Microwave Faith
Now. Now. Now. We are addicted to fast results. Everything we do is designed to speed up the process and make things faster all in the name of efficiency.
I know this is so millennial of me but I hate waiting. I’m that guy who used to think that if I turn the temperature up in the oven a little bit, my pizza will be done faster. I don’t need to tell you that many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ended up being my dinner on those nights.
But what is it about our inability to wait that drives us to do things we know won’t work or are just clearly dumb? The thing that causes the most fear in my heart is how this has infected and poisoned the Christian faith.
I remember back when I was a youth pastor, I taught a lesson on different misconceptions about God in our lives. One of the most popular ones was treating God as a vending machine.
Christians can have this belief that if they deposit some prayers God will dispense a blessing. Christians can believe that if we serve a little, God will fulfill our wants. God is not in the transaction business, He is in the transformational work.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure if I can think of a time where this actually happened. Does that mean that God is vaulty and needs some maintenance? Of course not...
We yearn for instant gratification. We determine our expectations based on getting what we want as fast as possible. We have created this belief that waiting must mean something is wrong. We have lost the ability to wait.
I love playing video games and it was no different as a kid. I remember back when I was in elementary school, the Xbox 360 was getting released. I could not be more excited!
I only had a Nintendo 64 so this was going to be a massive upgrade. I begged my dad to let me wait in line for the midnight release so I could take hold of this new console. But I would not be bringing one home the first night.
Thank God for my dad because he kept reminding me that waiting wasn’t a bad thing. If I embraced the wait, the joy would be even greater once I finally brought one home.
A couple months passed and my dad got wind that a new shipment was going to arrive at our local Target in a few days. So, we made the plan to show up early on the morning after the shipment arrived I was determined to be one of the first ones through the door.
A couple workers stepped outside a few minutes before opening to ask if we were lost or if something was wrong, to which I proudly said I am here to snag a new Xbox 360. There was maybe two other people waiting to get in but who knows what they were there for.
A few minutes later, I walked out proudly with this brand new console in my arms. It felt like a dream. I couldn’t wait to get home to unbox and fire it up. It was worth the wait.
Now this may seem a little off target and it might be. But I tell you all this because too many Christians have been microwaved. They have sought after quick fixes and spiritual vending machines. Christians give up their faith and belief because God didn’t come through how and when they envisioned it.
Many mornings my daughter loves some pancakes that I throw in the microwave. You know what happens sometimes? The outside of the pancake is burning hot, but the middle is still cold.
How many of us are like this? On the outside, we say the right things. We try to act the right way. We go to church. We post our verses on social media. We tell people we will pray for them. We have our cheesy Christian decor in our homes.
But our heart has no warmth.
We look great on the outside but our spirit is cold and needing life. We put on a good show for others, but we can’t face the reality that we haven’t allowed God to rejuvenate our heart.
The Christian life is often a slow, steady walk through the miraculous and the mundane. We are called to obedience despite the outcome. God doesn’t just want your actions, He wants your heart.
But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. - James 1:22
There are too many Christians who have been duped into believing in a microwave faith. They may know God’s Word but have not allowed it to influence and change their heart.
The Christian life is more like a crockpot. It’s a slow, steady journey that allows the Holy Spirit to transform our lives completely. Don’t be deceived by quick fix schemes. Don’t allow yourself to get discouraged when you don’t see the fruit immediately.
So next time you open a microwave, I challenge you to pause while it’s running and ask yourself what area in your life do you need to choose to be a crockpot?
Yes, a “slow and steady walk through the miraculous and mundane.” God often fashions our hearts over decades, in my own experience; it’s his plan and purpose for us in his time. My wife and I experienced closure on an event last year that was 23 years in the making! Great article!
Thank you.