God Knows Your Story

As you walk into the bakery-coffee shop the smell of bread being baked, of nutritious homemade chunky soups and of course coffee hits your nostrils. Bruce and I found this place about ten years ago by accident. But now we ‘accidentally’ go there nearly every day when the opportunity arrives. We can spend hours there when we have work to do. Work encompassing study, writing, reading, answering mail, phone calls, planning…… the place is set up for it.

As my eyes scan the tables there are a few families, women having a catchup, but most are full of people that are studying, working…….  You can tell because their papers, computers and books are strewn across tables that normally hold 4 people, but only one sits there. The computer keys are clacking away as the fingers feverishly type across the keyboard. Heads are down stopping every now and again to sip at their coffee or tea that they bought for sustenance, for extra energy to continue in their work.

This bread shop has set themselves up for this. Offering free Wi-Fi to all and setting out their tables and chairs in different designated areas so many can get into quiet cubicles for the purpose of working while eating or drinking. You are not disturbed by the staff or harassed to leave your spot so others can sit there. No, it has enough for all.

To the right of me there is a group of women sharing life and scripture from the bible. I could hear some of it indistinctly but could tell from the bibles open in front of the five at the table. Behind me there is an elderly couple meeting a businessman about …. their retirement? Finances? health package? I’m not sure but they were flicking through, pouring over papers that were brought out of a suitcase. The gentleman in front of me is a nursing student, for I overheard him sharing with the shop assistant how his study was going. His table is strewn with papers and books and an open computer, and he is writing with a pen on diagrams, while flicking from his notes and tossing pages of the books to and fro. Seems a bit stressed.

Then there is me, amongst all those who are there for hours or those who come in to take their treats home. The phone you can hear in the background going off over the lunchtime period and a continuous array of people coming in to pick up their orders for themselves or the staff they work with. There is the never-ending line of people in business suits and work attire standing in the “To go” line and the quantity of their purchases. Surely it is not all for them! Maybe they are extra hungry?

As I sit here, sipping my coffee, and snacking on a bagel with cream cheese spread onto it (yum) I think about all the people. Each and every one has a story to tell about their life, about their past, about where they are right now, and their hopes and dreams into the future. God knows their stories. Nothing is hidden from Him. He knows if their hearts are turned towards Him or are as cold as ice. Yet—– He still loves.

God cares about us. No matter where we are in our life.

Do you need comforting? Then in Isaiah it says…

“I, I am he who comforts you.”

Isaiah 51:12 NRSV

Are you feeling anxious? Then in 1^st Peter it says….

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 NRSV

Are you afraid? Read in Psalms where it says…

You have kept count of my tossings;
    put my tears in your bottle.
    Are they not in your record?
Then my enemies will retreat
    on the day when I call.
    This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid.
    What can a mere mortal do to me?

Psalm 56:8-11 NRSV

Are you in awe of Him and worship Him?  Go to the book of Psalms…

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
    on those who fear him,
    and his righteousness to children’s children,

Psalm 103:17 NRSV

Are you in trouble? Then in Psalm 46 it says…

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very presenthelp in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 NRSV

Are you in need of love? I encourage you to read these passages from John and Romans:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

John 3:16 NRSV

But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 NRSV

So, no matter who you are and where you are in life. No matter what table you are at, sipping coffee and eating delicious bread God is there for you. God is sitting at your table with you, watching over you, keeping you safe and loving you completely.

Let me finish with this verse:

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

1 John 3:1 NIV

I love that word ‘lavished.’ It means sumptuously rich, elaborate, luxurious, bestowed in generous and extravagant quantities. His love is extravagantly given to us!

Oh, surely that puts a spring in your step (better than coffee) and a smile on your face and a contentment in your heart and a hope for your future…….

And with that I take another bite of bagel and know because of MY GOD, “all’s right with my world.”

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

How do you feel when you know that God knows your story? Does it change the way you live your future?

Are their parts of your story that you have tried to keep hidden from God? How does it make you feel knowing that He knows every detail and He still loves you?

Which scripture verse will you hold onto this week? Why?