Marinated Souls
Marinated Souls
The pungent aroma of garlic rose around me as I squished the cloves through the garlic press, whisking them into the briny marinade in my casserole dish. I eased pork chops into the dish, turning them repeatedly, allowing the marinade to wash around and over them. I snapped the lid in place as I set the dish in my fridge for an overnight soak.
As the chops marinate, they change. The acid in the marinade tenderizes the meat, and the garlic, oil, and herbs permeate each sinew. Once the marinating process is complete, there is no way to separate the garlic, herbs, and oil from the chops. They are now one.
This image came to mind recently when I was reminded of this gem of truth tucked away in the prophecy of Isaiah 7: 9. It says this: “. . . if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand firm at all.” If we do not stand firm in our faith, we will not stand at all when the days of adversity come. We may crumble when life becomes difficult and feel like we’ve lost our faith. For us to stand firm in our faith, we must be in the process of becoming as thoroughly saturated with the truth of Scripture as my pork chops are in the marinade.
Standing firmly in our faith is so vital because the truth undergirding our faith provides believers with a direct connection to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Christian’s power source and is infused into the Scriptures, causing them to live and breathe with holy fire.
Without an ongoing infusion of His power flowing to us from the Scriptures, we quickly become powerless, as Jesus Christ says:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5
We become strong in our faith when we marinate our souls in the truth of Scripture. We soak in it and allow it to soften our souls, permeating the very sinews of our being. We let it change us, breathe life and power into us, and make us into something entirely new.
Our Lord drew this powerful connection Himself between this changing, sanctifying process and His word as He prayed His high priestly prayer:
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth…And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” John 17:17-19
My pork chops were transformed from a forgettable protein source into a melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece by soaking in a marinade that altered their very makeup. The same is true of our souls when we marinade them in the truth of the Scripture. Our hopelessly self-focused hearts are transformed by the grace and truth poured upon us. The sinews of our soul are permeated by life-changing truth, and it becomes impossible for us to extricate the truth of Scripture from the very fibers of our being because they are so tightly woven together. It is now just as impossible to separate the truth of Scripture from our souls as it would be to un-marinate my pork chops.
The Apostle Paul describes this process for us this way:
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:16-17
That is how we remain firmly grounded and marked by uncanny stability when the doctor peers over his glasses and speaks in hushed tones, because the prognosis is unsettling. That is how we press on in prayer as our prodigal remains another day “in the far country”, and how we can persevere in hope amidst the daily grind, when it is so daily, and such a grind. That is how we can stand when the day of evil comes:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might...that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:10-13
As we stand firm, our lives will rise to the Father as a pleasing aroma, in the same way the aroma of my marinated pork chops arises from the oven—the aroma of a life marinated in truth and lived out in devotion to Him—an aroma pleasing to the Lord.