my best to limit my caffeine to the morning, so I can continue to enjoy the benefits of a long, restful night’s sleep.

Nothing can take the place of a solid eight hours of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.

I can make it on seven.  I can survive one day on six.  Anything less and I’m absolutely ineffective.  Caffeine gets me through for a few hours, but once the effects wear off I’m more tired than I was before.

The longer I walk with Jesus, the more I recognize just how much I need Him.

Jeremiah 31:25 – “For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing.”

Although many might argue the opposite, God did not make us self-sufficient.  Our bodies need rest to function at their fullest potential.  Our souls need Jesus to do the same.

We were created purposely incomplete, with a void inside of us.  The void is the shape of a cross.  People will live their entire lives trying to fill the emptiness with other things, only to find that nothing fits.  Nothing works for long.  Just like the temporary burst of energy from caffeine; you feel better for a while, but then you need more.  And more.  And more.

I find myself comparing my need for Jesus to an iPhone.  As technologically capable as it is, it cannot run for long on the battery.  After a while, you have to recharge it.  As intricate and complex as I am, I cannot function physically without sleep.  And to a much deeper extent, I cannot have peace without Jesus.

Psalm 107:8-9 – Let them praise the LORD for His great love and for all His wonderful deeds to them.  For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

He gives purpose to the wandering.  Direction to the lost.  Rest to the weary.  Comfort to the mourning.  Hope to the hopeless.  Peace to the anxious.  Strength to the weak.  Confidence to the meek.  Grace to the proud and stillness through the loud. 

He walks with the lonely.  Gives beauty to the homely.  Heals the hurting and sees our suffering.  He loves the unlovable.  Consoles the inconsolable.  Befriends the friendless.  His compassion is endless.

He wipes our tears and quiets our fears.  He walks on water to get to you.  He calms the storms that frighten you.  He stands before the Father, arguing against the one who accuses you. 

He crossed eternity to reach you.  Cloaked Himself in flesh to walk with you.  Conquered death to save you.  Even now, He beckons you.

 Psalm 103:2-5 – Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me.  He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies.  He fills my life with good things.  My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

Dear Heavenly Father, wow.  Your love for us is beyond our ability to image; our ability to fathom.  You cast our sin as far as the east is from the west.  You throw our transgressions into the sea, never to think of them again.  Why do we resist You?  God, please shorten our “battery life.”  Please convict us when we fail to come to You and recharge. 

God, we ask that today we would feel Your Presence wrap around us like a comforter.  Please guide our thoughts, decisions and words.  Please direct our steps.  No matter what happens, let us know You are with us.  Strengthen us, that we might be a powerful witness to Your glory.  Help us to hold fast to the truth, no matter how the world tries to distort it.  The truth is that You love us.  You sent Your Son to die for our sins, that we might be reconciled to You.  He rose again and will come again at the time You have set.  We love You, God.  We worship You, Jesus.  It is in Your beautiful, holy name that we pray.  Amen.