Coffee With The Lord

Ever lose your balance spiritually? Something happened that didn’t seem fair, a spiritual anomaly that just tripped you up? You just couldn’t seem to get past it. You found yourself on the ground emotionally – thrashing around spiritually. I’ve been there!

I read Psalm 73 this morning during “coffee with the Lord” – it speaks so powerfully to that issue!!

“I had almost lost my footing! My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else… These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!

“I ask myself, ‘Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?’ So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is!

“THEN I WENT INTO YOUR SANCTUARY, O GOD, AND I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD the destiny of the wicked… I realized that my heart was bitter and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant – I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you! You hold my right hand – you guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny! Who have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth! My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever! … How good it is to be near God! … I will tell everyone about the wonderful things You do!” (From the New Living Translation)

You know what? I’ve decided I need to spend more time in God’s word and with God’s people – being in the Lord’s presence… just listening for His voice!!

I am always blown away by passages like Mark 11.20-26! There is so much to be discovered about what Jesus taught on the subject of faith and its potential! Sometimes I feel like I’ve only got a toe in the water of a mighty ocean of possibilities! I find myself in an awkward position… I never want to abuse faith for selfish ends – on the other hand I don’t want to leave divinely intended possibilities unexplored or experienced.

I mean, get the picture… Jesus had cursed a vibrant, green fig tree (“a fig tree in leaf”) that had no fruit. He spoke a word of rebuke over it… “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (a tree full of leaves normally should have had fruit). The next day the disciples and Jesus passed by the tree again… Lo and behold, it had withered away from the roots! It was dead!! The disciples were blown away!! “Look!” they said, “The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Then Jesus stretched their faith “to the max” with what followed…

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:22–25 NIV)

Now, I have to admit (after years of working with people of all kinds in the church), I would have been inclined to have responded to Jesus words like this… “Don’t say that Jesus! Just as sure as the world, some idiot will try it!” Didn’t seem to bother Jesus, though! In fact, it seems like, rather than qualifying the challenge, he wanted to encourage it! He wanted to stretch their faith to believe for impossible things!

Believe me, when I say abuses of faith have happened in the church – selfish, self-centered, self-seeking displays of “faith” (so-called). But we dare not let our negative reaction to that, or our fear and timidity, keep us from believing God can and will do the impossible!

“The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all… and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised!” (From 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ESV)