Real Coffee

The Lord is near to all who call on Him; to all who call on Him in truth.  Psalm 145:18  (NIV)
The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.  Psalm 145:18 (NLT)

The "rut" of prayer is like a security blanket; children feel secure because they have it, but it really does them very little good, except to give them a warm, fuzzy feeling.  We wrap it around us at meal times and possibly as we head for bed and/or wake in the morning, but what do we really say?  Are we praying from our heart or out of habit? 

A security blanket is a habit a child has developed that makes them feel strangely alone if they don't have it with them at all times.  While this is not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes that blanket gets dirty and stinky and needs a good washing.  It is the same with rutted prayer.  We carry it with us, feeling snug and smug in that we carried out our "duty" to pray, but it is actually covered with the dust of repetition and needs a good shaking, washing and freshening. 

This thought wakens me to realize we may have made prayer seem boring.  We sit down at meal time and ask God to "bless our food to our nourishment" and possibly throw in a couple of people that need His help and then go about our meal, thinking we have done something special in leading our children in prayer.  But to what have we led them?  A stagnant pool of mosquito infested water, or the Living Water that begins to refresh with its coolness and mist even as we approach? 

I chose to use both the New International Version and New Living Translations of the verse above out of the desire to really bring home to myself that speaking the truth is great, but must be done out of the sincerity of our hearts.  When speaking with God we need to remember that He is Truth and therefore knows if we are being "real" with Him or not. 

I am not a coffee drinker.  As a matter of fact, I even dislike the smell of it as it produces a bitter taste in my mouth.  My parents, however, love(d) the stuff.  As each of my two older sisters and I reached a certain age, we were placed in breakfast-making rotation.  I rarely thought to make the coffee and got chewed out for it more times than I can remember.  It didn't matter if I made pancakes, eggs, biscuits and gravy, French toast or a combination thereof, if there was no coffee I was in trouble!!  Such avid coffee drinkers can tell you, they know if it's "real" or not.  The first time I heard this I was just a child and clueless as to what it meant.  Then one day I heard them mention caffeine.  Real coffee contains it.  Caffeine is bitter... more bitter than the coffee itself, so if it is missing, it is evidently noticeable. It does, however, refresh the one drinking it and makes them more alert to their surroundings.  It is the same with prayer.  Real prayer contains sincerity and a desire to come to the Father's throne to engage Him in conversation.  Sincerity can be bitter.  It takes us places we may wish we didn't need to go, but when we choose to do so it refreshes and makes us more alert to everything going on around us in life.  God knows if our prayers contain caffeine or are simply a hot beverage of comfort, just as my parents knew "real" coffee when they tasted it.

Father, Your children desire a close relationship with You, but many of us have allowed ourselves to be wrapped up in the security blanket of repetitious prayer lives.  To be honest, sincerity can bring real pain, and You know how we tend to avoid pain at all cost.  Forgive us and help us remember that a shot of prevention causes pain as well, but protects us from life threatening diseases.  Help us to remember that You are not only our God, but our Father.  You love us deeper than we are capable, so we have nothing to fear in revealing our deepest hurts, longings and fears.  Your greatest desire is to help us be free of the hurts and fears and to pour Your blessings out on us that will more than suffice where our longings are concerned.  When we come to You in sincerity and truth, You will wrap us in the secure blanket of Your love and wake us with the "caffeine" of real life that can come only from being filled with Your Holy Spirit.