You Can't Microwave Fruit #409

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You Can't Microwave Fruit #409

Have you ever stood in front of a microwave watching the final seconds count down, wondering why it's taking so long? I know that I have. We live in a world that expects immediate results. We Google a question and get an answer in seconds. We order something online and it comes to our doorstep the next day. Wouldn't it be nice if we could wiggle our nose like Samantha on Bewitched or blink like Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie and everything would fall into place just like we wanted? I think we approach prayer the same way, expecting God to answer just as quickly.

Case in point, it was 19 weeks between when I retired and started my new job. It wasn’t easy. There were bills to pay, decisions to make, and days when I pleaded with God about His timing. During that time I continued applying for jobs and pursuing opportunities, while facing plenty of challenges and closed doors along the way. But with every rejection or closed door, I kept sensing God asking me the same question: "Do you still trust Me?"

You see, God doesn't operate on microwave time. Throughout Scripture, God uses seeds, planting, farmers, and harvests to teach us about faith, patience, and growth. In Mark 4:26–29, Jesus describes a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. He goes about his days, sleeping and rising, while the seed begins to grow. The farmer doesn't know exactly how it happens, and he certainly can't make it grow any faster. He plants, but God provides the growth.

In life, we plant a seed too through prayer, effort, or obedience and then stand over it expecting something to appear immediately. It’s like we want the fruit without waiting for the seed to grow. We’re used to seeing immediate results, so when nothing happens, we begin questioning whether God heard us. This lack of answer can even make us try to grow something different from what God intended because we're convinced we know better than Him.

Through it all, God knows what He planted in us. He knows what fruit we can produce for Him and what needs pruning before that fruit can grow. It’s possible the waiting wasn't about what God was preparing for me, but what He was preparing in me. Those many weeks were as much about learning to trust Him as they were about finding another job. He was teaching me to follow even when I couldn't see where I was going.

An hourglass reminds us that time keeps moving, even when nothing seems to be changing. We can't rush every grain of sand through the opening. And while I'd love to tell you I've mastered patience and trust, I haven't. In fact, now that I've started my new job, I find myself hearing that same question again: "Do you trust Me?" Apparently, trusting God wasn't just a lesson for the 19 weeks I was unemployed. It's a lesson for every day that follows.

You may feel like there's no progress or that God is absent. But that doesn't mean He's forgotten you. You've been planted, and He knows what fruit He is growing in you and what fruit your life will produce for Him. So, if you're waiting for an answer, pursuing an opportunity, or wondering why something hasn't happened, don't stop taking the steps God has placed before you. Keep praying, keep working, and keep trusting the One who knows what He planted.

Today is the day to live your legacy; visit lighthouselegacies.com, and I’ll join you. Also, listen to The Living Your Legacy Podcast. Purchase a copy of the 40 Day devotional on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HH2J4863