Beep. Beep. Beep.
Coffee's ready.
Deep breath. Time to rise, and I'll shine after a shower.
I gather my bible, devotion, pen,notecards and coffee. I'm ready. I've become somewhat routine. I'm good with that.
I open my Billy Graham devotion book Hope for each day; and I imagine Rev. Graham sitting in the chair next to me. With his coffee in hand, we smile, and read a section from the Bible and discuss what it means and how to apply it to this crazy life of today. I imagine his voice as I've heard it many times on television, soft, kind, with a North Carolina southern drawl, but complete with a confident matter a fact tone about the absolutes of God's word. He would sip his coffee, cross his legs, bend slightly forward and listen as I read aloud.
On this particular morning our devotion was in Jeremiah 31:3. "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you." He went on to describe the depth of God's love for us. Even if we were standing so deep in sin at the gates of hell, that God still loved us with His everlasting love! The proof? Jesus.
I was so moved by his examples, and yet another promise from God, that I decided to look the verse up in my bible, to underline and make a note. (This is not uncommon for me. I love writing and documenting in my Bible all that God has shown me and to jot a note of "thanks" to my Lord, when he opens my eyes to more of His promises.) He is so good.
So, you can imagine my confusion when I opened my Bible and I read:
1This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy yourself a linen undergarment and put it on, but do not put it in water.”2So I bought underwear as the Lord instructed me and put it on.
3Then the word of the Lord came to me a second time: 4“Take the underwear that you bought and are wearing, and go at once to the Euphrates and hide it in a rocky crevice.”
Hummm... Oh,Billy, Billy, Billy. I think something is not quite right. Honestly, I was at a loss of words. Ok.. I am reading from the HCSB. But, I don't think the wording would be that different. So, I close my Bible. Look at the verse in my devotion book. Reread. Open my Bible again. And there I am. God telling me to go buy underwear. I'm thinking, maybe this is a sign to go to Victoria Secrets. Could be. But, I was really confused on why He would ask me to put them on, but don't put them in water, then later take them off and go hide them in a rocky crevice.
For a third time ( note, I am a little slow in the morning with just a sip or two of coffee) I closed my Bible. Reread what Billy wrote, and opened my Bible again. This time it hit me!! I had turned to Jeremiah 13:3. NOT Jeremiah 31:3
Well, I'm sure if Billy had really been sitting next to me, he and I would have had a good laugh. I would refill his coffee cup and laughed again at the thought of hiding my underwear in a rocky crevice.
I read Jeremiah 31:3 again, smiled and felt comforted with the everlasting Love that God has for us.
I thanked God for His Love and for starting my day with a chuckle. God does have a sense of humor.
