God is not a microwave God He is more of a slow cooker God. You ever heard anyone say that? As frustrating a statement as it may be, because we want everything done yesterday, it is somewhat true. There are things that God does quickly or in an instant. But sometimes what we fail to see is that God was working behind the scenes for a long time before the promise came to pass or before the miracle happened. Salvation happens in an instant, but it takes sometimes years of God wooing us and drawing us to Himself before we make that decision.
Last week we looked at Genesis 12:4 in which God promised Abraham, “And through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” We then read in Acts 3:25 that this was a reference to the coming Jesus who was Abraham’s descendant. Did you know that from the time God called Abraham in Genesis 12 to the time Jesus was born was about 2,000 years? How crazy is that! Yet here we are looking at the clock over a promise God made to us 2 days ago, haha!
What I have realised more and more in life is that I see my life as isolated from other things almost as though what happens to me, happens in a vacuum. I am sure some of you can relate. However, that is not the reality of our existence. What happens in my life does not just affect my life. It affects other people’s lives as well.
I was reading Romans 9:10-16 which says, “Now, this son was our ancestor, Isaac, who, with his wife, Rebekah, conceived twins. And before her twin sons were born, God spoke to Rebekah and said: “The oldest will serve the youngest.” God spoke these words before the sons had done anything good or bad, which proves that God calls people not on the basis of their good or bad works, but according to his divine purpose.”
So what does this tell us? It tells us that God has a divine purpose. A master plan if you will. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God knows the plans He has for us, individually. So, God has this big master plan for the whole world and in different times and generations and in the middle of that massive and detailed plan, are His plans for us and our lives. This means that God’s promises to us are based on what He would like to see happen in our lives, in our families, in our generation- if we choose to accept it and go on the journey with Him. But because God is so loving, He makes sure that in keeping His promises to us and in answering our prayers, it does not destroy the ones around us.
See, God treats us the same way He treated Abraham, as His friends. He tells us things to come, through His Holy Spirit and through prophetic words. We get excited and think it is happening today and God says, “Wait! What I was after was your “Yes” of agreement so I can set things in motion.”
I remember when I was looking for a job many years ago now. I prayed and I asked God for a good job with a good boss, and I said, “if possible, I’d like an office with a view”. That was random but that’s what I prayed for. (Sometimes we think we pray good but it is really Holy Spirit putting desires in our hearts for things that God wants to bless us with!)
What I didn’t know at the time was that what I had prayed for and what I had asked God for would take time. So I received an offer for a temporary role filling in for a lady on maternity leave. No office, no view but it was okay. I thought the miracle would be that my contract would be extended but that didn’t happen and that was hard for me. I thought God was not answering my prayers and I had been left stranded, but I was far from it.
Before my contract ended, I had started looking for new roles. I received an email inviting me to an interview for a job. I, to this day, do not recall applying for this job but I got it. Once I started working there, I looked out my window and guess what? I had the most amazing view of the Sydney Opera House. I also found out that the company did not exist until 4 months prior to me starting. The answer to my prayer involved other people. Prayers are not answered in a vacuum. Promises and prophecies are not fulfilled in a vacuum. God is weaving together a beautiful tapestry through all our lives and what you do or don’t do affects others.
So as upset as I may have been that my contract had not been extended, if it had been extended, if God had not closed the door, I would have missed my answered prayer. It took 9 months for my prayer to be answered but God did for sure answer it!
Sometimes when things are taking a bit of time or it appears we are on a detour, it is easy to get discouraged and feel like maybe God has forgotten about us or that maybe He didn’t hear our prayer. But God hears us and if God is willing to answer us when we pray, how much more will He fulfill the promises He has made to us! It took almost 2000 years for one of the promises to Abraham to come to fruition but God did it. More so, even now some 4000 years later, God is still fulfilling His promises to Abraham! God does not go back on His word, ever!
Because what a promise is, is essentially God saying, “Hey, I have this amazing idea that I think you’ll love. What do you think about this?” And we say, “I would love that! Where do I sign?” And God says, “I knew you’d like that! I am going to need you to trust Me. I will make it happen.” God does not force His promises on us. He does not force His will on us, He waits for our agreement. That is essentially what happened with Abraham. God made the promise, all that was needed from Abraham was his obedience and faith and at the right time, God made it happen. We may have to wait a while, but God never fails.
2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT says, “For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” All we have to do is to come in agreement with the plans and purposes of God and we will see His promises unfold in our lives and we get to be part of the wonderful tapestry that God is weaving together, through multiple generations and over thousands of years into eternity.
Love and blessings,
Melissa Tsingano.
Heavenly Whispers Blog 
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