Worth the Wait
Wednesday, February 5
Worth the Wait
Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. Exodus 23:30
Between the year 2016 and 2019, the Instant Pot became America’s number one pressure cooker and multi cooker. The Instant Pot sped up cooking up to 10 times and used upwards of 50% less energy doing it. Now, we get the concept faster meals and less energy but there is something about the slow cooking process that makes it worth the wait.
This made me think about my faith walk with Jesus. Just what was, or am, I looking for in my walk… my growth… my faith development… in relationship to my discipleship in the Spirit? That of the process or the end result.
The process of the refining of gold is just that a process. One that is put in place to make the precious metal spotless. In our walk with God He takes us through the process to refining us and in turn making us stronger than we were before.
Most of the time we are looking for the microwave result and not that of the slow cooker. I’m looking for me to be delivered, set free, healed, or whatever is uppermost on my need list today, to be dealt with and over with right now! Not tomorrow, not next week, not even by the end of the month. I want to rise off my feet and be delivered in that moment.
But… that’s not the way the Spirit works; that’s not the way God has it planned; and that’s not what the word says. As that Scripture from Exodus 23:29-30 says, “But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.” If all we get is microwave faith, the wild animals of life will overwhelm us and where we will end up may well be in a new place, but it will be a place of unfruitfulness. Instead God promise to give us ‘little by little’.
It is better to wait upon the Lord, let Him work out His timing, His way, as He sees fit, little by little. Better to trust His process no matter how long it takes, the end of time in God’s Crockpot will result in a sweeter, tenderer, and more fruitful outcome, which will enable us to live faithfully and courageously in the land God has for us. It is better to do things Gods way than to do them on our own.
Prayer for today: O Lord God (Adonai), forgive me for the times when I want to microwave what You have ordained to slow cook. I feel the fire burning and want to rush my way through tough times, hoping just to get out of the fire as quickly as possible. Help me to surrender to Your. Allowing Your will to work its perfection in my life, Your way, in Your time, on a day by day basis, so You can drive out the enemy in powerful and fully effective ways, in Jesus’ name, Amen.