COFFEE ON THE DOCK

A heart demarcated by God cannot ignore the helpless or persecuted; the Lord Himself takes up the cause of the needy and broken. If I do not speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves or work for the good of those being unfairly crushed then I deny the very essence of the Shepherd of Our Souls. God is holy and just, but He is equally kind, caring and gentle; all these are necessary characteristics for a child of God. Lord, You are Good and Merciful; release Your benevolence and goodwill through me to others. Give me wisdom to act fairly and a voice devoid of selfish motives. 

A large oak tree is a majestic sight, its branches spreading high into the sky and reaching out all around. But that is only half of the story. Its root system is as large underground as its girth above ground. As with a huge building, the visible structure is only as strong as its foundation. So it is with life on this earth. What is visible to others is only half the story. If we are rooted in shallow ground our future is weak and unsteady. If our foundation is God’s Word and Will we are positioned for eternity. Father, You are the only sure foundation, keep me rooted in You alone. All other ground is sinking sand.  

Honesty with others is dependent upon openness to God. Since He knows all things it seems wholly unreasonable that I would attempt to close any part of my will to His Presence, but honesty does not come easily since it always requires change. For our own sake He will accept nothing less than humble submission, therefore pretense must be painfully stripped away, piece by piece and shades of truth renounced, no exceptions. Lord of Truth and Light, eradicate every shadow in me. Let Your radiance bathe every crevasse, every corner. Lord, I rejoice in Your Light, help me walk in it today.

Every season of life brings its own joys and disappointments; however, letdowns seem to accrue more easily than gladness. The Psalms reveal King David as a man of profound faith, yet he found it necessary to remind himself of God’s blessings and to command his own soul to praise God. A quick inventory of things for which I can be thankful ignites my heart, releasing joy and praise in every circumstance. I must lift my eyes from the temporal pains and look to the Giver of Life. O Lord my God, my heart is jubilant as I contemplate Your Goodness, which bestows incorruptible gladness. 

Love and hatred are similar in one way; they both have no limits. While we have each felt at least a little bit of the all-consuming power of hatred, we have almost no experience with unlimited love. This is why we struggle with the amazing love of God. Can He really love without limits? The Bible states it clearly: “God is love.” Since He doesn’t “have” love, but rather, “is” love, to limit His love would be to deny who He is. Lord God Almighty, I want to understand the depths of Your love and offer it freely to others. Teach me to receive and give of Your boundless, immeasurable, inexhaustible love. 

A stroll on a sandy beach provides hidden treasures placed there by the creative forethought of God. The ebb and flow of tides opens the treasury of the seas for those who stroll along the shore. God sees to it that each day offers the same to all mankind, wherever we are on earth; hidden treasures carefully placed by the Hand of God. The angels had it right: "Glory to God in the Highest, good will toward men." Lord of Constant Wonders, teach me to slow my pace and pay greater attention to Your quiet handiwork. Open the eyes of my heart to Your daily divine deposits.

To the brokenhearted, joy. To the falsely accused, joy. To the misunderstood, joy. To the disappointed, joy. To the repentant sinner, joy. To the imprisoned or condemned, joy. To the lonely, joy. To the rejected, joy. To the abandoned, joy. To the widow and widower, joy. To the newborn or elderly, joy. To the calloused heart, joy. To those proclaimed terminally ill, joy. To those trapped in darkness, joy. To those with waning hope, joy. To the cowardly or brave, joy. To the guilty or just, joy. To rich or poor, joy. JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME! 

Where I live a winter rain almost always announces a change in temperature, cold fronts push down from the north and warm fronts up from the south. Without the forecasts of specialists with sophisticated experience the coming changes are difficult to predict, but with their help preparations can be made. The same is true of spiritual progress. I am both thankful for and dependent upon those who have tread holy ground before me. Dearest Alpha and Omega, Thank You for the testimony and imparted wisdom of those who have gone before us. May our fruitfulness be worthy of their sacrifices. 

My heart is easily drawn to noble causes. God creates each of us with enormous power to do good, but even with our whole heart engaged, we need His grace and blessing to stay the course. Life surrounds us with many opportunities to make a difference, but like wise generals we must choose our battles wisely.  Concentration of forces is a key to battlefield victory, so I must focus on following the specific orders of my Commander and Chief. Father, guide me each day to my spot in the battle line. Protect me from my tendency to wander and keep me in the position You choose.

I am quite proficient at making up excuses to avoid doing something I do not want to do. Yet, I am equally adept at constructing convincing arguments for what I want. Neither of these skills is helpful to the person who wants to please God. In fact, there is grave danger of talking myself right over a cliff into a sea of selfishness and disobedience. Even the Savior faced this struggle in the heat of battle. His self-denying garden prayer must become my own: “not as I will, but as you will.” Father, help me pull away from human desire and push deeper into surrender. Your will first and always. 

Things in life must be replenished. Clothes must be washed, pets must be fed again and again, homes must be repaired; why do we think we must be filled with God’s Spirit or surrender to His Sovereignty only once? Many seem surprised to learn that daily replenishing is necessary for the people of God. Yesterday’s blessings perish quickly. Today I must again dig deep, remind my heart of God’s faithfulness and recommit to His will and ways. Lord Almighty, I renew my vows to You. Fill me afresh with Your Presence. I again put my hand to the plow and resolve to finish my course with fervor

As light cuts through darkness, so truth cuts through deception. The simple reason we run from truth, hide the truth, bend the truth or even deny the truth is that truth is so powerfully efficient. Yet, truth is useless unless delivered in love. Like a glove without a hand inserted, truth cannot successfully operate apart from love. Since truth originates and emanates from God it must be embodied in His nature. Heavenly Father, to walk in Your Truth is to walk in Your Love. Help me navigate the complexities of human weaknesses and find that perfect balance only You can supply.  

Everyone makes missteps. By definition, a mistake is not intentional, but we inwardly realize that most can be avoided by taking greater care in the first place. How we react to the consequences of our foibles is the key to learning from them. We can make camp in reaction to the results of our gaffes, living constantly in our failures, or, we can find recovery by making needed changes and letting God heal us and teach us. Moving from reaction to recovery is the only path for God’s children. Father, grant me grace to take heed when I am admonished. Take my hand and lead me forward.

Even in the midst of the most violent of storms there is beauty within it. Each and every day has marvels sprinkled into it by the Hand of God. Like eyes adjusting to dimly a lit room, our heart must attune itself to see what can be easily missed.  Opportunities to both give and receive can happen on a crowded plane or in a busy grocery checkout line. New friendships can emerge from nowhere and patch up gaping losses. Blessed Lord, Your Holy Finger dabs beautifying touches onto the canvas of my life. May I never miss the chance to acknowledge the wonders You deposit all around. 

At age thirteen I began driving boats, spending endless hours on a large lake. Those years of experience did little to prepare me for the complications of navigating tidal waters, lakes rarely require navigational buoys. On my first outing as a young adult we headed to shore without paying attention to channel markers and ran aground at full speed. Thankfully, the only harm was to my bruised ego. Father, forgive my arrogance when I ignore the navigation signals You place along my path. Deliver me from presumption and teach me to be alert to Your guidance.

Honesty seems to be a disappearing characteristic in modern culture. I find that the closer I am to God, the more easily truth prevails, but diminished respect for godliness releases anarchy, rebellion and falsehood. Imbibing Scripture and times spent in private prayer are great cleansers of the heart; dishonesty does not easily reside in a soul permeated with truth. True and Living God, You dismantle fakery and demand straight plumb lines. Cleanse me of all deception and make divinely imposed accuracy my only standard for life.

Every earthly resource is exhaustible. Trusting in whatever we have gathered for the future is as useless as when the Israelites tried to store away manna only to have it "breed worms and stink". Life deals blows that shake our hope, but allowing pain or fear to shape our behaviors is the wrong course of action. My earth-born inclinations are dispatched by the glorious victory wrought in knowing God’s limitless provision. If He wants to act He has inexhaustible means.  Lord Jehovah Our Provider, if You wish it, You can make all things new. Forgive my foolish temporal ways and lead me in the way of everlasting.

How many more steps to breakthrough? I don’t know. I never know until after the final step, so I keep walking. In confident persistence, I walk. Through valleys of doom, I walk. Past shadows of fear, I walk. Over mountains of doubt, I walk. Through jungles of entanglements, I walk. The journey of faith does not end when we want it to end; it ends when it is over. That is God’s call, not mine. Shepherd of my soul You are with me each step. Your rod and staff cheer me up, relieve my weariness and give me grit to finish. My cup overflows and Goodness and Mercy are right behind me. So I walk.

Walking within the Will of God is by definition inconvenient; anything that imposes upon our human desires is bothersome. Following His promptings cannot be done without constant rearrangement of personal priorities and commitments. Daily infusion of Word and Spirit are vital, but no less so than openness to hear and obey. I am not significantly better at this process now than when it began in my life, but I am making steady progress. Lord, Your relentless pursuit and unmitigated love are my strength and hope. Grant me grace for immediate obedience. Help me knuckle under.

Like pure, refreshing water hidden underground in a desert cavern, our created purpose lies deep within us. The value and benefit of drinking from its waters far exceeds the strenuousness of finding it. Whenever I stray too far from His plan the Goodness of God pulls me back to my only enduring source of life. He formed me to do His will and no other aspiration can be substituted for it. Every earthly desire must align with His heavenly designed plan. Father You created me with purpose and an innate capacity to fulfill it. I so need Your daily grace. Help me to drink from Your still waters.

As I contemplate the wondrous work of the Savior my heart is lifted from its broken state.   The continual drumbeat of fears, doubts and darkness of this present world slip away in this one thought: God Himself defeated my lawlessness by one act of redeeming love. If it were necessary that I redeem myself I could not even offer my last breath as collateral since even that is God’s gift. But alas, Glorious God, You are the very One who gathered dust from the earth, made us in Your image and now restores life in us by the same holy breath. How wondrous You are, to You be glory forever.

Catastrophes have a way of being all consuming; the worse the situation, the more absorbing it is. The beginning point for moving forward is to enthrone God in our praise. As we behold and magnify Him the circumstances of life come into proper perspective. Praise validates the sovereignty of God in our own soul, arresting fear and releasing faith. The effect of praise provokes us to proclaim His greatness to others. Lord, You are High and Lifted Up and greatly to be praised! From the heavenlies even the largest mountain is small. I glorify and adore You O Lord My Shepherd and Keeper!

There is nothing fancy about a roadside fruit stand, its treasures there for the taking. But its bounty will never belong to those whose rush by without pause. So it is with wisdom. On the hilltop, along the road, at the crossroads she takes her stand, crying out to all who will hear. Daily wisdom is not a luxury; it is absolutely essential. Each new day my mind is half-filled with yesterday’s leftover thoughts with more pouring in upon awakening. It is then I must brake hard and seek God’s voice. Father, teach me to watch and listen. I seek Your Face and hungrily await Your divine instruction.

As a child it was fascinating to stare into mirrors, each reflection revealing details I previously missed. I soon learned that the quality of the mirror and lighting made a huge impact on what I saw. As I’ve aged this experience has grown increasingly less pleasant, so I now prefer dim reflections. When it comes to the inner man the opposite has occurred. Having paid the price of human deceptions I yearn for authenticity within no matter the consequence. Lord of Truth and Light, while there is pain in the discovery, I want the transforming power of truth to transform my falsehood into Your image. 

I marvel at the skill of professional whitewater kayakers, perhaps because they demonstrate that extreme dangers and incredible adventures inhabit the same space. To simply follow human instinct apart from divine purpose and guidance is like being thrown into cascading rapids. To navigate the churning challenges of relationships, health, prosperity, ambition and mission I need God’s constant help. Seeking Him should never be a last resort. Father in Heaven, Giver of Life, I realize skillful living requires Your will, Your way, Your timing, Your path and Your choices. I yield this day to Your Hands.

Annoyances constantly bombard my soul. Thankfully, they don’t seem to stick around as much as they used to, but I must not allow resentment to settle in my heart. Like water secretly eating away the ground underneath a foundation, irritations undermine the bedrock of joy that should characterize a believer’s life. Gratitude and praise are powerful weapons against the subtle entry of unhappiness. Heavenly Father, I know that I annoy You. Like the people of Israel in the wilderness, I too forget the amazing deliverance from slavery You have granted. Forgive my brazen self-centeredness.

Why do we wear ourselves out to get what can never satisfy? Chasing greener grass can be a positive motivator, but mostly it is a diversionary tactic of the enemy of my soul. I realize now more than ever that God keeps me, He surrounds me like a wall. This has, at times, felt unfairly restricting, yet I know I need His holy constraint. What divine joy, what genuine freedom there is living within the confines of the Father’s love. Lord, grant me the wisdom and discipline to show restraint. With Your goodness You hem me in. Forgive my attempts to squirm away from Your grasp. 

At times searching out God’s will can feel like walking through a pitch-dark home with which I am not familiar; creeping slowly, touching each obstacle while trying to determine what it is. I must always remember God has night vision. He knows exactly where I am at all times. How often He removes or places something in the path I’ll not know in this life, but I can trust His steady guidance. Lord, Your ways and means are wonderful. Only You can work the necessary miracles to make life possible for a soul so infused with ignorance and doubt as mine. By Your Mighty Hand I progress safely. 

Feeling bulletproof as a thirteen-year-old and standing on black ice for the first time I was sternly warned to be careful. Of course I ignored multiple warnings and let go of the handrail foolishly declaring: “I can do this, I have good balance!” Over the next few seconds I fell hard several times. I sheepishly crawled back over to the handrail and pulled myself upright. Lesson learned; I need good counsel and guardrails for life. Father of Light, my actions must rest on truth and my lawless judgments held in check. My wrongdoings know no limits, therefore I am blissfully shackled to Your Word and Spirit.