THE JAVA FOR OUR SPIRITS

Read: Lamentations 3:19-26 
"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!     Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" Psalm 34:8 ESV 
When I step out of bed in the darkness of pre-dawn morning, the first thing that usually comes on, often even before the lights, is our coffee maker. 
That first cup, the first sniff and of the full-bodied aroma of coffee awakens the senses to the new day to come. There's a certain comfort for a coffee drinker like me to grasp that first hot cup in the silence of the morning, to take that first deep breath filled with that aroma in. There's a certain renewal in that first cup, that first morning taste of coffee. 
As our single-cup maker whirs and hisses out the first cup of coffee, I shut the bedroom door so Staci can keep sleeping, then I pull out my Bible, journal and whichever devotional material I happen to be working through that morning. 
It has not always been that way, though. 
Trouble heaped upon trouble, and even the desire to get out of bed some days was an arduous chore, because I did not want to face whatever trouble I knew would be waiting for me when my feet hit the floor. 
However, as much as that first cup of joe brings my senses to life, starting my day with the word of God open in front of me does, oh, so much more to breathe life into me than a simple cup of coffee ever could. 
It is funny, in a sense, how material minded we can be in our reading of Scripture, though. In countless passages, the Lord promises us to give us all we need to get through each day – to "give us this day our daily bread." (Matt. 6:11) 
My usual inclination – maybe yours too - has always been to put a narrowly material definition to this promise. But these verses tell us when we turn to Him, the daily bread He gives us is much more than stuff. 
In the veil of even the most hopeless morning, His word is the sweet aroma that breathes life into a broken spirit. When what we face looms over us, overwhelming us like a giant, He gives us the courage to strap on the boots for battle and step out the door. When our strength to face innumerable trials seems at its limit, His word "strengthens weak knees" (Isa. 35:3) gives us the energy to move forward and face the day. 
And so I sit in my living room chair, sipping my morning coffee, and drinking in the Word of God anew each morning. The coffee may get me moving, but it is the morning jolt to the spirit found in His word that truly gives me life for each new day. 
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the life found each new day in Your word, and thank you for reminding me how essential it is for my spirit to hunger and thirst for Your Word each day! 

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