Butter

Years ago, as a newly wed, I took a a cooking class, at First Presbyterian Church with a lady named Mrs. Campbell. I tell you her name because some of you too may have taken lessons from her. She must be in her late eighties or nineties by now, was a gourmet cook and maybe had written a cookbook. For all who know my culinary talents....I learned quite a lot but never put any of it into practice...much too much planning...except for one serious treasure. It was this...if you are running late on dinner and the family begins cruising around the kitchen wondering what is for dinner...buy yourself some time by putting some butter on the stove on low....to melt. Ok,you say ....what would that do? Just exactly what she claimed it would do...is sends a smell message through the house that something is cooking....and settles down the restless warriors. For as long as they can smell it....they are content to wait.

Sometimes I wish that God would send a tangible signal my way to let me know that he is cooking up the answer for something I have prayed for. If I only had a glimpse of an answer....or that something was in the workings....I would be able to better contain my patience. So often times when we pray and ask God for something...we already have a predetermined answer in our minds so when we wait, we wait according to what we have programmed to be the answer. That is our first mistake....because our answers have so many limitations ... and we can only imagine from our finite
viewpoint. We don't see all the opportunities that God sees....and God's way of responding to a situation or to a prayer is for HIS purposes. We see them from an earthly standpoint because that is all we have got. WAIT...that is not all that we have got.

2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
(Please note the words GRACE, LOVE AND HOLY SPIRIT....for these are the unseen blessings that God has offered to each of us everyday...I pray that each of you who reads these words today will believe truly believe that they are yours to have....Put your faith on the table as you wait for the blessing that God has prepared for you as he readies His answer to your prayer.)

I has occurred to me that so many times when I pray, I am looking at the prayer itself and not putting my trust into the sole one who can answer that prayer . When I finally focus on God and trust in His workings...it is then that my perspective on the requested prayer changes. It is kind of like that melted butter...it you know it is there...and you do because there are traces in the air.. then you know that something else concrete will be laid at the table...but we just have to wait til its ready. We know God is here....for he has told us that he has sent his Holy Spirit to be with us wherever we go...His presence is everywhere, just like the wind...you know he is there not because we can see Him but becasue of the effect he has on things that we can see....he is the spirit we can not see but in faith and trust we know Him to be true....and we can be assured that he has something that he is going to put out on our table. It might not be the expected ....but it will HIS perfected....answer.

Instead of telling God what you want for dinner...ask God what he is cooking up. Be confident that whatever he prepares is what is best suited for your needs....and His purposes. Praise God ...for he is an awesome God and His glory shines throughout our land and in our hearts. Look to God and be mindful of His presence and you will find that your prayer, whatever it may be...will take on a new perspective. For the possibilities are infinite to an infinite God....and if we focus on His infinite abilities and not our finite understanding then we will be able to experience the freedom and peace to know that all will work out just the way it is suppose to. For His presence is in the air....and he always is preparing something of wonder.

Dear Lord, You have given us the blessing of your Holy Spirit...to be with us at all times....hearer of all things and doer of what is favorable in your sight. Help us to trust what we can not see...For it is in you and through your son Jesus and your Holy Spirit that we are able to be confident that all things and all prayers will be answered according to your purposes and not our finite assumptions of we think is the right way. Amen


Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!