Emptiness. Loneliness. Pain. Dissatisfaction. Fear. Insecurity. Unknowns. Unfulfilled desires.
Things that we all experience. Real human problems that we all face. That we all want solutions for. That we all need solutions for.
It really is true. We do need solutions to these problems. We weren’t created to just “cope” with these things and go about our lives. We were not meant to live lives devoid of joy, peace, and contentment.
And guess what? We have solutions.
We have food, clothing, homes, security systems, insurance policies. Church, community, friends, family, significant others/spouses. Phones, computers, TVs, music, movies, video games. Books, school, courses, teachers, mentors, pastors, coaches, counselors. Jobs, side jobs, hobbies, creative outlets, service… the list could go on.
And these are all good things. Things that we need, things that bring us joy, things that help us grow, things that are integral to our lives here on earth. And many of these things meet some of our deepest human needs, as a spouse meets the need for closeness and companionship, or as work can fulfill our need for purpose and accomplishment.
Isaiah 44:14-16 describes the fulfillment of a man’s basic needs:
“He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes part of it and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread….half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, ‘Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!'”
The wood provided the warmth the man needed and the means to cook the food that he needed. And he needed these things to live. These things are essential to the man’s life.
And there are things that are essential for us to live healthy lives. Warmth, food, friendship and companionship, love, work, purpose, knowledge, rest, recreation, healing, and so on. We weren’t created to live to starve. To be alone. To do nothing. To be hated. To work ourselves to death. To live our lives in misery and melancholy and hopelessness.
No! And the Lord knows that. He created us, he created us that way, and he gives us good things to supply the needs that we have.
BUT.
How are we using those things? What position do they take in our lives?
See, in the example of the man in Isaiah 44, the man uses the wood, a good thing, to take care of his needs, a good thing. But the story doesn’t stop there. Notice, he only uses half of the wood for what he needs. So, he uses the wood for something else as well. What else does he do with it?
“The rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me, for you are my god!'” (Isa 44:17)
He creates it into something way more than it was intended for. Into something it absolutely was NOT supposed to be. I mean, come on, who goes out into their yard to find some sticks, makes a fire to cook their food and stay warm, and then finds a leftover piece of wood and decides to decorate it a bit and declare that it can now save them?
We do.
But that’s ridiculous.
I know. But we still do it.
We need money. Really, we do. We need money to survive in this world. To buy food, clothes, shelter, and materials, for starters. We need money to do just about everything that is basic to human existence. And, of course, there are a lot of things we can enjoy when we have some money to spend too. And all of that is good.
But how often do we turn to money and say, “Save me!” How often does money become our go-to for satisfaction and security? How much do we invest of our time, talent, and attention just to get more money? So much that we are servants to money, that we say, “you are my god!”?
How many times do we turn to a relationship to fulfill every part of us? How often do we look to relationship that we have, one that brings joy, companionship, growth, and meaning to our life, and say of that person, “Save me!” When life looks down, things are hard, or maybe just not everything we want it to be — we expect them to give us everything we need and want. We make them to be our god.
“No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, ‘Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?'” (Isa 44:18)
Shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a pile money? Shall I fall down before a relationship, a human? Shall I fall down before a ________?
But we don’t even know what we are doing! Our intent is not to make those things our god. But when we take the good things that God has given us, when we begin viewing the things that he has given us to meet our needs as our all in all, then those things become a burden.
There is a very fine line between a good and healthy need we have for people, purpose, and the things God provides to us in this life – and idolatry.
There are things that we need in life that are good and necessary, but we also can turn to those things into idols, creating more harm than good.
“He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isaiah 44:20)
When we forget that God created us, that He is our all in all, and that He is our God who saves us, we begin making our own gods and don’t even realize it.
When we turn to idols seeking comfort, fulfillment, answers, hope, joy, or anything else, we will eventually find only shame fear, emptiness, and confusion. Our hearts will gnaw on emptiness. On things that are dead – that cannot understand, cannot respond, cannot act, cannot save, cannot profit anything. Shall I take the good thing that I have and use it for unholy purposes? Twisting the good thing into my own destruction?
So why do we turn to these things? Because what they have provided us so far is good, so we want more. Because we want the quick fixes, the instant gratification they seem offer. Because we were created to serve and worship, but our hearts become deluded. The things we hold on to too tightly become that “lie in my right hand.”
A good thing can become a dead idol.
And an idol can never, ever take God’s place. And an idol can never ever provide anything like the fullness, peace, understanding, joy, salvation, help, and love that the Lord gives to his people.
So that satisfaction we’ve been looking for? That peace that we want? The joy we wish we had? The freedom that we need?
It’s only going to be found in the Lord. Nothing and no one else can give it.
“Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist, return to me, for I have redeemed you. (Isa 44:21)
What have you been turning to to fill the empty places in your heart? What do you turn to when you are lonely? What do you spend so much of your time and attention on that is only producing frustration and discontentment? Where are you going when you have needs? When you need answers? What are you depending on to keep you safe?
Whatever we turn into an idol, for whatever we are trying to fill, that idol sees nothing, understands nothing, can’t speak to you, can’t help you, can’t fill you. It profits nothing other than shame and fear and disappointment. That thing as an idol is detestable.
But God sees you. He made you. He knows you. He understands what you are going through. He can speak into your life. He can act. He can save. He is a rock. He is refuge. He is glorious. And He loves you.
