When Wayne and I first were married, we moved immediately to Japan after the honeymoon. We had an amazing introduction to marriage. We had to solve our problems all on our own because there were no friends or family with whom to sort things out! Additionally, like all new brides, I suddenly had to think of food - three times a day! This was made even harder by the fact that we lived in a country that did not even slightly share our ideas of "home cooking." We could get our hands on all the whole tiny fish we ever wanted, but I had no clue about cleaning them....and why would I want to? They were tiny! We could get our hands on all the rice we could imagine, but in the U.S. we eat rice once a week or so--not every single meal! We had very few choices for cereal or sandwich bread. And why bother? There were no sandwich meats, and the one brand of "peanut butter" was basically a waxy, oily substance resembling Gojo (the grease cutter for mechanics). The cuts of meat that we were used to were nowhere to be seen. Everything in our lives was different!
I remember my mother sending me things like file' powder for gumbo, recipes for homemade pie crust so I could make quiche, taco seasoning to make what our family called "fiesta" (a bed of rice with all the usual taco toppings). She came to my aid to help me figure out what to make in a foreign land. This was before everyone had email, so all of this was done by phone and snail mail. Wayne and I went to the local farmer's market every Saturday and bought our vegetables and fruits straight from the hands that grew them. The wonderful discovery in that was that the U.S. had such hybrid veggies that flavor is lost. When we bought the Japanese versions, they were shorter and smaller, but their flavors were intense and sweet. We made many food discoveries in that first year together than I have made in all the years combined, I think.
When I got bold enough, we began to invite people into our home for meals. We looked forward to guests every week. There were a couple of bachelors who had a standing night. We reached out to the little couple who owned a liquor and import store across from the train station (the only place to buy M & M's in the beginning). We reached out to our dentist and his wife. We invited teachers and the other singular missionary couple over. I'm sure that the food was borderline atrocious, but they came and ate, and we had good times together.
On one particular instance, I had spent the entire afternoon making a beautiful pie crust. I put so much love into that crust! I was very proud. The crust became part of a wonderful seafood quiche, and I added some soup and salad. Our guests were scheduled to arrive very soon. I had cleaned the tiny kitchen until it sparkled. When the quiche was done, it was gorgeous! No chef could have done a better job! I reached into the tabletop oven (the size of a toaster) to get the quiche, and once I had it in grip, my wrist lightly rested on the inside of the oven. To my horror, I dropped the entire pie - face down - onto the newly mopped floor. The guests would be there in 10 minutes. I had timed everything perfectly! There wasn't time to make it over. I started to cry, and I called Wayne into the kitchen. I said, "You have to pray for my quiche." "What?" was his reply. "Pray for my quiche! It will be ruined if you don't pray!" He said, "I have never prayed for food before." "Well, now's the time to start!" I wailed. I had him help me as I slid my largest spatula under the quiche delicately, and we turned it over. It was still beautiful! One little piece of crust had come off, but we put everything back in its original spot and prayed over it again that it would be germ free! (Yes, I was that shameless.)
Isn't that funny? Over the beginning season of our marriage, Wayne came to pray over much of my food! Almost every time people were coming over, I would have him pray that the results would work. We didn't have the money to have back up options on hand, and we were trying to make lasting impacts on the people around us -- in good ways, that is.
Later, when we were back in the States, we had guests over for dinner to our apartment. Wayne began to tell them the stories of our Japanese guests and how I made him pray for the food throughout the cooking process each and every time. "I have never prayed for food so much in my entire life!" he said. "I didn't even know you could do that!"
I'm sure that the Lord was amused. I'm not altogether certain that He's overly concerned with my cooking, but the prayers were a source of comfort to me, and my food turned out just fine every time. In fact, I should probably credit each of my cooking successes to the Holy Spirit! I am still secretly praying over food every time I cook it!
When our first child was born, I prayed over him. Every time the child came within arms reach, I breathed a prayer. Every time I changed a diaper, I went to battle for his eternal soul. When I clean the house - rarely, I know - I am praying for everything that goes on in each room. When I drive down the street, I am praying for the people next to me at the stoplights. I am asking God to close businesses that are obviously evil. I am asking Him to bless others who have more honorable intentions. In fact, the older I get, the more there is to pray for! I would have thought that my days of interceding over little things was done, and in one sense, the trivial is much more trivial to me, but my days of intercession are in full throttle!
I don't do many things well, but I am sure of this, I can pray for you. I am not ashamed to drop everything in the middle of the mall and pray for someone who asks. My mother always quoted a scripture to us when we were young. Ecclesiastes 9:10, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." I have to laughingly point out that she quoted this scripture to encourage us to pick up the house, but there is much truth in it. The powerful Welsh intercessor Rees Howells said that he would never pray for an answer that he himself was not willing to commit to. He prayed earnestly until he had answers. He was willing to be part of every solution with his abilities, finances and prayers. I find myself more and more drawn into the kind of prayer that requires more from me. I am less and less worried about dropped quiche.
Our prayer lives are valuable. We should recognize the power of prayer and begin to put it to good use. It is the bulk of our powerful spiritual arsenal. We have been given authority in heavenly realms. We should use our authority and begin to speak the Will of God over every situation that presents itself and do so with all our might. I'm not talking so much about your cooking. I'm talking about things that carry more eternal importance. Begin to pray over the people who touch your life. Begin to pray over situations that cause much stress and grief. Begin to open your eyes, to see the needs and then to tackle the circumstances with the force of prayer.
When all is done, if you drop your pie, pray for that, too! Personal experience tells me God cares.
Super easy quiche: I am in a land now that offers frozen pie crusts! Hallelujah! Get a pie crust and put in it some of your favorite sauteed or roasted veggies and bits of meat. Top that with a handful of cheese, if you like. Make a simple mix of 4 eggs, 2 cups of milk, a teaspoon of prepared mustard and whatever seasoning you like. Be interesting with it. Bake this at 350 until it's done (it will be close to an hour, but keep your eyes on it after 45 mins.). Super easy! You can do this days in advance and just take out a slice and heat before eating. It's my solution to a hot breakfast for Wayne. I just don't wake up to the stove well, and this way we're both happy!
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