Where the Wild Things Are

Have you ever wondered why spiritual growth seems so painstakingly slow sometimes? If your answer is "no", then you should get back to walking on water or healing diseases and stuff.
For most of us however, the answer is an emphatic "yes". It's a two steps forward, one step back process that never seems to end. And sometimes it's frustrating. And it's even more frustrating if we're never taught that that's actually the way spiritual growth works.

And so when I read Deuteronomy 7:22 the other day, I thought it gave a pretty compelling reason why God lets the process take so dang long.
Here's what it says: "The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for the wild beasts would grow too numerous for you."
Here's the lesson I took away from this verse: experiencing "little by little success" is God's way of growing people and keeping destructive forces out of our lives.
But, you might protest, "if God can clear away the nations, why can't he clear the beasts, too?"
Matthew Henry's commentary says it's because "pride and security, and other sins that are the common effects of a settled prosperity, [are] enemies more dangerous than the beasts of the field."
And I think Matt was onto something (I'm sure he'd be relieved to know that I think that). I think God doesn't want us (or by his mercy, allow us) to experience "settled prosperity" or success too quickly, because he knows something we don't--that's where the wild things are--the destructive forces of pride and security.
And in order to keep us from becoming proud or secure (i.e. secure in our works, or ourselves--not in Christ), we're challenged to keep growing and succeeding but never arriving or completing. By doing that you just might keep the wild things where they belong--somewhere else.

Comments

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Andrew, GREAT post. I really enjoyed it.