This column originally ran July 19, 2018
By: Sister Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21).
Can a caterpillar fly?
If you said, “No,” you would be partially correct. Actually, a caterpillar can fly, but it must have a transformation first. The butterfly begins life as a caterpillar, a wormlike larva that spins a cocoon for itself. For weeks, the larva remains hidden within the cocoon as it undergoes metamorphosis. When it’s time for the butterfly to emerge, it must struggle and fight its way out of the cocoon.
We might be tempted to help this process by tearing open the cocoon – but that’s the worst thing we could do. The struggle makes it strong and enables it to fly. Butterflies need adversity to become what God intended them to be. We must do this also.
The book of Job is the story of a wealthy and successful community leader named Job. He was a successful and righteous businessman with huge holdings of livestock and real estate.
One day Satan came before God and God asked him, “Where have you come from?” Satan replied, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it,“ seeking someone to destroy.
God said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? He is blameless and is an upright man; a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
Notice that God pointed Job out to Satan! God gave Satan permission to put Job through a trial of adversity. Job’s herds were stolen, his servants were murdered, and all of Job’s children were killed by a sudden tornado. Through his trial of adversity, Job grows in strength, wisdom, and faith. His entire perspective on God is transformed by his suffering. He was even accused of sin by his closest friends.
We must get beyond the immature notion that God is interested only in making us healthy, wealthy and wise. More than anything, God wants us to be like Christ, in whom He is well pleased. And, the road to becoming like Christ often leads through the wilderness of adversity. In order for the butterfly to fly, there must be a transformation process that is often developed through adversity.
Always give all glory and honor to God the Father, His Son Jesus and to the Holy Spirit. Pray for a closeness to God-like you have never felt before. Seek God’s face and His desire for you. Ask God to increase your thirst for His presence.
While God will always be your heavenly Father, and you will be His child through the precious blood atonement of Jesus Christ, pray that God will help you to stay close to Him and to flee from sin, so that your fellowship with Him will not be strained by sin.
Ask God to bring to your mind any sin that you may have, repent from it and turn fully to God. Always thank God. And, don’t forget to love, respect, appreciate God; and lift up all your praise to God, in the precious name of Jesus.
