COFFEE ON THE DOCK

God wants to love others through me but I sometimes cringe at His choices. Not that I think I am more worthy of His love than others, it is just so difficult at times. There is no escape. To experience His love opens our heart to the surge of His love for all. While I mostly enjoy this process, there are moments when I wish to shut off the valve after quenching my own thirst, but He will have none of this nonsense. Restricting the love-flow from His heart to my heart to others is a heinous crime. Lord of Love, forgive me for ever holding back Your love from others. Make me an open-valve fountain of blessing. 

Today the veil of separation is formally closed between my mother and me, but it won’t last long. A while ago I was contemplating the death of two longtime friends who died during the same week and it hit me, I now have more people I know and love in heaven than I do on earth. It was in that moment my view of heaven transitioned to a new level. Until that occasion heaven had mostly been a theological reality and a missional goal, but in that time of reflection heaven became an emotional reality. Lord of all Majesty and Power, soon we will see You face to face and there, we Your children, shall ever dwell together with You!

My earthly excursion must be trod on mountaintops and through deep valleys alike; each day brings gains and losses. My goal is to please God, yet it is difficult to take hold of eternal things while constantly immersed in the temporal.  Unruly sin and lingering regret accompany my pilgrimage, but mercy and forgiveness deliver me daily. His Word and Spirit trounce the ravages of carnal intrusions, His Goodness transforming “all things”, even the worst of circumstances, for “our good”. Glory to You Lord! You walk within us, before us, behind us, beneath us, above us and around us. We never walk alone. 

The first time I heard the title of the song: “Barefoot and Crazy” I thought of Moses. A wholly unexpected divine encounter knocked him right out of his sandals and changed him from a shepherd to a prophet and deliverer of millions of slaves from bondage; “barefoot and crazy” for God's will for His people. That’s exactly what I want: divine encounters, the shedding of earthly stuff and backflips off the cliff of the commonplace. Yes, bold and crazy obedience! Lord Almighty, Great “I AM,” I ask for holy encounters that evoke radical surrender. Help me turn aside from ordinary routines to climb the mountain of discovery and empowerment. 

Constant updates are required for the operating systems and applications we all use. Between my phone, computer and other devices there are multiple downloads each day. This is really nothing new; my whole being requires daily adjustments and updates. I must be sorted through, spirit, soul and body, until every part is pure and wholly consecrated to God. Yesterday’s surrender is insufficient for this new day. Precious Lord, I am thankful for Your constant work in me so that You may work more effectively through me. Divine Downloads are my urgent need and daily desire.  

So much of what is sincerely offered as prayer is little more than attempts to align God with what we want or feel we need. Just in case God may have missed something or is simply too busy and needs additional details, we outline the issues as we see them, even offering reasonable solutions for Him to consider. The fundamental problem with this approach is prayer is not God management. Prayer manages us, not the other way around. Gracious Father, align my desires to Your will and my requests to Your purpose. Forgive my attempts to manipulate Your ways. Not my will but Yours, always. 

I always take a written list to the grocery store; otherwise I will usually miss a thing or two needed. When I go to the Cross no such list is necessary.  Why are we always trying to add something to the Cross as if its work is insufficient? Did God really forget things to place upon Himself? Redemption is complete; nothing is left untouched. I can trust the Redeemer to apply His work to every need, every sorrow. My part is to surrender everything at the feet of the Savior. Holy God, You declared: “It is finished!” Help the sincerity of my repentance match the greatness of Your Salvation.