Thought of the day – Tuesday 28th April 2020
THOUGHTS FROM THE KITCHEN
The Celtic Church held a lovely concern for the everyday. God is present everywhere if we only take the trouble to look for him and listen to him. They also used the Book of Psalms daily in their devotions.
This set of thoughts is inspired by acts of creation in the kitchen, for many of us the heart of the home. God is there and speaks to us clearly, if we only listen. Each thought is connected with a quotation from a Psalm as a starting point.
DAY TWO – Patience
Psalm 40 vv. 1 – 3 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walk along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the Lord
If you want any success in the kitchen you need patience. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 and so something we should seek in every part of our lives. But it’s very hard.
We always have a special cake for Easter Day – usually a version of a Simnel cake, rich with fruit and with marzipan included. There’s no point rushing this cake. Once, instead of getting all the ingredients ready and then, methodically and carefully putting it all together, I tried to make it quickly. The result was nearly a disaster. The cake was in the oven then I saw the flour looking accusingly at me! I believe it was an answer to prayer that the recipe still worked when I took out the mixture and added the flour nearly 10 minutes into cooking time! Also, taking a cake out when you haven’t the patience to test if it is fully cooked can result in a cake which is raw in the middle and simply horrible. Yes, we need patience.
God is so patient with us. Think today of the care he takes over us, and the way he is always there prepared to put things right. Consider the care he has taken, and still takes, over his creation as a whole. We need to stop with Elijah, let the fire and the whirlwind go by and let the still, small voice of calm be heard. Then our lives can be truly committed to God.
PRAYER
Father, we thank you for your patience with us. When we look back over our lives, we can see how often you have put us back on the right track and restored the true rhythm of our lives. May we show the fruit of patience in our own lives; patience with other people who may need our time and understanding; patience with the world around us when things simply don’t go as fast as we wish; patience with ourselves when we get rushed and flustered. In Jesus name.
Amen.