This time of year, I think about baking pies. I love everything about it: the peeling, the mixing, the buttery crust coming together under my hands. And, of course, I love eating pies—but that’s another story. When I make a pie, there’s a moment I’ve come to treasure. It comes after I’ve peeled and quartered the apples after I’ve mixed the sugar and spices together. Once I pour that sugary blend over the fruit, I just let it rest.
At first, it doesn’t look like much—just sugar dusted over apples. But then, slowly, the magic begins. The apples soften, releasing their juices, and the sugar dissolves into something rich and syrupy. It takes time. You can’t rush it. And even then, the process isn’t finished. I still have to roll the dough, fold in butter, seal the pie, and—most importantly—let it cook.
The Spirit draws me to phrases, and one I’ve been meditating on lately is “Let the Holy Spirit cook.” I first heard my husband read it from the The Gospel by Gen Z during his recent message on the Promise of Hope. It stuck with me because of the posture it describes—waiting, trusting, and allowing God to move in the midst of your life.
That waiting, that resting, reminds me so much of Advent. Advent is a season of expectation, of preparing for Christ while holding fast to the promise of what is to come. It’s for those who mourn and hunger, for those who long to see God’s hand in their lives but must trust that His timing is better than their own.
Jeremiah describes it beautifully in Jeremiah 17:7:
“But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God
They’re like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.”
To “let the Holy Spirit cook” is to trust in the work of a God who knows what He’s doing. It’s a posture of hope and confidence in Someone greater than us—greater, higher, and better than our own ways. It’s remembering that God, who sent His Son Jesus to a broken world, also gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit: our Advocate, our Counselor, our Guide. The Spirit reminds us that we don’t have to wander through this life on our own, trying to mix and bake everything in our own strength.
Just like a pie, we are works in progress. The sugary juices of grace need time to rest, blend, and transform. The dough needs to be shaped and folded by careful hands. And the oven—God’s timing—needs to do its work. The Holy Spirit knows how to bring every ingredient in our lives together. Our job is to wait, to trust, and to let the Holy Spirit cook.
