Coffee With The Lord

Numbers 6:22-27 was part of my Bible reading during “coffee with the Lord” today.  As I read it I was reminded of the responsibility spiritual leaders have to “bless” those they lead…

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people with this special blessing…  May the Lord bless you and protect you!  May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you!  May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace!'”

Then the Bible says God spoke and said, “Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in My Name, I MYSELF WILL BLESS THEM!!”

That’s a wonderful blessing!  You may have heard a pastor in church utter this blessing over the congregation at the close of a service as a “benediction.”  But this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” it occurred to me that Aaron in the Old Testament, and a pastor in a church service are only agents for the Lord… Ultimately I want God to be the one who lays His mighty, loving hands upon my head and speaks these words and activates the blessing over my life!  Isn’t that what you want?  His blessing, not a man’s, is what makes all the difference in the world!

You know what?  I want to fulfill that responsibility as a spiritual leader!!  I want to be known for going around “blessing people” … God, when I bless ’em will you please bless ’em too?!!  I know you will!!

I guess I am known for “the Bartel fist pump”, as the students say, when I really agree with what is being said in a lecture or sermon. (Anyone have a pic of me doing it?) 😉  Hey, everyone has some gesture they tend to use… I thought about that as I read 2 Corinthians 1.19-20 this morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord”…

“Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No”!  He is the One… I preached to you as God’s ultimate “Yes”!  He always does what He says!  For all God’s promises have ben fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” (fist pump goes right there!! 🙂  And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes” [another fist pump]) ascends to God for His glory.” (From 2 Corinthians 1:19-20 NLT)

I have to admit, I’d like to know what God typically does when He really approves or agrees with something 😉  Got any ideas of things He has done or might do?  I think Paul, the apostle might have done a “fist pump” (or something) after writing this truth or while he dictated these words to his amanuensis (his secretary).

Hey, it’s a wonderful truth!  You can depend on God’s promises – He means what He says and has the power to deliver on it – you can be sure!!!  (“Bartel Fist pump” goes right there!!!)

The old spiritual goes like this… “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen, Nobody knows my sorrow, Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen … Nobody knows, but Jesus!”  Paul, the great apostle would have agreed with that.  He described a situation that he went through like this…

“We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure.  We thought we would never live through it! In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. You are helping us by praying for us! Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. (2 Corinthians 1:8-11 NLT)

That’s right, Apostle Paul, great “Apostle to the Gentiles” – inspired writer of much of the New Testament acknowledged a personal struggle of that magnitude!  You just never know…  Several years ago I was in a Bible study group along with a dear friend who happened to be a psychologist – a professional counsellor and therapist… After we had read Paul’s words, this was his unsolicited exclamation: “Sounds to me like Apostle Paul struggled through a period of severe clinical depression!”

Look at the faces of the people you encounter today… Smiling faces may hide deep pain.  Others may try to hide their struggles and suffering, but the telltale signs of their heartache are still there.  We can help by a kind touch, an invitation to conversation, a listening ear and offering assurance of prayer (or actually taking a moment, if they agree, to pray with them). But the person in pain today (even near despair) may be YOU!  Oh what hope and words of assurance this passage provides!!  God is faithful!  He can and will sustain you!  Intercessory prayer for one another makes a difference!  It is heard and answered by God!  Drop me a private message today via a text message (972-921-9317) and I will support you in prayer.  Give me the details you feel comfortable with or just simply ask me to pray.  The Lord will help you!  I know He will!  Don’t despair!  Trust Him!