A Slow Cooker Faith

When I got up this morning, I put short ribs in our slow cooker. The short ribs, garlic, salt and pepper, mushrooms, red onions and port wine will work together for the next 8 hours to create an unbelievably delicious meal. The ribs will be served alongside mashed potatoes dripping with the salty goodness of melted butter. Have I got your attention?                                                                         

As I busied myself with those early morning meal preparations, I thought of how things can work in the Spirit. Not everything is quick, immediate or on demand. Faith is neither fast nor slow. It is simply expressed in the realm of time. Some things take time before they create the taste of Heaven on Earth. The book of Acts spanned 40 years of history. It was not a day-by-day, moment-by-moment account of life in the Spirit. Daily life in the first century Church did not resemble a healing conference or a play on demand Youtube video.                                 

God prepares the one who brings a gift of healing as much as He prepares the one who will be healed. When God asks us to deliver a prophetic word we might only have a fragment of something much larger that needs the process of time to add a final piece of revelation before it can be delivered. Some things in the Kingdom of God cannot be rushed. The challenge comes when we limit our understanding of faith to immediacy when it comes to delivery or results.     

When I was younger, I watched how mature prophets ministered. There were times when I could see they had more to say but kept quiet until the timing of the Lord was complete. Like a hungry person wanting to eat before the meal has fully cooked, we can rush a spiritual process. Serving undercooked food is not as appealing and tasty as something that has allowed time to do its work. Yes, God is miraculous and can do any and everything in a moment, but immediacy is not His only option. Give some things in your life the time required to develop the flavor and presentation God desires for the delivery of a full and complete meal of the Spirit. When you work with God in that kind of process the deepest hunger of everyone involved will be fully satisfied. Time is never our enemy. It is only one ingredient in the process.