When I get home from work, I clumsily bump through the doorway. My lunch bag filled with empty Tupperware containers hangs off one arm, a jacket slung over the other, and running shoes, my big purse, and a Nalgene bottle balance somewhere in between. Discarding the load at my feet in a long, single exhale, I head for the kitchen to get inspired for dinner. I am hungry enough that I want to put something in my mouth to devour immediately. As my Dad jokes, “I don’t have a whole minute!” I search for anything I can heat up in the microwave.
Having celiac disease and several food allergies means that most microwavable, instant-type meals are not suited for my needs. It is safer and often more simple to cook the old natural way. When I slow down, I really enjoy the process of cutting vegetables, taking deep whiffs of seasonings (cumin always makes me smile, thanks to Muslim lamb skewers in China), and arranging the final product on a favorite plate. I sit down with a meal that I don’t just consume, but savor with small, thoughtful bites and the occasional runaway “YUM!”
Waiting for a meal is a low-stakes event for a girl with full cupboards. But how willing am I to forgo the microwave approach to things in life that feel far more critical? I trust God. I trust Him despite circumstances that tell me His promises might not pan out. But, does my trust have the longevity to match God’s timeline for promise fulfillment?
Abraham dealt with this. I know nothing of his eating habits, but I know he had big promises from God and a long time to wait.
“Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” -Genesis 15:5
After some time, Abram and Sarai took the microwave approach. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Then, God stepped in and reaffirmed His promise and intentions.
“No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations out of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. . . As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” –Genesis 17:5-7, 15-16
The incredulous, old couple greeted baby Isaac with laughter. Abraham was one hundred years old.
God has loads of time. God is not worried if He will do what He says or not. When He promises, it’s almost as if the covenant’s reality has already arrived. When God promises something too huge to grasp (your descendants being as numerous as the stars, for instance), does the quick solution call out because patience is gone, or because doubt has begun?
Over the years, I’ve picked up some promises from God, things for which I am waiting. They feel pretty important, but not so vast as the stars. I believe there is more if I am willing to risk asking for it. I feel like my safe, concrete little human mind can’t even come up with questions of a God caliber. So, I’ve been asking Him what to ask.
God, what crazy, dangerous, outlandish question can I ask You today?
It reminds me of the night when I found out my dear friend Karli’s mom had passed away. I hung up the phone and cried hard, sitting in my car in a Target parking lot. I had this brash attitude and I challenged God with the boldest question I could come up with in that moment, “God, would you just get rid of all death forever?”
His gentle answer was, “Yes. I did.” (Revelation 21:4)
God’s scale is HUGE, and doesn’t make sense always. And, as I said, God has loads of time. He could fulfill what He says in an instant, if He chose. The fact that it doesn’t happen on my timeline suggests that there is a purpose to His process; a shaping of my will to His. I believe Abraham became a father long before Ishmael or Isaac came along. Through the waiting, he became a new man; a man with all the character and leadership of a father. And then, a baby was born.
I only recently noticed that bell peppers have a beautiful, sort of scaly pattern on the inside flesh. I am there, in the small steps, paying attention, and welling up with incredible gratefulness. Isaac babies and good dinners; marriage, kids, a friendly dog; an end to world hunger and all the insane list things I’ll ask when God leads me. . . they all seem like the big deal, but they’re not. They’re a wonderful, rich celebration that follows the big deal of showing up for the steps it took to get there.
God is doing the work. He’s asking us to wait with Him and be changed into His likeness along the way.
So, let’s ignore our microwaves tonight and hang on to the Isaac promises in our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment