But for Me it is Good | Personal
I love mornings. (Haha, ask my husband! Really, I do). I have them down to quite the routine. Wake up, brew some coffee. Press start. Maximus waits patiently by the door (or not so patiently for me depending on how much water he’s had to drink the night before). I take the pup out and feed him. About the time I put his food away, those three glorious chimes go off indicating my coffee has successfully brewed to perfection and is waiting for me to pour it into one of my growing collection of mugs. Three packets of sugar in the raw, a splash of cream (I use the word “splash” lightly), then pop it back in the microwave for exactly 29 seconds. I like my coffee steaming! (And 29 not because I don’t like even numbers or anything, but if it hits zero our microwave buzzes FIVE times. So unnecessary that early in the morning, if you ask me. Just catching the problem before it begins).
Anyways, I digress. I take my now perfectly tempered coffee out of the microwave that still reads 1 second and make my way to the living room. There Maximus is waiting for me to sit on the floor so he can curl up in my lap. I am 100% certain he doesn’t know how big he is.
I pull out my Bible from under the coffee table. Now my morning is complete. Coffee beside me, Maximus on top of me, and God’s word before me. This is my morning routine.
Lately I’ve been reading through the Psalms. (I say “lately”…at least the past three months or more! There’s so much to soak in!) This particular morning I was reading through Psalm 73:28. “But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the LORD God, that I may declare all Your works.” This verse began resounding in my heart. And friends, when that happens, it means that God has a word in it for you.
So I pulled out my journal and began processing, asking questions of the passage. What is happening? The Psalmist is drawing near to the Lord. Why? It is good! For what purpose? SO THAT, I may declare all Your wondrous works! I began to read, then reread the passage. Let it soak into my mind. Let the truths settle. Then the Lord began showing me a beautiful cycle. As I put my trust in the Lord, I draw near to Him. And the closer I am to the Lord the more I want to shout out His praises. The more I praise Him and know Him…the more I trust Him. Do you see it? AND ALL THESE THINGS ARE GOOD!
I like to read the passage in different translations to get a better feel for what is being said. So I pulled up the ESV version and it read like this, “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your wondrous works!” And there it was again. DRAWING NEAR TO GOD–HIS CLOSENESS IS MY GOOD!
Now begins the cross-referencing. First James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Why is His presence my good? Because the closer I draw near to Him, the closer He draws near to me. It is my good because HE is my good! Then Psalm 16:11 “You will show me the path of life, in YOUR PRESENCE is FULLNESS OF JOY, at Your righthand are pleasures forevermore.” It is my good because in His presence I find joy. And not just joy, but fullness of joy!!!! What a promise! Next onto Psalm 21:6 “For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made Him exceedingly glad with Your presence!” When I draw near to God–I become exceedingly glad with His presence! (And friends, you can too!)
And so, I draw near to Him. I make Him my refuge, my trust. My shelter from fears, from anxieties. As I do…He draws near to me. I watch this deeply personal, deeply loving God draw near to me. What an act of love! May I tell everyone of this wonderful work!!!
And those truths my friends, will finish up my cup of coffee.
