Rise in time. Gods perfect timing.

Lord, oh glorious Father. You are the great I AM. The one who through the stars into place. The one who designed each one of us and knows the number of hairs on our head. In this moment I give you thanks and praise your name. Lord, forgive me for my short comings. Search my heart for that of which doesn't serve you and rip it out. Lord, I Pray that you give me the words needed to write, your voice apparent. I Pray that those who read this receive the blessings their parched heart needs. I Pray kindness and strength stim from my keyboard to uplift and empower turning eyes toward you in all I do. I Pray over the souls and faces who read my writing, that they receive the encouragement and guidance and wisdom you choose to show to them. Amen.

John 6:35 "And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."

Sourdough. The bread of all breads.

The world has overcomplicated it and bound people to the point of watching videos obsessively, purchasing specific items to be able to make it, and taken the joy out of it to the point some are too afraid to even try.

The process is long, it can be a lot of work, and there is some extensive waiting. It can take dedication and patience. But then again- Its simple, the steps are quick and mindless- It's when our focus is in the wrong direction that we make it harder than it needs to be. The waiting becomes tedious and we second guess what we're doing. Is my starter bubbly enough? Are my measurements, right? Grams? Cups? Banneton? No Banneton? Cold retard? Bulk ferment on the counter? Dutch Oven? No DO? Etc, Etc, Etc. It's enough to drive a person mad and feel as if they're standing in the middle of the desert not sure which direction to go.

As I have progressed in my sourdough journey, I have realized recently my best breads come out when I throw away the expectations and requirements of the world and just "be still" in the process of making bread. TRUSTING in the process. Psalm 37:3 "Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness."

Today was a little different. Starter, water, flour, and salt. Four simple ingredients to make a loaf of sourdough. My rebellious self: pulled my starter straight from the fridge and began scooping out a few Spoonfuls to use. As I added my ingredients together my kiddos flitted different directions around me. The description of chaos running rampant in my house. I smiled to myself at the noises Nomade was making as he began waking up in his crib.

I mixed the ingredients in my bowl. I don't measure, I go off the look of the dough for what I need. I began creating a double batch to make two delicious loaves, but something was different. Recently I had been feeling as if my entire being was completely bound in knots. It was like I was a knotted up mess and I needed the assuredness that making a loaf of sourdough brings. The feeling of the dough as it moves from shaggy to elastic and stretchy.

Have you ever felt that way, as if you're in knots till you get ahold of a hobby that smoothes you out? Ecclesiastes 4:13 "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

When we allow ourselves to be bound on our own, we are causing the struggle to extend. The enemy wants us separate and alone, because when we are fighting alone, we are easily overtaken. However, if we intertwine ourselves within the Lord and those who have God at their very center- and allow Him to break the bonds that bind us, He is our great defeater. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Mathew 11:28-30)

I mixed together the ingredients and my heart fell. Too much flower. I had used too much flour. I kept mixing, now getting ready to get ahold of some more liquid as the ingredients made sticky gross clumps. I almost ran too the sink before I heard a whisper in my head. "Wait" was all it said, so I kept mixing. I shook my head and frowned, my feet almost moving to the sink again. "Stop rushing things, and take the time to mix it." That little voice in my head said just as another voice ROARED with it: "But its not good enough! Its going to turn out horrible! I need more water!"

The voices continued to argue back and forth as I took a breath, and just mixed. My dough whisk flicking the dough back and forth (I make my bread without a machine.) The dough began to form together, the clumps forming a shaggy consistency I had been looking for. My eyes widened as a small voice whispered in my mind again. "See, you rush everything. Slow down and stop being so quick thinking things are a failure. Allow me to do my work in you, for you, and for Me. My promises are good and true, all this, these clumps you think need more, are just clumps needing time."

The word "waiting" is mentioned from what I was able to gather from the Ol google 294 times. The statement "waiting on the Lord" appears at least 39 times.

Isaiah 40:1 is one of my favorite verses and it reminds us "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

Our strength comes form the Lord, and sometimes we may be in a season of waiting while trying to force things too go faster. How many times have you tried to push, when your ingredients don't need more water, Gods already provided you with HIS LIVING water- you just need to allow His hands to be on you and help mix.

David tells us in Psalm 40:1-2 "I waited patiently on the Lord; and He inclined to me, And He heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay." So often when we feel stuck, or in a place where we are listening to the enemies lies and thinking we shouldnt be there; God is actually at work. Mixing, and folding the ingredients expertely derived. We don't need more, we need the patients and gratitude to work with what we have and WAIT on the Lord to provide us with the ingredients to then create something new.

You are where you are for a reason, whether that be because the Lord is working on you, teaching, and showing you, changing and molding you, pulling you from the bony fingers of depression, and soooo much more- Romans 9:27-28 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin for salvation."

It's time to stop binding ourselves and adding ingredients when we don't need to. Instead, lets allow ourselves to wait in Praise, take Gods hands and mix up, watching our ingredients smooth out to a beautiful result- in turn we can take flight and soar... to heights and expectations we didn't know were possible. Stop putting limits on the Lord and trust that He is equipping you with just the right amount of ingredients you need.

Trust in Gods methods, wait on Him. Even when the worlds definition screams that it's not perfect- that you need more- Your ingredients are enough to work with and smooth everything out. With Gods hand He can make rubble into a glorious wall. Your life isn't a clumped up messy ball of dough that needs more water, its time to wait on the Lord and what He has planned.