“Excuse me. Sir?!”
I was exiting the coffee shop, focused on my next appointment. I half-heard the words thinking they were for someone else. I glanced over my shoulder just to check.
A smiling lady behind the coffee bar started talking to me even before I turned around. She said that she had heard pieces of the conversation at my table, where I had been enjoying a Bible study with a friend.
Apparently the awkwardness of eavesdropping didn’t concern her. And rightly so. She was consumed by the topic of my conversation: God’s Word. Particularly, my friend and I were studying the work of the Holy Spirit.
“I have a testimony,” she began, and without asking me she launched into her faith story while mixing up a pumpkin spice latte for the guy waiting impatiently at the counter. I think I was more worried about this customer than she was—that’s a compliment to her, and a confession from me.
She quickly reviewed her childhood and upbringing as sad, abusive, and relying on addiction to numb the pain. These behaviors continued into her adult years, but four years ago she got in some trouble. She spelled out the exact details like it was yesterday—etched in her heart with such significance.
Throughout this story, she never stopped smiling and never stopped steaming the milk. She wasn’t ashamed. She wasn’t hurting or hopeless. She wasn’t a victim looking for sympathy.
Her joy actually made me think, “How can you be the same person you just described.” Answer: God’s restorative, transforming, powerful gospel. In this deep trouble, she called out to God.
God answered her repentant plea by drawing her closer to himself through the gospel. His promising, forgiving, expectant words in the Bible spoke to her, creating new faith, peace and definitely joy! That was 4 years ago.
“I wish I could have joined your conversation,” she said, putting the lid on the latte and handing it to the guy who gave me a nasty look like this was my fault. “I heard you say something about the Holy Spirit being our comforter.”
She cared more about God and his words coming to life in her than she cared about anything else in that moment. She was consumed by this. Captivated by the One who changed her life, forgiving, loving, freeing her.
And she had to tell me about it. Just because. That’s the way it is. Like coffee aroma just always overwhelms the shop, and my clothes still smell pleasantly roasted.
People whose lives have been transformed by the truths of God just have to talk about God, his Word, and their new life. Today, consider these words from Psalm 119 telling God that this is what you want to do:
My soul is consumed with longing
for your laws at all times.
Your statutes are my delight.
Never take your word of truth from my mouth.
I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame.
See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.
(Psalm 119:20,24,43,46,159)
PRAYER: Dear God, you make my life overflow with your loving, life-changing Word of promise, power and truth. You transform me, and give me something to talk about. Give me the words to speak and the joy to speak them more often, to more people. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Take your time (16 minutes) to meditate on the psalm verses above. Pause at each line, and PRAY about it. (Praise. Repent. Ask. Yield.) That’s two minutes per line. It’ll change your day.