Oven Prayers

I’m kind of hooked on The Great British Baking Show.

I have been binge watching on Netflix it in my spare time and so far, I have learned that I know nothing when it comes to baking. Who knew there were so many different kinds of cream puffs, breads, and biscuits and so many different ways of making them? And those meringue things—Wow! The home bakers on the show inspire me to give some new things a try.

One thing that strikes me funny is the amount of time the bakers spend kneeling in front of their ovens peering in at their creations. They have mixed up their recipes and popped them in to bake. They watch and wait, willing the bread or cake to turn out perfectly for the judges.

We may resemble these bakers a little bit when it comes to life.

We stir up our recipe for a great agenda, and then, we kneel and ask God to bless our concoction.  Countless times, I have found myself praying for certain situations to come out perfectly according to my plan. It’s laughable. Me telling the Expert how to do things. Do you have the same problem?

It seems when things flopped for the home bakers on the show, it was because they didn’t understand all the nuances of a recipe. There were some things they needed to know in order to have success. Other times, it was the environment—too hot or too humid—that threw them off. In those cases, they didn’t know how to overcome the challenge like the expert did. They just didn’t have enough insight, information, or experience to have the best outcome.

All this rings true for us who plan half-baked solutions to life’s problems. We just don’t have the same view that God does. He sees things from start to finish. He sees how it affects today as well as generations to come. He knows each detail and reaction. He just knows. And we don’t.

I have started making it a practice to pray that “God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) It keeps me in my place. I want to respond to God as those in heaven do. I want to acknowledge He knows more fully how to bring the perfect outcome to any situation. I want that for all the things I pray for.

This is when “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” makes sense. (Psalm 37:4) Delight in the Hebrew has the idea of being soft towards the Lord. From my vantage point, I see it as allowing God to shape my thinking. His ways become mine. His desires, my desires. I do indeed want what He desires.

What if we all took that stance each time we prayed?

I believe it would allow us to see God at work more clearly. We wouldn’t be watching for our answer and our attention would be fully on what He was doing. We can only give it a try and see what happens, but I, for one, want the best results.


“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”

Abraham Lincoln

6 Comments Add yours

  1. “Thy will be done.” The prayer that is always answered. May we always submit our wills to God, knowing He is the Master Chef in our lives.
    Blessings, Patty!

    1. Patty Schell says:

      And blessings to you. Thanks for stopping by.

  2. Connie Wohlford says:

    Yes, we do. We mix up our stuff, then kneel to watch and pray that God makes it turn out perfect. Aren’t we silly!?
    You have insightful lessons in this post. I was blessed reading it. Thank you, Patty.

    1. Patty Schell says:

      Thank you. So glad you enjoyed it.

  3. Thank you for this devotion, Patty. It’s helpful to remember God sees what we can’t.

    1. Patty Schell says:

      Yes it is. Thanks for stopping by. ❤

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