Coffee With The Lord

I Had a “Bethel” experience this morning as I read Genesis 28:10-22 during “coffee with the Lord”!

Jacob, having deceived his father and angered his brother, was forced to flee for his life! Esau wanted to kill him!  It had to be one lonely night, filled with fear and guilty feelings! But God in His mercy revealed Himself to Jacob in a powerful dream/vision and reaffirmed/re-established His covenant!

“And behold, the Lord said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring.  Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.  Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you!’” (vss.13-15)

Jacob awakens from this revelation – blown away by God mercy and grace!

“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it! … How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!’  So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.  HE CALLED THE NAME OF THAT PLACE BETHEL [i.e. the house of God].” (vss. 16-19)

Jacob’s response is noteworthy and instructive for us, who as guilty sinners, have experienced the mercy and grace of God… When this happened to Jacob he worshipped and consecrated himself afresh to God. As I read this passage during my time of “coffee with the Lord” this morning I did the same… I worshipped and rededicated myself to the Lord – I HAD A “BETHEL EXPERIENCE!”

Loving parents provide for their children! The last thing they want from their children is fretful anxiety over all the details of family life… income tax, mortgage payments, bank balances, savings, inflation, health and life insurance, grocery shopping and meal preparation, car maintenance and repairs, and the hundreds of other details of family life. I’ve listened to parents describe their concern over a fretful child who seemed to be shouldering the burden for all the things that they did not need to worry about… Their conversation with the child went something like this: “Honey listen, don’t you worry about that! Daddy (or Mommy) will take care of it! I just want you to…”

Well there’s a “Kingdom of Heaven” message a lot like that in many ways found in Matthew 6:25-34. In it the words, “Do not be anxious” in some form appear several times: “Do not be anxious about what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on!” Then additionally, Jesus reminds His followers the “Divine Parent” – our “Heavenly Father’s” loving provision is stressed several times: He “feeds” – He “clothes” – and we’re reminded “He knows we need all these things!” In fact, Jesus reminds us of the Heavenly Father’s provision for “the birds of the air” and his beautiful adorning of “the lilies of the field.”

It seems clear that what our Divine Parent – our “Heavenly Father” – wants us to be concerned about is simply being a faithful, loving, trusting, contributing part of His family – the family of God! He’ll do the parenting – He’ll do the providing and the protecting! His word to us is to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us [i.e. taken care of]!” (vs. 33)

Hey, take it from me – no, take it from Jesus – what He had to say to us as God’s anxious, fretful children is worth revisiting again. You say, you’ve never been anxious and fretful about the things your Heavenly Father promises to provide? Com’on, I have! I needed to read and hear Matthew 6:25-34 again today – Just as it came out of the mouth of Jesus!

From Groaning to Glory!!! Romans 8:18-30

Here’s Paul’s faith-filled assertion… “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us!” … This entire passage today develops that grand and glorious, faith-filled theme!

Creation is groaning under the impact of sin… but in anticipation!… And we are not exempt… we also groan! We are awaiting our fulfillment as God’s sons and daughters – the redemption of our bodies!

Even though we sometimes find ourselves groaning, we have the Divine help of the Holy Spirit!  He is making intercession for us according to the will of God! And He turns our groaning into a prayer!!!

And in the meantime we know this – we have this confidence – “He is working in all things for good, for those who love God and are the called according to His purpose!”

What a hope – what a confident expectation!  Ultimately we have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, Jesus… Predestined, called, justified and ultimately GLORIFIED! GROANING TO GLORY!!! In process to be glorified! Ultimately bearing His image… REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE’RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW!!! HALLELUJAH!!!