Lindsay Roberts
Whenever I cook with someone else, it seems as though the other person always reads the recipe and I have to stir. I don’t like to stir! The other day a friend and I made chocolate chip cookies, and there I was again, stirring. I don’t like it because the batter gets stiffer and stiffer, and it gets harder and harder to stir. It’s hard work!
But as I was stirring, the Lord showed me something. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him.” So many times we miss our miracle because we’re so busy complaining about the situation that we don’t focus on the end result. We miss the joy that’s set before us!
When it comes to stirring chocolate chip cookies, I don’t like it, but I do it for the joy that is set before me. I love those cookies! The split second they come out of the oven, they go into my mouth. But do you know what? They never would get there without the hard work of stirring beforehand.
Sometimes we go through hard times. Look at Paul and Silas. They were bound with chains and thrown into a dark, dingy prison after being nearly beaten to death. But they didn’t complain. In the midst of those terrible conditions, they began to praise God, and when they did, everyone was set free (Acts 16:22-32)!
You might be in the middle of a “raw-eggs, butter-and-flour” situation, stirring until you feel like your arm is going to fall off, thinking, “Why do I have to go through this?” Just keep stirring. Don’t despise the process that leads to the end result. Instead of griping and complaining, begin to praise the Lord in that situation. Focus on the outcome and the joy that is set before you! That’s when the Father can show up with miracles.