Readings for today: Jeremiah 10-13, Psalms 16
Many years ago, I met a young woman in crisis. She was depressed. She was struggling with thoughts of self-harm. She was beginning to have suicidal ideation. She was not a Christian but came to me through a mutual friend, looking for help. As she shared her story with me, I asked her if she had any connection to spirituality and/or religious faith. She told me about her spirit animal, a purple fluffy dinosaur who she turned to when things really got dark and hard. I asked her if her dinosaur ever responded. She wasn’t sure. Just the thought, however, brought her comfort on some level. I told her I was glad she found comfort but asked her if it mattered that her dinosaur wasn’t real. She hadn’t given it much thought. “What if I told you I could introduce you to a God who is real, is actually with you in your suffering, and is able to heal?” I asked. She said she had never even heard such a thing was possible. So I shared the gospel with her and encouraged her to work with a licensed, professional Christian counselor who could help her address her depression and include a faith perspective.
I share this story to illustrate the futility of idolatry. One of the reasons the Bible considers idolatry so dangerous is because it is empty. It cannot deliver on what it promises. It cannot solve our problems. It cannot bind up our wounds. It cannot heal our disease. It cannot bring any real comfort or hope because it is all just wishful thinking. The gods and goddesses and spirit animals we believe in just aren’t real. They don’t exist. It doesn’t matter how many times we pray. It doesn’t matter how many sacrifices we make. It doesn’t matter how we feel. They aren’t real and will fail us in the long term.
Sadly, this isn’t a new problem. It’s a persistent one throughout the history of humanity, including among the people of God. Listen again to how the prophet Jeremiah talks about it, “This is what the Lord says: Do not learn the way of the nations or be terrified by signs in the heavens, although the nations are terrified by them, for the customs of the peoples are worthless. Someone cuts down a tree from the forest; it is worked by the hands of a craftsman with a chisel. He decorates it with silver and gold. It is fastened with hammer and nails, so it won’t totter. Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them for they can do no harm — and they cannot do any good.” (Jeremiah 10:2-5 CSB) The imagery is striking. Scarecrows in a field? Trees turned into totems by craftsmen? Pagan customs that are worthless? This is why God speaks so strongly against the ways of the nations. Do not learn them. Do not copy them. Do not adopt them. Hold yourself apart from them. These gods didn’t make the heavens and the earth. They have no real impact on the world. They cannot affect a person’s life.
So what should we do? Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call on Him while He may be heard. Why? Because there is no one like the Lord. Jeremiah 10:6, “Lord, there is no one like you. You are great; your name is great in power.” God is great and God is powerful. Unlike the false gods we surround ourselves with, God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He rules over all He has made. His impact on the world is real. His work in a person’s life is transformative. He can meet all our needs and address all our issues and heal all our hurts. Most of all, His love is real. We can have an actual relationship with Him. Furthermore, He wants to be with us. He laid down His life for us. His life and death and resurrection is a fact of human history. So let me encourage you to turn from your futile idolatry and turn back to the Living God.
Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 14-17, Psalms 17