Microwave Jesus

Does this just happen to me, or do any of you ever relate to the following scenario? I’m talking about those moments where I find myself alone with no one else but my own thoughts and God, and instead of reassuring peace, all I feel and hear are my fears and insecurities?

During those unsettling times, I would love for God, my loving daddy, to rush in and rescue me from myself, my circumstances, or the lies of the enemy. Not in 15 minutes, or God help me please if it’s in an hour. I mean now and amen! But instead, nada, nothing. I hear, I feel and I see absolutely nothing. Instead of persevering and expecting my saviour to meet me where I’m at, more often than I should, I abandon seeking him and focus my attention elsewhere. It could be with something that will distract me from my pain. Or maybe by finding a temporary solution. Although these ways of dealing with hardships weren’t bad in themselves, it’s what would happen in my mind, soul, and spirit that was destructive. It’s the fact that I wasn’t looking and trusting God first for meeting my needs.

There needs to be a point in our walk with Jesus where we believe what we pray for. It’s a heart issue, and it’s called faith. If we pray for peace, we ought to expect peace. If we pray for healing, there shouldn’t be an inferior standard. A good indicator that this operates in our intimate time with Holy Spirit is by evaluating the state in which we are in after connecting with him. If we come out still discouraged, focused on our problems, or simply not in a better state, there’s a good chance that we need to press in until we receive an upgrade to version 2.0. The renewal of hope in God is a fruit of our intimacy with him. Truth is that God is in control, loves us, has our best interest in mind, has already won the victory at the cross, and is certainly bigger and more muscled than whatever giant we’re facing. Truth is that our prayers are powerful and effective at all times! When we are restored in our identity in Christ and in our trust in the goodness of God, we are living victorious lives no matter what comes our way.

When I was pregnant with my son, I was praying for a natural and easy birth. All of me believed that it was God’s will for me and I hoped he would answer the longing of my heart. As time passed by, my baby didn’t seem to place himself in a good position for a natural birth. When the time of labour came, he still had a diagonal position. Even then, I reasoned that God could certainly make him move in a nice horizontal line at the last minute. As hours and hours passed, waiting and not seeing, not only did my cervix dilate too slowly, but on top of things, my son wouldn’t place himself in a way that would enable him to come out. The tip of the iceberg was when his heart dropped shockingly low. The medical team gathered all around me with worried expressions on their faces. After over 20 hours of labour, the doctors opted for an emergency C-Section. My heart dropped. Exhausted and heartbroken, tears ran down my face as I asked my husband why God hadn’t answered my prayers. It was only after my beautiful and healthy baby boy was born that I understood. I didn’t know at the time of the labour that a 14 cm tumour was twisted around my right ovary. That because of the C-Section, an undetected stage 4 pancreatic cancer was discovered in my body after years of it eating my health away. The unwanted C-Section that I prayed to avoid literally saved my life! What the evil one wanted to destroy in my life, Jesus turned it completely around for my good! (Romans 8:28) Our saviour doesn’t cause the destruction in our lives, nor are those situations his will, but he is so good to us that he takes the ugly and turns it into jewels!

Holy Spirit wants to fill us over and beyond what we could ever hope for. We need to press in and persevere, fellowshipping with him even when nothing seems to be happening. Jesus isn’t a microwave Jesus. Well, sometimes he can be. But in my life, more often than not, getting a breakthrough and more profound intimacy with him needs time. That means that if spending 5 minutes with him in my entire day is what I give our relationship, well that’s a great start. But I can’t expect to have tiramisu if all I take the time to prepare is Jello. Some may say that Jello is a good dessert to share with your loved ones, but there are definitely more delicacies to savour in this life than good old Jello. Thankfully, our lacks don’t dictate our identity. Even when we are neglectful in our relationship with him, he waits patiently to share with us the best of feasts that could ever exist.

Holy Spirit, help us press in, and dig the well of our lives deeper with you until streams of living water submerge us! Let us not abandon expecting you to show up when our human eyes don’t see you act on our behalf. Heal our disappointments, of the times when we had faith to see you answer our cry, and yet haven’t seen the breakthrough we had hoped for. Renew our faith in your goodness. You are a GOOD God even when our life’s circumstances aren’t all good! Reveal your love in a fresh way in our hearts today. We want to call forth what our eyes can’t see, trusting in your perfect timing, even when we don’t understand. What a saviour, that we can trust you to make perfectly good what was meant to destroy us!

“…but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) (21st Century King James Version)