Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalm 104:24, Psalm. 139:14, 1 Peter 5:10, Job 33:4

Men and brethren, you are Fearfully and Wonderfully Created. You are not an accidental discharge. God made us and packaged us the way we are and for a specific purpose. You are wired with divine current to succeed even in the midst of difficult situations, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. And the scripture affirms and confirms that “He has made everything beautiful in its time” Ecclesiastes 3:11. “How manifold are [God’s] works!” (Psalm. 104:24)—and the butterfly is but one of them.

Right where you are, among God’s creatures, the butterfly is one of the most stunningly beautiful creatures! Its gentle flight, colourful wings, and amazing migratory patterns are traits that make the butterfly a masterpiece of the natural world. This flying insect, while supplying us with visual enjoyment, also supplies us with amazing examples of the marvels of God’s creative work.

The majestic monarch butterfly is a sojourner that is able to travel 3,000 miles. It does this guided by a brain the size of a pinhead. We can also consider the monarch’s metamorphosis. After the caterpillar builds a chrysalis around itself, it releases a chemical that turns its insides to mush—no perceptible parts. Somehow from this emerges, the brain, internal parts, head, legs, and wings of a butterfly. The creation of the body of a caterpillar into the body and wings of a butterfly is, without doubt, one of the wonders of life on earth. Another expert feels that this metamorphosis is “rightly regarded as a miracle.” Job 33:4

I am amazed at the awesome creation of our awesomely awesome God who allow us to enjoy; and from distant galaxies to beautiful butterflies. God has given us a world that speaks loudly of His love for us. His Creation’s design points show the proof, evidence as the Master Designer. Do we really wonder why the Lord has taken to place these details in the bodies He has created? No wonder David celebrated in God’s creativity: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well” Psalm. 139:14. The enormous complexities of our bodies reflect the genius and wisdom of our great Creator. The wonder of His design is more than breath-taking—it gives us countless reasons to worship Him! All life is created by God and bears His autograph. See, you are not a minus, Heaven got you covered.

I will also want to bring out the qualities that our Church services often failed to point out when they say the benediction. “May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” 1 Peter 5:10. Sometimes omitted in the benediction is the phrase “after you have suffered a while.” Why? Perhaps because it is not pleasant to speak of suffering.

What we tend to overlook, when we are first attracted to butterfly observation, is that the butterfly is the result of a much longer journey……a journey that is quite different from that of many creatures on this planet. The flight stage is the final statement……the last hurrah so to speak. Possibly the greatest struggle that a butterfly will ever experience is freeing itself from the cocoon where the great transformation has taken place. However, if it were not for the strengthening of the butterfly that takes place during this struggle, it would never be able to flap its great wings and fly. Therefore, not only does the church have a transformation to undergo, but it must then prevail through the struggle of freeing itself from the place of the transformation.

It should not surprise us, however, when suffering comes our way. The apostle Paul, who knew well what it was to suffer, wrote: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” 2 Tim. 3:12. If we live a life of submission to God (1 Peter 5:6) and resisting the devil (v.9), we can expect to be maligned, misunderstood, and even taken advantage of. But the apostle Peter says that there is a purpose for such suffering. It is to “restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast” (v.10 NIV). God’s path for our Christian growth often leads us through difficulties, but they fortify us to withstand life’s future storms. May God help us to be faithful as we seek to boldly live a life that honours Him.

No doubt that during your early adventures you will become increasingly aware of these other facets of a butterfly’s life span but for many these stages remain a mystery. Actually what occurs prior to the flight stage of development is by far more intriguing and captivating. As you gather information on the stages of butterfly development, scientifically it is known as metamorphosis. Some of you are going through life metamorphosis like the butterfly; this also may represent the fact that as we lay down our lives for Him and deny ourselves, the wind of the Holy Spirit breathes His life in us even more – John says “He MUST increase, but I must decrease”. The more we give ourselves over to Him, the more power He has in our lives “…This allows the new skin to take on that size giving the caterpillar as much room as possible to grow into this new size. The butterfly then emerges, fully formed, beautiful, and does what the caterpillar, perhaps, was always dreaming it could do, fly. And in becoming a butterfly, it does.

Events in the church and in your life are going through metamorphosis. You are going to change from a worm into a butterfly. A caterpillar is confined to the earth, and its path must conform to the contour of the earth. Likewise, for nearly two thousand years the church has often conformed more to the ways of the world than to the ways of the Spirit. Soon the church will go through a change so dramatic that it will seem to emerge as an entirely different creature. It will be like another birth. This time we will have wings to soar high above the ways of the world.

The church has been bound by forces that have greatly inhibited her from becoming all that she was created to be. Evil religious spirits have become substitutes for the Holy Spirit. Control spirits have dominated and crushed creativity. The basic nature of God and those who have His Spirit is creativity. Political spirits have caused the church to cower under the fear of man so tightly binding the church that both the devil and the world are convinced that she will never be anything but a worm. However, even under this extreme pressure, a transformation is taking place on the inside of this worm. Even though the church is still imprisoned, manipulated and frustrated, wings are growing! There is about to be a jailbreak! You are about to bust out of the prison that the devil and the world have tried to keep you in. You are about to come forth both beautiful and strong. And you will be able to fly! The sky will be your home, and the wind of the Spirit will be your guide.

When this new church and new you emerges, you will be so different from what is now perceived to be the you of failure; the you that is secondary; the you that was looked down upon; the you that men thought was hopeless, that the whole world will not even recognize that there was ever a connection between the two. As the new creation you begins to soar, the old forms will begin to change. It is said that the greatest struggle for a butterfly is freeing itself from the cocoon where the transformation took place. However, if it were not for this great struggle, it would not be strong enough to flap those huge wings. This, too, is a message for us. The Lord does not want our struggles to be easy. If they were too easy, we would not become strong enough to walk in what He has called us to. There is a principle revealed throughout Scripture and history – the more difficult your trials, the more significant your calling. Those who come into their purpose easily and quickly usually do not have a very significant calling. The bigger the wings you are called to have, the bigger the struggle must be for you to be strong enough to use them. Therefore, be thankful for the body God has given you and work to keep it in good working condition so that you can serve your Savior in the way He wants. You can’t fulfill the purpose God has for your life if you mistreat the fearfully and wonderfully designed body He has given you. There are times we are limited in our service for God because we have created situations for ourselves that He never intended but when you begin to understand the greatness of this message you can be liberated from so many negative things that keep you from serving God. You are the emerging a WONDERFULLY MADE flying miracle that will mesmerize your generation after your metamorphosis.