Coffee With Jesus (part deux)

We must think about those times where we seek God, and we don’t even know what to say. Those times when we’re tired of what seems like failing all the time. We talk to God, and what we hear in return is like that really muffled GPS voice. The key, remember, is not to give up because you can’t understand what God is trying to tell you. The key is to continue to seek God until the voice becomes clearer. Do you want to know what it is that will bring revival to us? Do you think it’s preaching? No, it is prayer that is going to bring revival to our community. But, we question ourselves about prayer; we wonder if we’re doing it right. We become impatient with ourselves and with God. We ask, all most in a begging kind of way, “God, am I even doing this right? Going about this situation the right way?” We second guess ourselves. We ask Him for a rock to eat, and He gives us a loaf of bread. But we continue praying for the rock, since it is what we wanted. You see, He will provide for us, but we may not notice that He’s provided in a way that we didn’t ask for. We ask Him about our finances, life decisions, and relationships. If He doesn’t answer us in our time frame, we become even more impatient and maybe even angry with ourselves and with God as well. In fact, how difficult is it to pray, to trust, to confide in God…who can’t be physically seen, heard, touched, or physically sensed (to be purely carnal here). And when bad things happen like accidents or deaths in our families, we wonder why God would let such things happen. We even become angry with God because He lets His children fall and be broken. Some of us at that point just let go of God because of our grief, or frustration, or whatever. And because of all of our trouble communicating with God, larger questions begin to come up.

Have you ever been frustrated like that? Yes, I have. There have been points in my life when I’ve looked to heaven and said, “How could you let this happen?” You know who else has felt this way? Many in scripture have held this attitude, but I want to look at one in particular. King David was called a man that sought after God’s heart. Despite his obvious sins, he was pretty good at holding open conversations with God. This style of communicating with God could be another good model for us. Look at many of the Psalms that David penned. For right now, let’s dig at Psalm 16.

Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."
3 As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight. [b]
4 The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.
5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, [c]
nor will you let your Holy One [d] see decay.
11 You have made [e] known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

What a powerful written prayer! Look at it again, this time, pray it. All too often, our solutions, comfort, and control come from our own minds instead of seeking God. If we were to seek God’s glory, instead of presenting a shopping list, we might not get to the point of frustration we saw in the second video. Some of us may only pray to God in frustration with life, some of us ask for selfish things, and all of us need help learning how to communicate with God. We all are born with a need to communicate to Him. We can force our prayers, we can be self-centered in our prayers, but these are not prayer’s purpose. Prayer, like love, is a two-way street. It is a way for us to present ourselves to God, as a heart and mind sacrifice. I know we keep bringing up Romans 12:1-2 over and over again, but I think it’s something we need to hear over and over again. We indeed are living sacrifices, which need to be pleasing to God.

The good news is that there is help for our broken, and sometimes lazy nature. Think about how much more impossible communication with God would seem if Jesus had not laid down His life, for each one of us.
He fought the fight to prepare the way for our hearts to be open.
He carried the 300 pound log down that glory road, while being mocked, spat upon, and shouted at.
But, He knew what He was doing.
Some of His followers deserted Him.
But, He knew what He was doing.
So much so, that He died upon the cross...
He gave the opportunity to communicate with God for the very first time. To say to Him, “Here I am, broken and full of baggage.”
And He’ll say to you, “Let me wash your wounds, and you can return to me, empty and beautiful.”