Isaiah 55:8-9, New Living Translation

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28, NLT)

Letting God do the cooking in your life means trusting His divine timing, preparation, and plan instead of trying to force your own way. The ingredients may not make sense, but we have to trust that God is cooking up something amazing in our lives. 

If I can be honest, most days I feel like I’m in the kitchen of life, sifting through my recipes to cook what I want. However, when the Great Chef takes my recipe cards away and starts messing in my kitchen, I tend to interject “Are you sure?” When God bakes, we cannot read the cookbook He has in His hands. After all, His recipes are not our recipes, and His ways around the kitchen are not ours. When the Lord works in mysterious ways (and He often does), can we trust Him, even though it seems He is grabbing a heavy spatula when I think a wooden spoon would get the job done just as well?

What does it mean to "let God cook"?

Trust the Process: Just like a great meal takes time to marinate, season, and bake, your personal growth requires a season of preparation.

Stop Taking Shortcuts: Trying to rush your journey or force outcomes often leads to a bigger mess than if you had just waited on the Master Chef. Taking a cake out of the oven before it's done just ends in a big mushy mess.

We have to release control: Step out of the kitchen of anxiety and stop trying to micromanage every single ingredient in your life. God knows what He's doing—way better than you and I. Remember, His ways are not ours and His thoughts are higher than ours.

How do we apply this to our daily lives? First, we have to surrender our timeline. This is so so hard for me to do! I hate to admit it, but it's true. We first have to accept that God is never late and His timing is always precise.

Second, focus on obedience: Give Him your daily "yes" and let Him handle the rest. 

Lastly, rest in Faith: Kick back and relax, knowing the final product He serves will be better than anything you could cook up yourself. Again, I struggle with resting and feel like I "need" to have my hand in everything. God knows what He's doing and knows the recipe for my life so much better than I do.

Let God be God. Let Him have full authority in your life. Let Him cook! Why? Because He has the right recipe for your life. His recipe is based on the truth of His Word.

In God’s recipe, He takes everything about you—your personality, your attributes, your character, your talents, and your abilities—and He molds that into the image of His son, Jesus.

In God’s recipe, He takes your good days as well as your bad ones; He takes your greatest accomplishments as well as your biggest mistakes. Nothing is discarded in His recipe.

Remember, when God is kicked out of the kitchen, the enemy steps in. He will alter the recipe!

Finally, our God has a wide range of ingredients at His fingertips, so He may cook some vegetables I have never tasted before. As scary as those unfamiliar smells are coming from the kitchen, He stretches me to trust His taste, so I do not turn my nose up at the dinner table and miss out on a delicacy.