Meeting Jesus at the coffee shop

It was always Him waiting for me; He always meets me where I find the most comfort.

It was a warm, sunny day, and I was walking up a familiar pathway, but somehow, it was leading up to a destination I had not visited before. As I walked uphill, my senses wanted to take in the beauty of nature around me, but today had been a tough and brutal day; today was one of those days when I just wanted the day to swallow itself. As I continued the ascent, there at the top of the hill, sat on an old, rugged bench, was a familiar person, looking out in to the distance. Just when I laid my eyes on him, he turned around as though he knew that I was there. He looked at me gently, a smile tugging at his lips. He put out his hand and waved at me to come over and sit next to him. I know this person. It's Jesus; and here He was, waiting for me.

I sat down next to Him. His presence already giving me the comfort I needed without even a word spoken. I wanted to simply break down, and rant about all the things bothering me in that moment, but something just assured me that there was no need to do that. He already knew. I wanted the tears to flow, but they just wouldn't. Such was the power of His peace encompassing me.

I did not know how to start the conversation. Why was I wrestling with the peace I felt? In that moment, the silence weighed so heavy on me. I was battling my inner desire to be heard. I wondered, "Why is Jesus not asking me anything?" For the next few moments, we just sat side-by-side, staring out into the distance. A cool breeze touched my face, and brought me to the realization that I had the peace I was looking for, but I was still battling it.

I turned to Jesus, and asked Him if I could place my head on His chest. He smiled and said, "Yes". I moved closer to Him, and gently placed my head near His Heart. a warm, familiar scent surrounded me. I found protection and shelter in the firm rhythm of His Heart beating.

"Jesus, all of this is so tough. I did nothing wrong, yet I am the one in the middle of all the mess."

"I know", he replied. "But, all I'm asking of you is to trust Me."

We spoke for another hour.

More often than not, when I sit down to pray, it takes me eons to calm all the thoughts racing in my mind, and actually get to the part where I talk to God, instead of succumbing to the internal monologue. This was when I realized that I needed to do something different to transform my prayer life, and make it more meaningful and intentional. One evening, I was in a similar battle with my mind while worshipping. The music ministry team was singing a song I knew all too well. It was one of my favorite songs, and the lyrics spoke to me so personally, so why I was still finding it tough to bring myself into God's presence? I asked the Holy Spirit to help me worship. All of a sudden, in that moment, my mind went blank, and I saw myself standing in the middle of a big ballroom. The walls were painted golden, there were beautiful chandeliers hanging above, and I had worn the prettiest white dress. In front of me was Jesus, and He had his hand outstretched towards me. He was asking me for a dance. I gladly obliged. And together, matching our steps, we danced. As we danced, we spoke. We laughed. We cried. We sang. Sadly, the song came to an end, but Jesus promised me He would be back for another dance if I wanted to.

Since that day, my way of approaching prayer has changed. That dance with Jesus taught me that prayer isn’t all about saying the right words; it’s about being. I began to notice how often I struggled to rest in stillness, to simply be in His presence. So I stopped striving for perfect focus or the right words and chose instead to simply show up. In my prayer time, I allow my imagination to run free, and I meet Jesus in many places. In the park, at a coffee shop, in the quiet of my room, and yes, even on the dance floor. And one thing I’ve come to know for certain: it was always Him waiting for me. He always meets me where I find the most comfort.

Would you like to deepen your prayer life, and to experience your own “coffee shop moments” with Jesus?

I’ve created a 4-week guided prayer journal called 'Where He Meets Me' with an optional audio companion to help you slow down, imagine, and meet Him in the quiet of your heart. Each week invites you to meet Him in a new way - to rest with Him on the hill, sit with Him at the coffee shop, listen by the lake, or dance in His presence.

Discover the resource here: 'Where He Meets Me' - 4-week Guided Prayer Journey

Listen to the audio version of the blog post here:

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