Two cups of coffee
Newsletter Article
March 2003
Two cups of coffee
For those who don’t think God talks to us, I have a story to tell. I am traveling this week and I am staying in a hotel that does not have coffee in the room. They have it in the lobby for us but we have to go and get it. No room service. Now, I am not complaining. Just telling you like it is.
So this morning I got up and got dressed and made the walk to the lobby. That walk takes me across the parking lot. The sun is shining and it is a glorious day that God has made. It is early and I see a couple of people around the parking lot and I smile and say good morning to a woman that is outside smoking a cigarette. She nods and mumbles good morning. I keep walking.
I get into the lobby and there is a small line so I talk to the clerk at the desk while I am waiting for the line to clear out. My turn. As I am pouring the coffee into the Styrofoam cup I think to myself “get two cups” but then I dismiss that and think “I only want one”. The two thoughts sound the same in my mind but they are not. You’ll see why in a minute.
I step out into the sun again and begin to walk across the parking lot. Now, I wanted the coffee but I did not take a sip yet. I didn’t even think about it until she spoke to me again. She said, “If I had known you were going to get coffee, I would have asked you to get me one”. It was the woman with the cigarette.
Now it was clear. God was the one who said “get two cups”. He wanted me to have one too but I didn’t listen. I did however get the woman to take the cup I had and we had a great time talking for about 10 minutes. She told me about her kids, her grandkids and other family. She told me about her husband and their business and many other things. I got to tell her about CMA and God and my family and lot’s of other things too.
I was already feeling pretty good that day cause I was going riding. The sun was out and I was meeting up with a friend to go up to Arkansas for the day. Another part of the story is that I had rented a Road King and was pumped up about my first Harley ride but that is a different story for a different day. Back to hearing God’s voice.
If you have a thought or ‘feeling’ or whatever that is a prompt to do something that seems unusual, brace yourself. You may be in store for a divine appointment. Listen to that still small voice and try to obey it when it comes. I was not expecting such a great time as I had and I could easily have missed it. If I had taken that sip I might have missed the opportunity. The worst that happened is that I didn’t get to have my coffee right away. I did get to have it but God was not finished with me yet.
When I went back to get my cup, I met an older couple that looked at my Colors shirt and she said “Oh, you are with that Christian Motorcycle club”. I didn’t try to correct her but simply said “Yeah, I am. Do you ride?” I then listened to them tell me about all the places they have gone together on a Goldwing. The Blackhills, Mount Rushmore, the West coast and a lot of other places. They used to ride with CMA and still have lots of friends that ride. They don’t ride anymore since her stroke but they obviously love it. Another divine appointment and I hadn’t even gotten on the Road King yet. I was already ‘going like 60’ and was standing still.
I guess what I want to make clear to you is that God does talk to us. He talks to us all the time but we have to learn to listen. We may think that it is a coincidence that all of this stuff happens but I don’t believe in coincidence. I don’t believe in luck. God is in control and He moves us to places of His choosing and His timing for His purposes. We only have to pay attention. To spend time with Him.
Do you want to hear God’s voice? If you do, pray. Read the scriptures and meditate on what you find there. Ask God to reveal to you what He wants to teach you and He will do it through His spirit to your spirit.
I hope you get your coffee in the morning with a different perspective. Even the things like getting coffee can be a divine appointment. Buckle up.
In His Grip,
Jerry Robertson
Chaplain