Stir Sticks

Stir sticks. Simple tools used by every java loving afficionado to get the very best cup of coffee possible. Milk, cream, sugar, syrups—ye olde stir stick faithfully mixes and blends the chosen ingredients to assure a smooth blending of all flavors for a delicious outcome. Just like in the Bible ...

The Israelites were parched. Three long torturous days sans water in the blazing desert without a drop to drink. And then—they found some. Oh, the joy! The relief! Until they tasted it. Bitter. Undrinkable. The sound of murmurs from the madding crowd began to rise, intensify, build up in a way that was definitely not good. Oh, what to do? What to do? In desperation, Moses cried out to God. He Who knows the end from the beginning showed Moses which stick—actually a very big stick compared to coffee stir sticks, the Hebrew word in the passage implying the branch of a tree—to pick up and throw in the water. And voilá —the bitter water was made sweet. You can read about this amazing account in Exodus 15:22-26. The moral? The stick of God in our bitter brew will render all sweet.

Many years later, Paul referenced stirring. Writing to his spiritual son Timothy, he said, "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God ..." (2 Timothy 1:6). It seems that those precious spiritual gifts we receive—the joy of our salvation, the fruit of the spirit, our place of service in the body of Christ—can, with time, become dull, not as perky as they once were. The yummy ingredients in our spiritual life may seem to have fallen to the bottom of the cup, like additives to a cup of coffee that are not stirred well, becoming more like dregs than joyful blessings. It is then that we are commanded to pick up a spiritual stir stick and move those gifts within us, stir them up, awaken their tastiness and the joy they give us. To revive all that God has given us and make our walk with God sweet.

Just what are those spiritual stir sticks?

One, of course, is delving into God's Word. Jeremiah wrote, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16). There are many other key verses in the Bible that point us to the truths with which God's Word indues us, too many to list here, but oh, what fun to research out and read! The sons of Jacob feasted on manna, that physical bread from heaven, in the desert. And during their 40 years wandering there, not one was feeble, not one was sick. Imagine the effect on our own selves if we deign to feast day after day on God's written words, that Bread from Heaven embodied in Jesus (John 6:51).

Another spiritual stick is being in God's presence, by prayer or fellowshipping with Him. Verse after verse in God's Word touts the benefits of spending time with God. Jesus Himself said, "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24). We can talk to God—on our knees, walking, driving ... one of my personal best prayer times ever took place as I prayed for my family while I ironed their clothes. Our home, our vehicle, our prayer closet—all can become hallowed ground when we talk to our Savior. But there is also a special place where we can seek Him. The Shulamite in Song of Solomon asks, "Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?" (Song of Solomon 1:7). When we love someone we want to spend time with them, hang out where they hang out. What better place to find our Beloved than in His Father's house? Moses saw God face to face and lived 120 years. After spending time with God, his face would shine to such a degree that he would have to cover it with a veil when he came back among the people. What would happen to us if we spent serious time on our knees, at home or in His house, seeking Him?

A spiritual stick that is often overlooked in today's church is that of fasting. Jesus fasted as He began His ministry. In so doing He showed us that it is a kind of consecration, a turning away from the food that sustains our body the better to find the food that sustains our soul (Matthew 4:1-4). Among other benefits, fasting also lends itself to helping us find the joy of clarity and direction for our lives and ministry (Acts 13:2). Bottom line? Fasting is a means to draw near to God (James 4:8).

Not to be overlooked is the spiritual stir stick of nature. Psalm 19 proclaims, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard" (verses 1-3). Paul reaffirms the power of nature to draw us to God and His reality. In Romans 1:20 he chastises unbelievers saying, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." When our spiritual self needs recharging, a simple walk in nature, a slowing down of our pace to observe the creation of God around us, calls to our better self, draws us to Him.

Last, but not least, is the spiritual stick I have dubbed Azra eyes. Our toddler grandson, Azrael, Azra for short, witnessed the reenactment of the passion of Christ this Easter. He was beside himself, horrified at what he perceived was being done to the person of Jesus. In desperation he turned to his parents and cried, "Help Jesus! Help Jesus!" As the parishioners around them oohed and awed at the sweetness of his innocent consternation, Mom leaned over and explained what was happening. Jesus was laying down His own dear and sinless life for our sins, but He would not stay dead. A glorious resurrection awaited Him.

The pathos of this story moved me deeply. To think that our precious young grandson, so new in his walk and knowledge of God, should perceive and be so distressed over the anguish in a story that we as adults have heard so often that, sadly, we have almost become inured to the pain of the sacrifice of our Savior. Where was my anguish, my painful heartache for the agony endured by my Savior? Where was my appreciation for what He has done for me? Well did David write, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (Psalm 51:12). When it seems that the hardships and trials of life have rendered us somewhat calloused, spiritually jaded, we need to ask God to renew our spiritual vision, our spiritual sensitivity, to give us Azra eyes as it were, that we might renew our appreciation of the gifts of our salvation, experiencing that same joy and fervor as when we were first saved.

Stir sticks. They make the coffee better. Pick up yours today.

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11).