A Cup of Coffee
“No coffee? What is life then? Please help me buy a cup of coffee,”said Michelle. “You're
really addicted
to coffee, aren’t’ t you?” said Jane. “Yes, I am! If I don’t have coffee, I can’t do anything the whole day,” said Michelle.
Do
you feel like this dialogue is familiar?
Why
can’t Christians love coffee like they love prayer? Why can't we be addicted to
prayer like we’re addicted to coffee?
Coffee
has become a part of our life, and most people drink coffee every day. When we get
up early in the morning, we drink a cup of coffee. At work, we drink to refresh
our mind. After work, we drink another cup of coffee with our friend. After dinner, we will have a cup
of coffee and read a newspaper, or share warm coffee time with our family.
Coffee
in the Greek is called Kaweh, it
means power and enthusiasm. Some people have coffee to refresh their mind. In a
similar way, prayer can refresh our mind as well. As a Christian, we need to be
mindful – because in the spiritual war, the devil will attack us while we
sleep.
Not
everyone likes coffee in the beginning. For some people, drinking coffee is
very hard, and it is difficult to swallow. But when we are willing to try a few
times, we will slowly experience the beauty of coffee. Prayer is the same, not
everyone likes to pray in the beginning. But when we learn to practice, we'll
find the beauty of prayer, and then slowly enjoy the process of prayer. During
that time, we won't think that prayer is hard; instead it brings joy.
The
prayer like instant coffee is random prayer. It passes through our mouth so quickly;
we don’t even taste and enjoy it. Random, short prayers are like this. Prayer
needs time. With a little more time, we can really experience the power of prayer.
It’s kind of like Starbucks coffee, which we savor slowly. We can enjoy prayer
like we enjoy Starbucks coffee – slowly and savored.
Whenever
you are in a good or bad mood are you going to drink a cup of coffee? We have a
different answer. We can drink coffee when our mood is good. We can see the
blue sky and the sun shining as we taste the delicious coffee. If you feel bad
you can drink a cup of coffee. In the café, listening to jazz or a thrilling
opera, you start to forget your sadness. In a similar way, if you are in a bad
mood, time in prayer can calm you down.
When
you’re in a good mood, you will think that prayer is even better than coffee.
Type of coffee prayer
1.
The Espresso Prayer: You grind coffee beans into
powder with steam machine pressure, and it comes out a small cup of very strong
espresso. When you drink in the first swallow, it feels very bitter, but it
will taste a little bit sweet after a few seconds. This is the same as prayer –
when we pray with a sincere heart, prayer can really let us experience God's
perfect will. Sometimes, we pray for a long time that one day our parents will believe
in Jesus. One day we will ask God, “I have prayed for a long time, why haven't You
responded? Have you fallen asleep? I don't want to continue anymore.” In that
moment, please don't be discouraged. Instead, we have to stick with it. When we
wait for God's time, He will bring about His will. When God responds to our
prayer, we can feel the trace of sweetness. It just likes espresso coffee.
Prayer is romantic. Pray as you fall in love with God.
2.
Latte Prayer: An Italian Latte has 70% milk, 20%
sugar, and 10% coffee. That is the simple recipe, but it is flexible. If you
want more or less milk, it can be made that way. Prayer is the same – you can
make it simple. For example: "Thank God!" This is a short, simple
prayer. In different situations and different environments, you can communicate
with God all the time. So you don't have to close your eyes and go to a quiet
place to pray.
You can always
pray, because god is omnipresent.
3.
Black Coffee Prayer: Black coffee has no sugar or milk.
Some people like to drink black coffee, because it has a bitter taste. The
first taste is bitter and astringent, and our life can taste like that – there is
always some bitterness. When life is
difficult, it feels like we are drinking black coffee. But we can also pour out
these feelings to God. God loves this kind of true, honest prayer.
Coffee can give you energy to fulfil your work. Prayer can solve all your
problems.
If
you, like Michelle, have a daily coffee habit, how about trying a daily prayer
habit. God is waiting for you to establish daily conversation with him. While coffee
can give you the energy for your daily life, regular prayer can actually save your
life.
We can get up
early and say “good morning!”
to God. During our workday, we can pray to God to empower us through His spirit. After work, we
can chat with friends and pray
for their problems. Prayer can enrich our life, and shorten the distance
between us and God. After dinner, we can read a newspaper and pray for our
country. At the end of the day, we can offer a prayer of thanks to God. This brings
happiness to every day.
Indeed,
instant coffee is powerful. Like instant prayer! Make it a habit.
By: Tracy Fun Suet Yee. (09.11.2011)
Copyright2011
