Jesus Was Sitting At The Mugg & Bean Today…

Tuesday 12th June 2012 – 2-25pm

You may immediately want to call some people in white coats to come and carry me off, so before you reach for the phone to dial, let me clarify. I went to the New Blue Route Mall to do show prep. Sometimes it’s the perfect thing for extra creativity in doing show prep,  to get into a different environment….I got more than I bargained for. I found a table with a nice view…

…and ordered cappuccino and soup….

I was alone, so I decided to imagine Jesus sitting in the chair opposite me. It had a profound effect. I imagined, that if He was sitting there in physical person, I wouldn’t be able to make eye contact with Him. I would immediately lose my appetite would want to cry. My mind always goes to ‘what would I ask Him?’ Everything that I pray  for would suddenly fade into insignificance and I found myself just wanting to thank Him. Talking about something like money immediately would become very silly. In my imagination, Jesus didn’t say much. He just shone His love towards me. He held me in His gaze (which I  desperately felt I couldn’t meet). I’ve never had such a thought before, but it left me feeling bowled over at the thought of Jesus so close to me. But He IS always close to me. In our frail humanity we don’t remember it. We get carried away by the tyranny of the insignificant.  In actual fact, when we pray , we don’t pray to 4 walls or the thin air around us. We pray to Jesus. He is there. We just can’t see Him, but He IS there. And when we start imagining Him sitting opposite us, sitting in the car next to us, reclining in front of the TV with us, it influences every fibre of us. God cares about us. He cares that we are fed and clothed and that we have enough for our families. He cares that we are fulfilled. He knows all that. He will take care of you. As I imagined Jesus sitting opposite me, all the questions I may have thought I would ask, all the requests I may have thought I would put to Him, faded away and all I could think to do is thank Him. Gratitude bubbled up inside me. Yet today when I read Philippians 4:4-9 on air, I realised to my horror that in my quiet time this morning,  I had done lots of praying and petitioning but I hadn’t done much thanking.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, “Rejoice!” Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus “

After my imagination ran away with me at lunchtime today, I realised that THANKSGIVING is so important. So much of the other stuff doesn’t matter. He is God. Start thanking Him for all the things you need that He already knows about & that He is going to provide.

As I walked away from the Mugg and Bean, I didn’t leave Jesus there. He came with me. He’s with you too!

And now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to HIS power that is at work in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all generations forever and every Amen.(Ephesians 3:20-21)

In His Grip? Absolutely!

Helga x 🙂