Coffee – A Gift From God? Indeed It IS! … Hello Hump Day readers. I read a great article from my Smithsonian online magazine about coffee. It begins with the Civil War and the history of coffee for our troops in battle. It’s an interesting story that should remind us of God’s gift of provisions in our time of need. That’s why I think coffee is a gift from God! Enjoy…
Ten months into the Civil War, the Union was short on a crucial supply—coffee! Why was that so important? Well, the absence of which threatened to sap the fighting strength of the Northern army was the problem of ‘no coffee’! This critical source of energy and morale was considered almost as vital as gunpowder. Union General Benjamin Butler ordered his soldiers to carry coffee with them always, saying it guaranteed success: “If your men get their coffee early in the morning, you can hold your position.” Butler believed that coffee was a gift from God to help win the Civil War and he had no problem sharing that idea with his troops along with his constant barrage to President Lincoln that the loss of coffee is harmful for the soldiers and he better get going to find more coffee quickly. However, that was difficult even for the President of the United States. By 1862 imports of coffee were down over 40% because of the Union blockade of Southern ports. So, Brazil, Ethiopia and Haiti, who were the constant staple of coffee for the USA, couldn’t get the Java here. Finding a new source of coffee had become a matter of survival.
Butler kept up constantly trying to get the product; finally, he was hooked up to Stephen Benson, the president of a young Republic of Liberia who was eager to sell their coffee overseas. They had planted 500,000 coffee trees and Benson made the deal to get the coffee to America. Why? Benson’s family had emigrated to the West African colony along with thousands of Black Americans who fled to escape slavery. Benson wanted the Union to win and wipe out slavery so he was eager to send the coffee to keep the troops going for the North’s victory. Just as some consumers today boycott brands that trouble them, they buy fair trade products and otherwise vote with their wallets, some abolitionists used commerce to fight slavery, etc. Liberian coffee was especially attractive to the American Free Produce movement, with its explicit mandate of using ethical commerce to undermine the global slave trade. Coffee had long been championed by Quakers and other Free Produce advocates. It was a product that free laborers could grow and that consumers could support with their purchases, even if it cost a little more to pay the farmers. And what about President Lincoln? He was in the thick of it working very hard to get this done so we could not only support the needs of the soldiers, but the farmers as well.
What a story! After reading all of it plus getting more facts, it hit me that in any time in our lives where we have a need, especially one that can be life-changing, we have God! God knows our needs and knows just exactly what to give us at just the right time. Yes, we often wonder why God tarries and we even question God’s idea of what the need should be—but God always comes through. Below are a few scriptures about God’s provision for our needs:
Philippians 4:19 NLT: “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
Luke 12:24 NCV: “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest, they don’t have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds.”
2 Peter 1:3 CEV: “We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.”
In closing, take a few moments to think about the many times God has supplied your needs. Cherish those times, remember them, and thank God in prayer for those provisions and for the ongoing gift of God’s provisions for us. Like the need for our soldiers in the Civil War, God comes through…even with coffee! AMEN.
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