“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
“Be still, and know that I am God.“ Psalm 46:1-3, 10
Several years ago I found a wonderful recipe for 40 Minute Hamburger Buns on the internet. I loved it. Quick and easy, yet a yeast roll, I made them all the time because there is nothing that makes a house a home more than the smell of bread baking in the oven. In ten short minutes of resting/rise these rolls were ready for the oven. More often than not the hamburger rolls turned into 24 dinner rolls, baked in a 13×9″ pan. Sometimes they turned into 96 dinner rolls, assembly line produced in my four glass pans, then transported to Wednesday night church supper. Then Covid hit.
Covid ended church suppers for awhile. It spelled the cessation of a good many things, and I began to hear reports that my friends were accomplishing things they had always meant to do–deep clean the house, finish a quilt, read more, learn a language. Suddenly they had time and space on their hands. I felt a bit jealous.
As a stay at home mom, followed by a career as a stay at home grandma, Covid did not alleviate my busyness. All of my work remained, and in fact increased. My kids had jobs in health care and emergency services, suddenly I was doing kindergarten and first grade with grandchildren over Zoom. I found myself stealthily going through the grocery store with the other masked shoppers, needing to cook and clean and care for even more people than I had before the pandemic. Deep cleaning and language learning? Not on my radar, life continued at warp speed. Good thing that yeast could rise quickly
When Covid cleared and people were cleared to be in community once again, our church suppers resumed. The morning ladies’ Bible study I attended continued on Zoom, however, and one Wednesday morning I found myself setting my dinner rolls to rise just in time to start the Zoom session. As the study ended the phone rang, my husband emerged from his work from home office and the rolls were left unattended, continuing to rise. Remember these quick yeast rolls were intended to only need ten minutes of a rest/rise. Two hours over the rise period, I finally got to the rolls. They were huge! I baked them only to discover I had just made the most delicious rolls ever. Light and fluffy, these rolls epitomized the action of yeast.
I haven’t made the quick-style rolls since that day. It can be done, and the result is fine. It is okay. It will pass. I would give them a C. But why would I accept a C when I know I can make an A? I began to realize that my busy lifestyle was allowing me to create fine, mediocre meals. And relationships. And Sunday School lessons. And projects. I could get it all done. Most of it. Just fine. But not really well. Not at an A level. And I had just tasted A-level dinner rolls.
Even my relationship with God was done quickly. Surely you have seen those 5-minute devotional books, better than nothing but not really helping you form a deep, loving relationship with the God of the universe. A-level anything takes time. It takes priority and hard choices. Am I going to do lots of things with mediocre results, or just a few things with A-level expectation?
“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46 declares. Be still. I’m not sure I even know how to be still anymore. Life has been full in these last few years. Health crises and concerns for multiple loved ones, on top of a world in pandemic and at war, topped by the ever present urgent daily tasks leaves little space for stillness. But the psalmist knew that. Psalm 46 begins by reminding us that though our world is falling apart, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. The thing about a refuge is that you have to go there. You must seek refuge and once you find it, you must stay. You must be still.
Like the rolls, you can get by running around and insisting that you do it all. Or you can take the time to rest and rise. To be still and know that God is God. That He is your strength and will enable you to accomplish everything He wants you to. No more, but no less. And His plans are always better than mine. Maybe you will find that, too.
I don’t cook for church every week, but in four weeks it will be my turn again. I will be making the dinner rolls, and I will plan for plenty of rising time. While they rise I will make homemade macaroni and cheese and I will pray. I will pray for all those that will be eating the meal, that they will find nourishment physically and spiritually from our time together. From the time we take corporately to be still and know that God is God.
Longer than 40 Minute Hamburger Buns or Deborah’s Delicious Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 Tblsp active dry yeast
- 1 cup plus 2 Tblsp warm water
- 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1 Tsp salt
- 3 to
- 3 1/2 cups Gold Medal Flour
In a large glass bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil and sugar, let stand for 5 minutes.
In a stand mixing bowl, place the flour and salt. Attach a dough hook to the mixer.
Once yeast mixture has foamed, add the egg. Add the yeast mixture to the flour in the mixing bowl. Mix with dough hook until a ball of dough has formed. The dough should be soft and moist, but not too wet and not dry.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times until smooth and elastic. This will only take 3-5 minutes max.
Divide the dough into 24 pieces with a knife or bread scraper. Roll each piece into a ball and place in a greased, glass 13×9″ pan. Cover and let rise for an hour or until rolls have puffed up beyond the edge of the pan.
Bake at 425* for 8-12minutes. Ten minutes is perfect in my oven.
