“I don’t get it,” I said to our teenage daughter. I was staring at a disposable coffee cup sitting on the counter. It had lines marking amounts vertically ascending the cup. The confusion settled upon me as I read the verbiage with each line:
No
Not Yet
Closer
Almost There
Ready
“This cup must have been printed wrong,” I said shaking my head with puzzlement.
My astute fifteen-year-old laughed at me, “Well, if you read it as a measurement of how much you’ve drunk, it makes sense.”
The light began to dawn!
I imagined it to read the measurement I needed to pour in, but it marked how much I ingested. The wording on the cup implied that I wasn’t ready for the day until I had a full cup of coffee churning in my stomach. That I needed caffeine to fuel my moments in the coming hours. To keep me awake through the morning routine and jolts to the afternoon schedule. Ironically, I found it a little too perceptive! I laughed thinking about the days I didn’t drink my coffee. My students could tell which days were those!
Then I thought about another morning habit I had: trying to study God’s word. How I wish I had a device that measured how much of God’s truth I needed to pour into myself before I got going on the day. Something that could measure how much of Scripture I had ingested and poured into my heart, fueling me with all the energy and patience and Spirit-filled behavior I needed for the upcoming interactions and reactions that were sure to surprise me. I knew that I could sure tell which days I had risen early enough to study Scripture, and which I hadn’t.
While I don’t possess a fancy cup that can measure my spiritual-filling, God does supply what I need for each day. I am often surprised at how a passage I read in the wee hours is called to mind later on in the day when an event surprises me or an interaction calls me back to those words of wisdom.
And even more convicting are the passages I read late in the day, because I “had no time” early in the morning, but would have been beneficial to reflect upon before the day started.
Psalm 1:2 reminds us, “(Blessed are those) whose delight is the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” (NIV)
God rewards obedience. He blesses us when we study His word and make it a practice. Those verses contain just the “juice” needed for the day.
No, I don’t have a “spirit ruler,” but I can trust God to provide what I need. From the words written on the page that will be applicable later on, to the reminder to set the alarm.
I am amazed at how He constantly provides when I pause to look. When I trust Him, His word will have me “ready”!
Amen!