Quite a few years ago, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh the husband of Queen Elizabeth II was visiting the region of Yellowknife, Canada. During his trip, he and the Queen, had lunch at a local restaurant. When the main course was over, the waitress took Duke Edinborough’s plate, but also leaned over and said to him: ” Keep the fork , Duke. There’s pie.” This phrase stuck in the English lexicon, and I also recently heard it used by my pastor during a sermon that conveyed the idea of waiting on God with patience, and that he has many unexpected, beautiful things waiting for those who believe in Him.
Being from a different country, I have the tendency to dissect all American sayings and colloquialisms, in an attempt to understand their meaning and hidden message. In this case, “keep the fork, there’s pie”, sounds extremely appealing to me because I am a dessert addict. I love baking desserts most of all. It relaxes me, and it’s therapeutic. While I bake I feel a certain surrender of my thoughts and a little bit of my soul into it. Watching chocolate melting in a pot while eggs are frothing thick in a mixing bowl, the fresh awakening of lemon zest filling the air, the cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spices blending in a rich lather of cheesecake, the soothing warmth of fresh baked apple pie, all these give me a sense of euphoric belonging to something beautiful, peaceful, and happy. I feel content and void of any need. So, when my pastor compared looking forward to pie, or any dessert, to waiting on God’s promise for my life, it made me feel hopeful and excited about what God has still planned for me, and in fact for all of us.
God makes promises all through the Bible, from never sending another flood again in Genesis: ” I solemnly promise to never send another flood” (Genesis 9: 8-16), to promising to Abraham and Sarah a baby in their very old age. Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was never able to have a child, and yet God said not to get discouraged and to believe that good things are still to come: Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though the facts were that he was too old to be a father and Sarah wasn’t able to have children.” Romans 4:19. This particular promise of God’s was extreme in earthly understanding and very unlikely, and yet, they did have a most important baby, named Isaac, that allowed Abraham to be the father of many nations and pave the way to our very present. Luke 1:37 says : ” For nothing is impossible with God”.
I do struggle with imagining myself relishing a most indulgent dessert, metaphorically speaking, because the main course of my life is filled with unwanted distractions, tedious routines, unfulfilled endeavors, and annoying setbacks. But I tell myself every day the verse in 1Peter 5:7: Give all your worries and care to God, for he cares about what happens to you.” All I can do is what the Lord is having me do right now, in this season of my life, then pray some more and do what he will show me next. I can only walk the path that is lit right in front of me. Romans 4:20-22 says that “Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact his faith grew stronger and in this he brought glory to God.” Thus, I will take comfort and believe wholeheartedly that even as we speak, God is “baking” the most delicious dessert especially for me and so I will “keep my fork” and patiently anticipate the sweet flavor of my custom made pie.
God wants all of us to taste the impeccable flavor of his delicious promises, because after all who in the world doesn’t like pie?
“God has given us both his promise and a path…Therefore those who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.” Hebrews 6:18.
By Roxana Phillip-Hackett
Roxana is a wife of one, mother of two, who loves to share her faith with sincerity and honesty from her home in Hendersonville Tennessee.
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