Good morning!
Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father remind us of how sweet it is to run to Him with the hurts of our hearts and hardships of our minds. Father, it is so tempting to use lesser things to deal with our deepest struggles and sufferings. Draw us to your side. Draw near to us as we draw near to you. I don't want to cope with the struggles of life in any other way before I run to you Father. By the Spirit, inspire me to pray, to sing, to read, and to be close to your other children. In the name of Jesus, help me to find my refuge and rest in you! Amen.
Your Morning Song: "The Goodness" by Toby Mac and Blessing Offor
Your Morning Scripture: Psalm 34:8
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
...
Ever been stressed? Ever been weary in your heart? Whether by grief, by sadness, by depression, by loneliness, longing for deeper purpose, and all the other afflictions of the heart that lead us to this same place.
I don't want to feel this way. So what can we do?
You cope. You eat. You drink. You watch. You scroll. You indulge any of the lesser senses to escape the chest-tight tension of the heart afflicted.
Or you can taste and see that the Lord is good.
As God's children, we should know this already. And I think many of us know it, but too many of us don't actually act on this knowing. We amen on Sunday mornings the idea of running to God with the hurts of our hidden hearts, and then we eat, drink, watch, scroll, indulge, indulge, indulge.
The problem of our inner person cannot be fixed with appetite. It must be dealt with where it is, in our hearts, our minds, the inner person, our true self.
Only God can do that. He wants to sit with us in secret, wrestling prayer (Lamentations 3:19-26).
He wants to teach us and grow us in reading His loving Word to us (Bible).
He wants to sing with us as we sing to Him (joyful noise > skillful noise).
He wants to be with us as we are together, praying, reading, and singing (Matthew 18:20).
When was the last time you tried to cope with God? When was the last time you took refuge in Him and not some lesser thing?
There is nothing wrong with the lesser joys, but only when they have their place. Only when we invite God into the depths of our hearts and minds, to give us comfort and grace and mercy.
And He promises that this is true. Blessed are those who take refuge in Him! No one who comes earnestly and honestly to Him will be disappointed. They will not leave His side empty-handed. They will not leave His side empty-hearted.
They will not leave His side. For though we cling to God, it is His grip on us that keeps us there.
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