Coffee + Good Music + Holy Spirit = Energy
BIBLICAL POINT OF REFERENCE:
“Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
~John 16:24
Hey, so I’ve discovered an awesome recipe for energy. It could be all of the ingredients listed above or just one of them—they all give energy. Think of all of them together…
For me, I just had a mint mocha. It must have had a lot of espresso in it, because I’m feeling particularly jittery. I’ve got tons of energy with the motivation to accomplish all that I need today and beyond.
As for the good music, whether it’s that up-beat musical “Hamilton,” the sweet voice of Josh Groban, Disney’s Mulan soundtrack, or Catholic artist Matt Maher, I can get super pumped and inspired. I get extremely overwhelmed with how awesome God is, and music is a way to express that.
Most importantly, I’ve got the Holy Spirit. It may seem like I sneaked that one in there after the coffee and music. Seriously, though, if you give your body some energy with coffee, and then your mind some energy with music, it’s just inviting the Holy Spirit to come and give your soul some energy.
How do we get this energy for our souls? Simple. We ask for it. Literally, that is all we need to do. “Ask and it will be given to you…” (Matthew 7:7) “Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours” (Mark 11:24). “And I tell you, ask and you will receive…” (Luke 11:9) “Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” (John 16:24).
Woah…from all four of the gospels…I don’t know about you, but just reading this gives my soul energy. The Lord doesn’t disappoint. Keep asking, and you will keep receiving (that’s how prayer works).
Now, I’m going to guess that you may be having some doubt. Perhaps you are thinking, “Ok, I asked for the Holy Spirit, and He didn’t come. Where is He? Where is His energy?” Let’s look at some possible road blocks to receiving the spirit.
One road block is that word we don’t like: sin. Sin is our rejection of God. How can the Holy Spirit fill us to the brim if we’re rejecting Him through sin? A super grave sin (mortal sin) can completely turn off the faucet to the Holy Spirit’s rushing waters. The solution: seek forgiveness! Go to confession. That will turn the faucet back on for you.
What if you we aren’t going to Mass every Sunday? Mass is when we receive Jesus’ Body and Blood. That is when we receive the Holy Spirit most tangibly. Go to Mass, and I assure you, the Holy Spirit will come.
If you aren’t Catholic, don’t freak out. Ask for the Holy Spirit. He will come because He longs for everyone. We are all daughters of the King and we are all welcome to the wedding feast of the Lamb (Jesus)!
Now, what if you’ve prayed, gone to confession, go to Mass, and have continued asking the Holy Spirit to come and…you’re still wondering where He and His energy is. I have totally been there. This might be a really crappy analogy, but I’m going to try it anyway.
Think back to the coffee. We drink it on the good and bad days. Sometimes, the coffee just adds to our great mood. Sometimes, we drink the coffee when we’re feeling down. It doesn’t switch our day around to amazing, but it’s the same coffee we drank yesterday. The coffee is still in our system, and we might not recognize it by feeling ecstatic, but it is there, giving us energy.
As for the music, some days it just pumps us up! That song that just elated us on our good day is not really helping today. Just like the coffee—the song is still there, but it’s not the same feeling. This is okay! This is how the Holy Spirit works!
It’s the same way with the Holy Spirit. He pours Himself on us on the good and bad days. Sometimes we’re not really going to feel it, but He is certainly there giving us energy! Think of the energy He gave you to smile at an annoying co-worker, despite your rough day. Think of the energy He gave you to pray, despite your exhaustion. He gives the energy, just not always that enthusiastic, singing, and dancing energy. Let us also ask Him to not only come and give us energy, but to also help us recognize that energy, because He doesn’t always give it in the perfect way we envision in our minds.
Well, I’ve got lots of energy at the moment, and I’m certainly feeling it. Tomorrow, I might crash and feel terrible, but the Holy Spirit will be there. Let’s ask for Him to come! Here’s our prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Come with coffee and good music. Amen.
Your Laughing Sister,
Jacqueline Rae
