Little by Little

I find God's following words to the Israelites in Exodus 23:29-30 to be very interesting: "I will not drive [the Canaanites] out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you. I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land" (NIV).

Little by little. Sounds interesting, doesn't it?

You know, it's amazing to me how growth works. Sometimes it comes in spurts, and other times it seems like nothing at all is happening! This is true with both physical and spiritual growth.

I remember when I was growing up (and I still am!). I shot up in about my junior year in high school. Now, those of you who know me, know that I'm not very tall (only 6' or so), but I wasn't even this tall for the longest time. Then "BOOM"! I don't know what happened. All I can say is that I hit a spurt!

Of course, this has been true of my spiritual life as well. It seems that there are seasons when everything I read in Scripture jumps off the page and transforms my life in measurable ways. Then there are other seasons when I find myself wondering if God and I are in the same galaxy. I don't "feel" His presence. In fact, all I feel is the weight of my failures, frailties, and fallen finitude!

But we live by faith not by "feelings" (see Hebrews 11). Feelings are fickle, but faith is firm. Why? Because faith rests on the facts of God's Word, and God's Worth never changes. Isaiah 40:8 declares, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever" (NIV). In fact, I think one of the major lessons every Believer struggles to learn over the duration of their entire Christian life is simply how to trust the facts of God's Word rather than his or her feelings. I'm not saying feelings are worthless. I'm just saying they're oftentimes tricky, and while they're beneficial to help us process both the pleasures and pains of life, they should never been trusted when they contradict the truth of Scripture.

For example, take my words above. Should I trust my "feelings" when they scream at me that God is not with me? Absolutely not! Why? Because God says in His Word, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5b, NIV). We should always trust the facts of God's Word over our fickle feelings whenever the two contradict one another.

And listen, the pattern of growth in our lives is by God's perfect design. Remember: The Lord is the only One who makes things grow (see 1 Corinthians 3:6-7). He's the One who began the good work in you and will finish what He started (see Philippians 1:6). Isn't this great news? I mean, how many times have I started a project but haven't finished it yet? I just glanced over my shoulder and to my right as I'm typing this blog in my study to look at two pieces of wood beneath my windows that I've still not painted! But before you judge me too harshly, are there any "unfinished projects" around your house you haven't finished either? An unread book? An exercise DVD (you still haven't watched all the way through!)? A picture you haven't framed? Etc. We all start things and don't finish them sometimes. But one of the great things about God is: He ALWAYS finishes what He starts! And you can rest assured that the good work He began in you, He will complete.

Before we wrap this up - did you happen to notice God's reasons for why He brought Israel into the land little by little? He says that He did this so "wild animals" wouldn't multiply against them and so they would be "numerous" enough to take possession of the land. In other words, God knows what He's doing. No news flash here, right? Listen, God's plan is good. Be patient by the power of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). The reality is that God does a great work "in us" before He does a great work "through us". If Israel entered the land to quickly and easily, they would not be strong enough to sustain their occupation of the land. So God developed the nation with an infrastucture to fill the land before He brought them into the land. It's been well-said that God's not interested in sprints but marathons. He's working for eternity not just tomorrow!

This reminds me of a story I heard and I'm planning to include in the resource Reaching the Next Level. One day a man was walking along when he saw something curious. A cocoon was twitching on the ground. When the man got on his knees to take closer look, he noticed a butterfly struggling to break free from its cocoon. In an effort to help the little creature, the man carefully and meticulously tore the cocoon, but to his utter surprise, the butterfly didn't burst into graceful flight. Instead, it toppled to the ground where it remained in the dirt. Its wings were shriveled, and its body was bloated.

You see, the man didn't realize that God made butterflies to struggle before they could soar. As a butterfly presses against the sides of its cocoon in its struggle to break free, fluid from its body spreads into its wings. This causes the butterfly's wings to enlarge and strengthed. Only when the wings are large enough and strong enough to break the cocoon are they also large enough and strong enough to give it flight, too.

The point is clear: We must struggle before we soar. Isaiah 40:27-31 says, "Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God'? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will walk and not be faint" (NIV).

Little by little, my Friend. Sometimes we feel like Israel, don't we? We cry out, and God seems silent. But when God is silent, He's not still. He's still at work. He's knows what He's doing. Both His ways and His timing are perfect.

Let me close with this thought. Have you ever seen the cartoon An American Tail: Fievel Goes West? It's awesome. It's the story of a family of Russian mice who are trying to flourish here in America. They're leaving the slums of the city for the great, wide-spaces of the West. Fievel is a young, small, but adventurous little guy who can't grow-up fast enough or figure the complexities of life out soon enough. And at one point in the movie, Fievel's discouraged because his wise, aged father's trying to explain something to him, and Fievel just doesn't understand. In frustration, Fievel asks his Dad, "When will I understand, Papa? When?" Then Fievel's father compassionately and wisely responds, "Fievel, if growing up was easy, it wouldn't take so long."

I agree. Growing up takes time. God's not in a hurry. In our culture of fast food, instant grits, and sit-coms where everything falls completely apart and comes back together in about thirty minutes without any major, lingering consequences, it's hard for us to understand or appreciate God's timing many times. But again, His ways and His timing are perfect.

Little by little. He's conforming you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. And that won't happen over night. But you can always trust Him.