TRUE Victory
by Victoria Boettger
Just before COVID-19 hit Canada and everything went into lockdown my oven stopped working.
It was a gas oven and whenever I would turn it on our whole house would reek with a leaking gas smell. Blowing up our home has never been one of our marriage goals (even if the thought of remodelling everything sounds kind of fun), and so we stopped using the oven until we could get it fixed.
One problem. Lockdown.
We tried calling around, but of course nobody was open to come into our house to take a look at it and repair the thing. We thought we might buy a new one instead, but, same problem: the stores were closed.
Four months of lockdown + no oven = no fun.
I love to cook and bake, it’s one of my main hobbies, so I had to get creative. Thankfully the stove top still worked, which meant that I could get by with some recipes (we didn’t totally starve), and as the weather got warmer we took out the barbecue from the shed. Slowly I adjusted to the more limited selection of meals I could make, and I found that I slowly started to accept this as my new reality.
Just when I thought that I never needed an oven again in my life, the appliance store near our house reopened and my husband and I went in, bought a new oven (on sale, half price!) and installed it two days later. It was at that moment that I remembered all I was missing out on - I could bake again! I could cook again! Life is better with a working oven.
As I reflect on this oven situation, I can’t help but think how it translates to my faith. How many times have I just accepted my situation and stopped praying for a miracle? How often have I grown content with something when God is calling me to more?
How often have I grown content with something when God is calling me to more?
I am so encouraged by what 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says:
“Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
This verse reminds me that I’ve got some work to do when it comes to my prayer life!
Growing up in church I remember a group of older women who were “prayer warriors”. I loved how they pursued God in prayer, and I knew that as they prayed, heaven heard. Whenever I was sick as a kid, these were the people I wanted to pray for me! But as I’ve grown older, I realise that I don’t need to earn a title like “prayer warrior” in order for God to hear my prayers. He hears me here and now - my thoughts, my concerns, my anxieties, my fears (Philippians 4:6-8). God also desires to hear my prayers of thanksgiving and praise!
He hears me here and now
I wonder, are there areas in your life that you’ve given up praying? Where you’ve settled in your circumstance and don’t believe there’s anything better for you? Maybe you don’t feel like God is even listening - as if He doesn’t care at all.
I want to encourage you today: pray. Keep calling out to your Heavenly Father. Keep believing. Keep trusting. And remember, there’s no victory without a battle. Perhaps today you need to remember Ephesians 6 and put on the full armor of God, and keep fighting.
And remember, there’s no victory without a battle.
Don’t give up, don’t settle, don’t count yourself out. Keep praying - be persistent and unceasing. God is good, He’s almighty, and His timing is perfect. Whatever it is that you’re praying for, I am believing with you that in Jesus’ name your prayer request will become a praise report. Amen.
Victoria Boettger is one of the lead pastors at Slate Church in Waterloo, Ontario. Born and raised in Sweden, Victoria now calls Canada home and is passionate about the local church. With a degree in social work, Victoria genuinely loves people and wants to see lives transformed by the love of Christ. Connect with Victoria on Instagram @victoria.boettger.