Idols

We have been studying the Psalms in Sunday School.  We studied Psalm 130 this past week and in the midst of crying out for mercy and deliverance, the psalmist reflects on the forgiveness that can only come from God.

It seems a bit odd, doesn't it?  In the midst of immense trial, why would the psalmist be thinking about forgiveness?

There's something unique about Christians in the face of trials.  I believe most unbelievers face trials thinking, "Why me?" or, "What did I do to deserve this?"  That's not to say that Christians don't struggle with those thoughts too; in fact, I've wondered those same things.  Christians, however, don't let their thoughts stay there.  In the midst of trials, the Christian is being refined as gold in the midst of fire.  It's through trials that God identifies idols in the Christian's life and starts tearing them down.

God's been showing me all the idols I've erected and placed above God.  I've valued comfort and ease.  I've let my own plans of what I want my future to look like come before considering what God would have in store for me.  I thought I "deserved" to have an easy life with a good job, nice home, big family.  I valued the sense of control that I thought I had over my future, and I thought I knew what was best for me.

It's not until God shows that He has different plans that you realize that we've come to worship those desires.  It's not until God starts taking away things that we realize we've turned His good gifts into gods.

I received an incredibly thought-provoking and challenging email from a dear brother.  He said this:

"But wisely he's instead using the road bumps of this brief life to expose how feeble our affections and many our idols are. And this is a mercy, though as accustomed as we are to thinking of this life as primary, we think it cruel. When, in fact, it's as generous as a vaccination that comes with temporary discomfort, or a nasty stomach pumping to save us from poison we've ingested. He wants us to truly live abundantly fully satisfied in him, rather than live self-satisfied under the illusion of abundance."

Having our idols torn down is painful.  It would be easy to think that God is just being cruel in sending us pain and hardship.  And yet, as my dear brother pointed out, this is in fact the mercy of God.  God knows that our spiritual health is of far greater importance than our physical health.  To heal us of the sin and idolatry that plagues us, He must tear down those idols.  He must make us realize that He alone satisfies.  The things that we value in this life - health, family, possessions - they will all pass away.  The soul that treasures Christ above all invests is storing up treasures in heaven.  He is not shaken when his earthly treasures are taken from him, for he knows that those things will not satisfy.  He realizes that the momentary light afflictions of this life will result in glory beyond comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

I'm amazed at the perspective of Job.  After having lost everything, he comments that "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21) and "shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10).  Job was at peace when God took away his possessions, his family members, and his health, for those things were no idols to him.  Job knew that God alone was his treasure, and He alone deserved praise.

I'm still feeling the sting of having these idols identified and torn down, but this truly is a gift of mercy.  God is showing me that He is to be treasured above all else, and He alone is sufficient.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.

"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One.  Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness.  Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarecly feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight.  Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever." (A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God)

-b