In Acts 1:5 Jesus says, “… you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” This verse is key to my thoughts on soaking prayer. Believe it or not, there’s an aspect of baptism that relates to dill pickles! The word “baptize” as it appears in Acts 1:5 is translated from the Greek word baptize. It contains the ideas of “dipping repeatedly,” “immersing,” “submerging” (as in sinking a ship), “washing one’s self” (bathing), and “overwhelming.”
The New Testament Greek Lexicon offers this great story to provide an example of the meaning of the word ‘baptizo.’ Nicander was a Greek poet and physician who lived around the year 200 B.C. He is credited with leaving a recipe for pickles and it contained the same Greek word that is used for baptism. The way Nicander wrote his recipe explains a lot about baptism. Here’s what he says: “The vegetable (a cucumber perhaps) should first be dipped (bapto) into boiling water, and then immersed (baptizo) in a solution of vinegar. There are two-steps in the process. The two verbs separately call for the plunging of the vegetables in the liquid, but the first is a temporary step and the second produces a permanent change. It’s the latter act, the baptism that causes the vegetable to come out a pickle. We can therefore legitimately refer to being baptized as being “pickled!”
[1]
A great chef knows the importance of marinating to improve the flavor of a steak. After being soaked in the sauce for a few hours it becomes tender and juicy. There’s a similarity between marinating and soaking in the presence of the Holy Ghost. Let’s learn how to marinate in the Holy Ghost’s sauce. That means to be in His presence with no thought of self, resting in His glory and letting Him, well, pickle us! Godly pickling takes time, maybe weeks. We may have to soak for a long time before we really get tender.
Another culinary example is winemaking. After the grapes are crushed and the juice is extracted they are put in oak barrels to mature for weeks, months or years. It improves by staying a long time in those barrels in a special cellar. These word pictures may help you to understand the meaning of the biblical encouragement for baptism. The word of God is really saying, “Come and be dunked in the river of My presence again and again! I want to immerse you, submerge you and overwhelm you with My presence. I invite you to stay with Me until you’re so changed, that nobody recognizes you when you come out.”
God wants to pickle all of us. The pickling and marinating process is what I call soaking in His presence. I’m eternally glad that God pickled me when I soaked in God’s presence for months. I came out saturated with the Holy Spirit and His power. I had matured and was no longer the man I used to be. Pickling transformed me. I went in as a cucumber and came out a dill.
I invite you to try it for yourself. It will take desperate hunger and commitment to the process of soaking. Spend time basking, bathing, marinating, pickling, soaking in the presence.
As you begin soaking in God's presence, ask Him to forgive you for being so busy and distant. Ask Him to help you silence your heart and mind so you can hear His voice. Covenant with God to seek Him and enter the secret place. Now, it is time to be marinated in God, to be saturated with the Holy Spirit. Here are some steps you can take to start a new incredible journey of sweet fellowship with God:
- Wait in a position of receiving, not giving. Lie on the floor in an attitude of total surrender or wait in a private place without distractions. It's usually difficult to soak at church because there's too much going on around you.
- Quiet your mind. You must overcome the busyness of your mind to enter into the spirit realm. The mind is the biggest hindrance to fellowship with God. When your mind wanders (and it will), just pull it back in.
- Focus your attention on Jesus. Your spiritual eyes live in your imagination. Just relax and think Jesus, Jesus. If you feel you aren't connected, then pray just enough to get focused and then be quiet again. When we stop praying, God is still with us.
- Worship and adore Him. Just worship Him for a short while, or occasionally with little phrases such as: "You're beautiful. I love You. I welcome Your presence.
- "Repeat steps 1-4 for the rest of your life. Don't give up. Don't get discouraged. Keep pressing in. Your intimacy with the Lord depends on it!
Blessings in His Name,
Todd Bentley
[1]
New Testament Greek Lexicon
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http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/baptizo
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Referenced April 4, 2017
