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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“With whom will you compare Me or
count Me equal? To whom will you liken Me that we may be compared? Some pour
out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales; they hire a
goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it. They lift it
to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it
stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it
cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.”
Isaiah 46:5-7
This ends this
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In Old Testament days, the people
of Israel got themselves in deep trouble with God over and over again through
choosing to worship false idols, adopting practices used by other nations who
lived around them. These nations did not believe in the one true God, the
Creator God of all, the God who the Israelites knew intimately through the many
times He had delivered them from trouble in times of trouble. This God, the God
who had made the Israelites His chosen people and then placed them under His
protection and guidance, was not a dead, lifeless entity like the idols that
other peoples worshipped. No, the God of Israel was a God who was alive and
powerful, and He never shied away from revealing Himself in mighty, miraculous
ways.
Mighty walls came tumbling down at
Jericho with just a trumpet blare and shout. Unbelievable judgments were sent
to the earth from the heavens on Pharaoh and the Egyptians when they refused to
release the Israelites. Mighty seas were parted so the Israelites could escape
their captors. Manna and quail fell from heaven and water was produced from a
rock to feed and nourish the Israelites during their exodus.
These things do not come from a
piece of gold or silver or wood or anything else fashioned as an idol to be
worshipped. They only come from a God who is very much alive. That is the
message the Lord shares with us today as we continue to look at the 46th
chapter of Isaiah and the following verses:
“With whom will you compare Me or count Me equal? To whom will you
liken Me that we may be compared? Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh
out silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they
bow down and worship it. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set
it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even
though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from
their troubles.” Isaiah 46:5-7
Here the Lord calls out the idols
of Babylon, Bel and Nebo mentioned in verse 1, as well as any other idol formed
as a symbol of worship. Note how He mocks these false objects revered by man
and held up as if they were His rival or equal. Once fashioned out of whatever
material chosen, these idols would just sit where they were placed. They could
not move into action in any way but rather remained useless to anyone, a
figment of an overactive imagination and a misplaced faith.
Conversely, the Lord has the following
to say about Himself, the anti-idol, the only God who could (and still does do)
all things:
1. I move.
An idol just sits and does nothing.
It is as helpless to spring into motion as the lifeless material it is
fashioned out of. Thus, one should not expect anything from it lest end up
disappointed when their misdirected faith goes unacknowledged and unrewarded.
The Lord on the other hand is
always in motion because there is nowhere that He does not exist. He is omnipresent
and there is no place we can go where He isn’t right there with us. He is an
active God who cares for us intimately. He provides for us when we need it,
guides us toward righteousness and right living, and corrects us when we choose
to disregard His guidance and turn toward disobedience.
He is a God who is alive and always
moving in our lives. He wants us to always remember that.
2. I hear your prayers and provide answers
to them.
Try talking to something inanimate
and see where that gets you. Don’t expect to ever get a response because that
object is not alive. This was a big problem with idol worshipping. Believers
were bringing their petitions to objects that could not hear them nor do
anything else for that matter. They had needs but were directing those needs to
the wrong source.
On the other hand, those who lift
up their prayers to the one true God never go unheard for we serve a Lord who loves
us, cares for us and wants the best for us. No one or nothing is for us like
this.
3. I save My people from their troubles.
Life is hard and thus brings hardships
upon us. These difficulties and challenges can often threaten us in many ways.
It was that way back in biblical times and it’s that way today.
The bottom line is that we cannot
make it through life and its associated difficulties on our own strength. We
need help and rescue from a power that transcends anything this world offers.
That help and rescue will never come from an idol. It will only come from the
Lord God Almighty who is always with us and for us.
Friends, the world still offers us
idols that we can worship like money and work and celebrity or success but they
are no more useful for us than those figures fashioned from gold or silver or
wood in biblical times. Worship these things of the world and you will find
yourself in a bad spot. For not only will you fail to get a return on your
worship investment but you will also find yourself out of favor with a jealous
God who will not tolerate anyone placing other gods before Him, a God who is
alive and will let you know it through some form of discipline to correct your
sinful attitude.
It’s far more beneficial to give
Him all the glory, honor, and praise in your life and give thanks that He is a
living Lord who moves in our circumstances in response to our needs, hears and
answers our prayers and petitions, and comes to our aid in times of trouble.
Lift your heart and mind to Him
today and every day in a spirit thanksgiving and worship, reveling in the truth
that you are always in His presence as much as He is in yours.
Amen.
In
Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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