No Microwave Butterflies

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Isaiah 28:9-10 (The Holy Bible, King James Version) "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little."

The following is from a missionary newsletter I received Wednesday, July 26, 2006:

"Recently, we found several cocoons in our yard. It has been a good object lesson in spiritual transformation. One butterfly left his cocoon rather quickly. Another one has been in his cocoon for over a month. Sometimes we wonder if that butterfly will ever come out. Another cocoon has just started. Our friend told us that he once had a cocoon at his house, but when he played with it trying to get the butterfly to hurry up and come out, it died. Spiritual transformation can’t be rushed. All we can do is provide the right environment for it, and God is the one who does the rest of the work. As I reflect on my own life, I am reminded that transformation is tedious and God doesn’t produce butterflies in microwave ovens. Rather God’s kingdom works in hidden and yet powerful ways." — Chad Westerholm, missionary, with his wife Amy, to Mozambique in southeast Africa

So it is with learning about God and His ways. When we are willing to listen and to learn, He teaches us, by the Holy Spirit, nuggets of truth — here a little, there a little. Over time our understanding and faith are built. We grow into spiritual maturity just as we do physically and intellectually. While we may at first believe some preachers, as we grow we also learn to hear directly from God and not people. Yes, He uses people to plant thoughts, but as we grow and as we listen to the Holy Spirit, we are able to filter out the chaff and find His truth — God's Emeth (Exodus 34:6).