Just to be WITH you

When I sat down in the quiet stillness of the morning and began to open my Bible I knew I needed something more.  More than the usual.  Although the usual with God is never ordinary and is always life-giving I somehow felt the need for something more.  I needed to be with my Abba, my God, who is also my loving and faithful Father.

My reading plan had me in Genesis, reading about Joseph's experiences in Egypt.  Although there is a great deal there to see and to study I have to confess that I wasn't all that interested.  Nevertheless, I started in.  I read about his ordeal of being sold by slave traders (initially sold to them by his own brothers) to a wealthy Egyptian.  I read about him then being cast into prison because of false charges by the man's wife.  And then I read of his release and opportunity to impress the Pharaoh as the Pharaoh sought to understand a troubling dream.

After Joseph's explanation the Pharaoh was utterly impressed.  Yet as he spoke to the Pharaoh he accepted no praise and explained that God Himself had allowed him to interpret the dream.  As I read this part of the story I stopped and thought, what was it about Joseph that caused him in that moment to give all honor to God and save none for himself?

As a young man he had caused division between himself and his brothers by speaking arrogantly about the things the Lord showed him.  Years later, he has an incredibly opportunity to seize glory and to take the credit for his incredible vision and gift.  He doesn't.  He's been changed.  He is no longer the Arrogant and selfish young man he used to be.

What was it?  This was my question as I considered Joseph's response to Pharaoh.  What caused him to speak so humbly of himself, but so boldly of the Lord?  I had to stop and look back at the story.  What had I missed?  I must have read past something too important to miss.  I thought to myself, of course his ordeals had pressed him and given him a great deal of time to think, but were these alone enough to bring about such remarkable change?

Then, I found the answer.  It's a phrase that is repeated 3 times in chapter 39.  How could I have missed it???  Yet, there it was.  "The Lord was with Joseph".  I suppose it was easy not to give attention to, because it doesn't stand out as a major point of Joseph's experiences.  In reality, it is THE major point of Joseph's entire story.

The gravity of God being with Joseph is what he somehow always failed to grasp as a young boy growing up in a very religious and God-fearing household.  Yet, in the midst of trial, pain, and isolation this reality begins to shape Joseph.  As I thought about this I wanted to be sure I understood this phrase well and that I wasn't overstating what I thought I saw.  So, looked up the Hebrew word for with that was used in verse 2. 

The definition and descriptions provided left me with no doubt.  The meaning for this word at the center of this phrase and for Joseph was one of incredible intimacy.  It means to be directly against, as in an embrace.  Think of that.  In Joseph's darkest and most painful hours and YEARS God was WITH him, embracing him as a Father, even as a Grand-father would hold his young grand-son.

As I began to understand what this text is saying about Joseph, about me, I realized clearly that God had graciously responded to my need.  He showed me once again the tremendous significance of being with Him, of being in His presence. 

With.  It's the very reason God came, that He sent Jesus Christ...to be WITH us, because of His great love for us.  I pray you will find yourself with Him today.

Pursuing the One

I first noticed him, with unkempt hair and dirty clothes, stopping in at the local Starbucks on especially cold mornings last winter.  He made an impression on me because it’s rather unusual to see folk like him daring enough to come near to, well, people like me I suppose, and he couldn’t have been more than 19 years old.  The young man carried with him a blanket which barely seemed fit for the trunk of my car. Yet, he walked with it draped about his shoulders.  His simple desire seemed only to be warm, but his apparent shame was difficult to hide.  As I later walked by him on my way to the bathroom I caught the unmistakable scent of a person who had not had a bath in a very long time.  He didn’t pay any attention to me though.  He just continued to read the discarded newspaper, blanket still wrapped about him.  I wanted to help him somehow, but he didn’t seem interested in asking anyone for anything, and I didn’t want to offend him.  However, before I left the restroom I decided I would at least offer to buy him a cup of coffee.  Unfortunately, he had already left.  Thankfully it wasn’t the last time I would see him.

                A few weeks had gone by and I was beginning to wonder if I was going to see him again.  Then, on another brisk winter morning he walked in to Starbucks once more, but this time he went directly into the bathroom.  I was eager to meet him so I tried to pay attention to who came and went.  After some time had passed I began to wonder if I’d missed him as he left.  So, I got up and made my way toward the bathroom myself.  After entering I immediately noticed the same odor I was met by as I walked past him on the first encounter, and then noticed a pair of very well worn sneakers which could just be seen beneath the divider.  I realized that slowly warming up within the privacy afforded him in a bathroom stall must have felt much better as he was able to escape the peering eyes and awkward glances of those in the lobby.

                Somehow I again missed him as he must have left while I was on the phone, or typed an email.  I was so irritated with myself and felt I had blown my chance.  I actually prayed right then for at least one more opportunity to meet him.  My prayer was answered a few days later as I saw him once more at Starbucks.  His routine was the same this time around, except as he reentered the lobby he sat down at an open table.  Now was my chance.  I made my way over and introduced myself, then asked him what his name was.  Mike.  I told him it was nice to meet him and asked if he was hungry, and if I could get him something to eat.  Umm, sure.  His clear and astonished eyes seemed to say so much more than his lips could muster.  Then he shocked me.  When it was time to order he simply asked for a small cup of coffee, nothing to eat.  Are you sure?  I asked, “You can get whatever you’d like.” Yeah, thanks, he said.  We chatted for a minute then he went back to his seat and I returned to mine.  He left shortly afterward, blanket still wrapped about him and a cup of coffee in his hand.

                I’ve seen Mike around town and from a distance since then, and have even bumped into him on another occasion, and every time I wish there was something more I could do.  Every time I wonder too what would drive a young man like himself to the streets.  I don’t know if I’ll ever hear his story but I’m thankful for the meeting we had.  I’m thankful too for the Lord urging me to get up out of my seat, and out of my comfort zone, that day, the same kind of urging I’m sure I’ve ignored too many times before.  I suppose the difference was the many prayers asking Jesus to make me more like Him, and the countless times reading about Jesus’ own encounters, hoping I would someday simply live more boldly, compassionately, like I said, more like Jesus.

                Lately, I’ve been looking even more intently at some of the encounters Jesus had with people.  One particular story has been especially striking to me.  It’s the account in the Gospel of John (John 4) where Jesus meets the woman at the well.  I’ve only just realized how intentional His choice to remain at a Samaritan well during the “6^th hour of the day” was.  Given these details Jesus was virtually guaranteed to meet a Samaritan woman, someone not just different from Himself, but wholly inappropriate for Him, as a Jewish and holy man, to associate with, especially in public.  Yet, He showed no concern for such divisive social conventions while He did show great concern for the woman He met.  The focus of their conversation centered first upon water and then restoration, but it was motivated entirely by Jesus’ great love and compassion for the lost, and those broken by life, and in this instance especially for her.

                It was because Jesus dared to set aside the opinion of others and pursue someone who never would have sought Him out that not only was she restored to God, experiencing a freedom she had never before known, but so did many others from the village.  As uncomfortable as it can be to approach a stranger, not to mention someone as “different” from me as Mike is, I want to continue growing in my willingness and care in doing so.  People who are confused and hurting are not going to come and find me, but I can go and find them, and when I do I can give my ear to hearing their story.  As Christ then would lead me, I can attempt to gently offer His loving and compassionate truth, which at first may look a lot like a cup of cold water, or maybe a cup of coffee.