Do We Sometimes Treat God Like an Idol?

By Gobel Brockman


   Part of my Bible reading this past week included Psalms 115, and verses 4-8 grabbed my attention:

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
eyes, but they cannot see;
they have ears, but they cannot hear;
noses, but they cannot smell;
they have hands, but they cannot feel;
feet, but they cannot walk;
neither can they speak with their throat. Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.”

   Many times we think of “idol worship” in terms of bowing down and/or praying to statues. That practice seems questionable at best: a man crafts a metal or wooden image, and then treats it as a supreme being? This statue is created with eyes, ears, and a mouth that cannot see, hear, or speak. For many people, this seems absurd. But before we get too critical of them, allow me to ask a question:

HOW OFTEN DO WE AS CHRISTIANS TREAT THE LIVING GOD LIKE AN IDOL?

   What do I mean? The Scripture quoted above speaks about an idol’s complete inability to interact with those who worship it. Yet in our current “COVID-19 world” are we guilty of accusing God of the very same things today?

“God, why aren’t You speaking life into my situation?”

“God, don’t you see what I’m gong through?”
“God, do you even hear my prayers?”
“God, isn’t the fragrances of my “sacrifices” reaching Your nostrils?”
“God, why aren’t Your hands working in my life?”
“God, why do You feel so far away?”

   Idols cannot assist their worshippers in any way, but sadly there seems to be many right now who are allowing their own pain, impatience, and frustration to cause them to feel as though their faith in God is just as invaluable. My message, however, is NOT intended to make anyone feel worse than they may already feel. I understand the doubt and uncertainty that some are feeling in these times. None of us have lived through anything quite like this before, and fear of the unknown can indeed be a challenge to our faith. My hope in writing this today is to encourage those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ with these thoughts:

God DOES see what you’re going through.

God IS hearing your prayers.
God’s IS speaking - His word is just as alive and powerful as it’s ever been.
God IS at work in your life and in the world.
Nothing - absolutely NOTHING - has ever caught God by surprise, and He never has and never will abandon His children.

   There is a Scripture in Isaiah 40:31 that can bring us tremendous peace and confidence in these times. The beginning of that verse says, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength...” One mistake we make in our relationship with God is a misunderstanding of what it means to”wait” upon the Lord. We think of waiting as standing with our arms folded, tapping our feet, and looking at the clock every 15 seconds waiting for the answer to our prayer to arrive. But in the original Hebrew the word for wait in that passage is “qawa” which has the implication of “binding together.” So with that thought in mind, think of it this way: “Lord, I wait upon you in faith. I know You are God and You will never leave me nor forsake me. In these times of waiting, I will bind myself together with You. I know You haven’t left me, and I’m not going anywhere either. You are NOT an idol; You are the living and true God, and You are indeed in control. I put my faith and my confidence in You.”

   In life and in death, He is God, He’s alive, and He’s in control. Jesus Christ is forever Lord, and if you know Him as Savior, you’re forever in His hands.

   And He’s no idol.