Coffee

“I come in peace,” I told the coffee shop lady. I sensed that they didn’t, but I asked anyway. “Do you sell your coffee to the public?” She said, “No. But we do sell to the public from our coffee truck on Wednesdays.” The day I showed up, of course, was bright and early Thursday morning.

Sidebar:  Not long ago, I said, “Lord, I would love to have a good cup of coffee that would not make my stomach queasy.” So, when I went on my annual vacation, there was a small complimentary box of goodies in my suite. Inside of that box was a small bag of fresh ground coffee. It really smelled good. It’s amazing how the brain works. I have not had a cup of fresh ground coffee in at least 20 years. I was afraid to drink it because the last cup I purchased and drank from 11-7 was bad and did not bode well with me physically. So, I just stopped drinking it altogether and opted to be a tea drinker for the rest of my life.

When I returned home from my vacation, I emptied the coffee in an airtight container and threw the bag away. That container of coffee sat on my countertop for weeks because I didn’t have a coffee pot. Thanks to my brother, I decided to purchase a coffee press. After following the instructions, let me tell you, that was the best cup of coffee I have ever had.

Now back to the coffee shop lady. She said, “If you come back next Wednesday you can purchase from our coffee truck then or you can purchase online.” After explaining how I came across the shop and their coffee, I asked, “Can you at least tell me the name of the coffee that you packaged and sent to my vacation spot.” She disappeared for a moment and came back and gave me the information I wanted.

I didn’t write the name down, so I kept saying over and over in my head the name of the coffee, the name of the coffee, the name of the coffee until I got in my vehicle. I did not want to go back inside and ask, “What was the name of that coffee again.” So, I ordered the product online then and there, right on their parking lot. Now when it came to making the decision of how many cans to purchase however, I started to order two, but the Lord quietly said, “Order just one.” Oh, how many times have I overridden His voice. A small thing you may say, but I am so glad I obeyed.

Earlier that morning, I planned and prayed about my day. We decided to get my coffee first and then go grocery shopping a few miles up the street. Well, as previously mentioned, I didn’t walk away with coffee in hand, so I would have to purchase some at the grocery store to tide me over until my online purchase arrived. At the store, I had everything I needed in my cart except coffee. When I found the coffee aisle, I could not believe all the choices offered. I walked back and forth, looking at all those different brands. Not knowing what to do, I finally slowed down long enough to look at each can, each jar, every bag, and pod presented. Patience is truly a virtue because I was DONE with shopping. But guess what I found? Right there at the very end on the bottom shelf, the exact same brand of coffee I had just ordered online from the coffee shop.

One would have thought Jesus was standing there in physical form based on our conversation in that grocery store aisle. I said, “Lord, why didn’t you just have me come here first?” And then he graciously said, “Ahh yes. I could have but you would not have known which brand to purchase. So, you see, you had to stop at the coffee shop first. That’s why I told you to purchase only one.” 😳

This may seem like a little thing to you, but to me, it was powerful hearing the Lord’s still small voice. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper, 1 Kings 19:12.