It’s fitting that my car needed work during the week that I am writing this devotional. So often, I take what God has given me for granted, trusting that I can get from Point A to Point B in any circumstance. Usually, it’s when the things we assume will always be working get taken away that we realize how much we depend on them.
Our Daily Dwell for the week reminds us that, “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands,” (Psalm 135:15). They aren’t living and can’t be depended on in the way that our God can. I will be the first to admit, though, that when things that I need aren’t functioning I start to panic. This panic is rooted in my perceived dependence on things like my car that supersede my dependence on God.
In times like this, I find it helpful to take a pause and invite God into my problem. Where am I depending on an idol of silver and gold over the living God who wants to be in a relationship with me? How can I reorient my heart in a different way?
The things that are important to us are important to God. Otherwise, why would God want to come and dwell with us in the middle of our mess? Isaiah 43:4 doubles down on this truth when it says, “Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.”
God was willing to sacrifice his life for us, so the struggles of our lives are not meaningless to him. Our first step toward laying down idols is to remember that God wants to be part of our lives with us. When we invite him into every nook and cranny of our days, it is easier to see how he is more dependable than an idol, even when we feel like we can’t get from Point A to Point B.