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GO DEEPER, RECOGNIZING OUR IDOLS – Theresa Horton Miller
[Let us see our idols for what they are, as God sees them, and live the deeper life, where they fall away. Here is a rich message from my daughter Theresa in her blog – Ray E Horton]
Theresa M. Miller – Heavenly Glimpses
One day all will be made right. In the meantime, we have a battle to fight
“Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Hab. 2:20)
Habakkuk’s second complaint to God over the wickedness of Judah was why in the world God would use a more wicked nation like Babylon to bring judgement on them. Yet God assured him he knew what he was doing and the wickedness of Babylon would not go unnoticed.
Habakkuk 2 shows us that when wickedness overcomes, it cannot prevail and will also see its day of judgement.
One commentary sums up Habakkuk 2:5 as the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life are the key entanglements that cause a nation to fall.
Trusting In Idols
In the time of Habakkuk, among other woes that brought a nation down, like governmental greed, violence, oppression, and injustice, the general people were guilty of putting their trust in idols. They used their skill and talent to carefully fashion wooden sculptures and then overlaid them with gold and silver to be adored by all.
Those idols were the work of their own hands, which they had great expectations for even though they had no breath in them.
How foolish they were.
What does this mean for us today? Although we don’t have control over the government as in Habakkuk’s time, we can easily fall into crafting idols for ourselves.
Our idols are whatever we place a higher value on than God; such as, status, career, family, possessions, dreams, ideas, ideals, rights, ambitions, expectations, and so on
Those carefully crafted wooden sculptures in the Old Testament simply represent those circumstances we place a higher value on than God; such as, status, career, family, possessions, dreams, ideas, ideals, rights, ambitions, expectations, and so on.
Do we not carefully fashion choice idols, overlaying them with eloquent packaging to be adored by all?
Are we not guilty of valuing the exterior all too often without looking any deeper?
This accepted way of life is packaged real pretty and filled with pride. And the state of our nation is proof.
Man looks on the outside, but God sees the heart. He cannot be fooled.
Let’s See As God Does
Friends, when we take a shallow look around us, we’re easily fooled by idols. Yet when we dig deeper to know the heart of God, we see as God sees.
One day the nations will find themselves silent before the one true God. May we choose to see as He sees today.
