Our Microwave Culture

“For twenty-three years… the word of the LORD has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.”

Jeremiah 25:3

I can cook a potato in eight minutes. (I’m sure you’re very impressed). It’s true. Place the potato in the microwave. Heat for 4 minutes. Turn potato. Heat for another 4 minutes. Voila! It’s ready for you to eat! As a fresh college graduate, this was a game changer. What used to take hours, now took less than ten minutes. Granted, it didn’t have that fresh baked potato taste, but it sure was fast.

And honestly, I’ve never had the patience for a baked potato. I always seem to either cook it too fast and burn it, or lack the thoughtful preparation to start cooking it soon enough. You’re probably wondering why in the world I’m talking so much about baked potatoes. I think this little example is indicative of the culture we’re living in. We live in a microwave culture. Here’s what I mean.

In a culture where you can have a baked potato in eight minutes, a 15-minute potato feels like an eternity. And once we’ve grown accustomed to eight minute expectations, our tolerance for things that take longer lengths of time is diminished. And boy does it show. I can text my wife and be wringing my hands when she doesn’t respond within 5 minutes. (Did you know people used to write letters, send them in the mail, and wait for a response? Barbarians!) Amazon Prime took my two day shipping (free too) and turned it into three (still free), and I’m indignant.

But this mindset doesn’t stop at petty things like potatoes and text messages and Prime shipping, but it bleeds over into my thoughts about ministry and God. I share the gospel with a friend, a coworker, my children, and I don’t see immediate fruit, I’m tempted to throw in the towel. I’ve prayed about something for eight minutes and shocked that there’s no answer yet, indignant that God would work on His schedule and not mine. Trying to faithfully minister in a myriad of ways, but losing heart when things happen too slow.

We have to fight against this microwave culture mindset! Jeremiah preached to the Israelites for 23 years, and they didn’t listen. But God’s testimony was that Jeremiah was faithful! How many missionaries would go unsupported if we let our microwave culture influence us about ministry results. Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before He started His ministry. Fasted for 40 days. One month and 10 days, fasting. I say a quick, distracted prayer and I act like I’ve really labored before God. Jeremiah was sent to seek the will of God for the people of Israel and we get this phrase: “At the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah” (Jer 42:7). Ten days. A week and a half went by with no word from the Lord. Has our microwave culture ruined us so that we are unable to wait for the Lord? I love that God uses these real numbers in His word in order to shock us back into reality, and to help us fight against this microwave mindset.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad for the microwave. I’m thrilled for the microwave potato. But this can’t be how we view the Christian life. Let us learn from the real numbers of the Bible, that sometimes seeking the Lord and fighting the good fight takes time. We are commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord” (2 Peter 3:18), not spontaneously transform. Jesus tells parables to teach us to “pray always and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). Paul instructs us to keep sowing that good seed and not grow weary, because, “in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). We live in a microwave culture, but let us have the long view in mind. Let us not grow weary of doing good.

©Jacob Crouch 2022, 2023