Your Morning Coffee 06/03/2024

Good morning!

Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father call out to us in the midst of our struggles and sufferings. Father, remind us of your love. Remind us of Jesus, who sits at your side, interceding for us and preparing a place for us. Remind us of the Holy Spirit, He who lives and works within us. God you have never left our side. We have never been alone. You are here and you are near. In the name of Jesus, please help us to seek you as we live in the midst of hard days. Forgive us for losing sight of you. Amen.

Your Morning Song: "Yahweh" by Rend Collective

Your Morning Scripture: Psalm 139:1-12

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

You search out my path and my lying down 

and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue, 

behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

You hem me in, behind and before, 

and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

 it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit? 

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

 If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning 

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

 and your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

 and the light about me be night,”

even the darkness is not dark to you; 

the night is bright as the day,

 for darkness is as light with you.

...

Sometimes it is hard to see God. You get up, having hit the snooze button at least once. There might be food, or coffee, maybe both. Get dressed, brush your teeth. Maybe you look in the mirror. Maybe you don't. And then...

Life happens.

And then you finish your day with some similar version of how you started it. And then you sleep. And do it all over again.

Do you every feel like God isn't there with you in the grind of your daily life? When you struggling and sweat, and ache, and stress, do you ever lose sight of God? Perhaps you haven't been to church in a while. Or perhaps its hard to "be there" even though you're always there. Or maybe the pain of life has numbed you to where God is.

What can we do in this moment, when God seems absent in our lives?

There are plenty of practical things that we can do, and I'll mention a few in a moment. But we can and should start with the truth. What does God say about Himself, where exactly He is? Did He leave? Will He come back to us?

The truth is, as seen in David's own words above, God has never left our side. The truth is even better than that. Where could we possibly go to get away from God's presence? There is no such place.

So no matter what place you are in right now, no matter how much of a grind, no matter how much it hurts, God is there. In all things, for all times. And because He so dearly loves us, not only is He present with us, but He is active, on the move, ready and willing to do more for us than we could ever do for ourselves.

Do you believe this is true, that God loves you, is with you, and is actively at work in your life? Maybe you do.

But what if you don't? God is still here. He still loves you. He is still actively and passionately at work in your life. God's presence, love, and action does not depend on you.

God is near. Seek Him in the Bible, in prayer, in singing songs to Him, in worshipping Him with how and why we do life, and in doing these things with other believers. Seek His presence earnestly and honestly. Perhaps your time in the Bible is hard. Perhaps your prayers are brief and bitter. Perhaps singing songs seems impossible. Do it anyway. Seek God's presence however you can, with whatever energy and dedication you can. And I promise you, you will be rewarded. God will give the greatest reward that is in His power to give.

He will give you Himself.

May we, as God's children, seek Him in all things. For we know that there is no place we can go that He is not. He is with us. He is for us. He loves us. He is at work in us, on us, and through us.

We can rest and find comfort in the truth, even if we don't feel it. The truth is the truth. God is here. God is near. And He is calling out to you. Open the eyes of your heart and mind. He is here. He is near. Receive His peace in Christ Jesus.