I
spend a lot of time at my favorite coffee shop, Michelangelo’s. It has become like a second home to me. I have my favorite places to sit, my favorite
drinks, and have come to know the people that work there or attend as
frequently as I do. One of my favorite
people that go to Michelangelo’s is Bud.
Bud is an 84-year-old man that loves people as much, if not more than I
do. Everyday around 4pm, Bud slowly
enters the coffee shop and makes his way past every table. At every table, Bud stops and asks the person
what they are doing, what they are studying, where they are from, ect. Bud and I have become good friends. The funny thing about Bud is that he hardly
ever remembers any of the basic things that I have told him. Every time I see him I tell him that I am a
junior from Fort Worth, Texas. Every
time, we laugh at how you practically have to be from Texas to go to OU. Every time, I ask him how his dogs are. And I always learn something new about Bud. He has led a pretty spectacular life. Even though Bud can’t remember the basic
things that I tell him, he knows my face.
He has come to remember my name and He remembers that I want to live
overseas to share the gospel with people.
He remembers me.
God
revealed himself to me through Bud this semester in a huge way. I have struggled to feel the Lord’s presence
in my life this semester and it has been a battle. I am reminded of David’s struggle to feel the
Lord’s presence and his longing to be filled.
“I
remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the
works of your hands. I stretch out my
hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like
those who go down to the pit. Let me
hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you
I lift up my soul.”- Psalm 143:5-8
David
begged for the presence of the Lord in the same way that I do today. David thirsted for God so much that he had to
meditate on all that God had done in the past just to remind himself of who God
was and that He was always faithful.
Much
like Bud, I am constantly forgetting the basic promises of God and the things
He is always telling me about Himself.
He tells me that He will never leave me or forsake me (Deuteronomy
31:6). He tells me that He has swept my
offenses away like a cloud (Isaiah 44:22).
He tells me that He is with me and will watch over me wherever I go
(Genesis 28:15). He tells me that He
delights in me and will quiet me with His love (Zephaniah 3:17). He tells me that His Spirit helps me in my
weakness (Romans 8:26). He tells me that
I have been set free (Galatians 5:1). He
tells me that I will find Him (Jeremiah 29:14).
He tells me that no weapon turned against me will succeed (Isaiah
54:17). He tells me that His word will
not return to Him empty, but will accomplish what He desires and achieve the
purpose for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:11).
He tells me that nothing is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:27). He tells me that He is making a way in the
desert and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19).
Like
David, we must remind ourselves of who God is and how powerful He is. We must meditate on the days of old, the work
he has already done in our lives. Once
you know a person, you may forget facts about them, but you never forget their
face. You never forget who they
are. We never forget how the Lord has
saved us, and redeemed us. We never
forget His face. Our job is to meditate
on God Himself. Our job is to remind
ourselves daily of His promises. When we
become discouraged we must remember the days of old. We stretch out our hands to Him because our
souls thirst for Him like a parched land.
