Today has been one of those days when my brain is in overdrive and bouncing from thought to thought, with very tenuous connections between ideas. Rabbit trails abound, and it is always interesting to see what God does with these days. Although they leave me exhausted and feeling like I accomplished nothing (it's difficult to complete basic household chores when you keep having to look things up on Google, or search the book you were reading for a quote you can't shake, but also can't quite recall.) He always pulls something out that I never would have come to in any other way. So here it is: Revelation is like coffee. I know. It seems ridiculous, but this is often how God speaks to me. If you can just bear with me, I'll explain what I mean.
Coffee is a vehicle for delivering caffeine to our body's systems.
Coffee can be dangerous when not handled correctly.
Coffee can be diluted to diminish it's potency, or even have the caffeine removed entirely.
Coffee works best with a nap.
Coffee is not the only way to deliver caffeine to our systems, of course. But it is one of the most convenient and widely used methods. Caffeine wakes us up and stimulates our bodies, so many of us use it to help shake out the brain fog before starting our day. Hot coffee can burn your mouth if you don't let it cool, and can do some major damage to your tender skin, as anyone who has ever spilled a fresh mug on themselves can attest to. Most people do not enjoy straight, black coffee so many of us doctor up our coffees with milk and sugar, or even more, to make it taste better. Adding things to coffee does diminish the caffeine content, but we will often sacrifice potency for palatability. We can also remove the caffeine completely to enjoy the coffee taste without all the jittery effects.
As for the nap, there have been some studies done (not big official ones, as far as I know) that indicate that a 20 minute nap after a cup of coffee can increase the caffeine's effectiveness. It's been called a coffee nap, and I will not lie, I would love to have an opportunity to give it a whirl (Littlest does not nap much anymore.) The science behind it is fun too.
Adenosine is a molecule that is a product of brain activity and is essentially what tells you that you're tired. It builds up during the course of the day and plugs up the appropriate receptors in your brain. The more receptors that get filled, the more tired you will feel. Adenosine is cleared from these receptors by sleep. Here's the fun part. Caffeine molecules are similarly shaped, and will compete for the same receptors. It takes about twenty minutes after ingestion for the caffeine to make it's way to those receptors in your brain. The more receptors that are open, the more alert you will feel. A twenty minute nap after you drink your coffee will help clear out the adenosine, and free up more receptors for the caffeine. Cool, eh? (Source: https://www.vox.com/2014/8/28/6074177/coffee-naps-caffeine-science )
So how does that relate to revelation from God?
Revelation is a vehicle for delivering Truth from God to our Spirits.
Revelation can be dangerous when handled incorrectly.
Revelation can be diluted to diminish it's potency, or have the Truth removed from it completely.
Revelation works best with Stillness.
Revelation is essential. It is the product of the Word of God being steeped in the Water of the Holy Spirit, percolating in our hearts and minds (see what I did there?) This is why God calls us to meditate on the Book of the Law day and night (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2), and to hide His Word in our hearts. (Psalm 119:11, Deuteronomy 11:18) Revelation delivers His Truth into our hearts, minds and spirits, so that we may know Him more fully and truly partake in His will for us in this world. Without proper handling, revelation can be harmful. It is unfortunately not unheard of for someone who has had a certain revelation to process it in a certain way, and then bludgeon his brother with it. We all filter the things we receive from God through our personal experiences. The problem with that is that, if we are not careful, we end up fighting with our fellow Christ followers and establishing an "Us vs. Them" mentality that will actually stifle the truth God has revealed to us and prevent us from being His hands and feet in the here and now. Revelation can also sometimes be a little bitter. It can chafe us in areas of sin and rebellion, or poke open wounds where healing is still coming. As a result, we can try to dilute the message with our own "additives" to make things more palatable, or sometimes we try to keep the warm and fluffy parts, while stripping away the active ingredient that we were intended to receive and process. This is all why revelation works best with stillness. When we take the time to be still with God, to be attentive to His presence in every moment, it is harder for us to miss the point. We can still do it, because humans are fantastic at not listening well, (anyone ever work with toddlers?) but it becomes significantly more difficult. The closer we stick to God, the harder it is to misinterpret what He is saying. Regular times of stillness help us to clear out the stuff standing between us and God, and to process what we have heard so that it can have it's full effect. It also helps us to pay attention when God wants to use something small to give us something beautiful.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go brew myself another cup, and see what else God wants to say.
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