This one is a little out of the ordinary for me but there was (is) no way I’m not going to respond to it. Over the last few weeks in church we have been talking about being committed to Holy Spirit instead of just open to Him (there is a BIG difference) and last weekend we looked at Mark 6 where the full intentions of Jesus were limited because of an unwillingness to move in response to His leading.
On Friday night I was in a worship service just enjoying the presence of Jesus when I clearly had two images flash back and forth in my mind. The first image was a cucumber and the second was a pickle. These images flashed back and forth twice between the two and although it came out of the blue I immediately knew what God was saying to me*. It was an invitation to more intentionally soak in God’s presence, and to be changed through soaking.
I’ve never made pickles, so this may be an oversimplification, but a cucumber becomes a pickle simply through soaking. And as it soaks, it takes on the flavour of what it is soaking in until it is entirely changed. No one considers a pickle to be a ‘slightly modified’ cucumber, it is something entirely different.
So as those images flashed through my mind, along with the understanding I just shared, I spent some more time worshiping just receiving from God. Then on Saturday I put on some worship music and just lay on the floor (in my bedroom, with the door closed) receiving from Jesus. I didn’t do a lot of praying I just lay there and by faith received from the presence of Jesus.
Although I felt peace and adoration during this time, there was nothing dramatic that occurred and I wasn’t expecting there would be. Once again, from my understanding of the pickling process, there isn’t a moment when the cucumber suddenly becomes the pickle, it is simply a subtle process over time.
Then I went to church for our Saturday evening service and my Mom came in and handed me a bag with three cucumbers in it. I would like to tell you that being the man of faith and power I am that I immediately made the connection and rejoiced in the confirmation (and humour) of God. Unfortunately, it didn’t even register on my radar until after the service when we were driving home. My youngest son asked what was in the bag and when I said, “some cucumbers”, he replied, “oh did someone give you those because of what you shared?” (I had mentioned the images in worship). His simple question caused the light to come on for me and I laughed at God’s prompting.
So that is the invitation that God presented me with. I believe it is for me, and our church family, but it can be yours too.
*According to Joel 2:28 seeing a vision puts me in the ‘young men’s’ camp which I also felt pretty good about seeing I just turned 41.
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