God is Our Strength

It's amazing what is considered news these days.  I saw an online story about a family who claims to have seen the image of Jesus in mold on the wall in their bathroom!  According to the family, the image has given them strength.  Now it's possible in what we see, even in a bathroom filled with mildew, God will teach us things.  But to attribute power or divine ability to an image, article, or patch of mold is superstitious and unbiblical.  No person, object, or activity should ever usurp God's rightful position of honour and worth.  If I saw mold growing in my bathroom, it would be a loud and clear message to invoke the power of bleach and a little elbow grease!

There are many things from which people draw strength.  It could be an item that is considered "lucky," like a kangaroo pouch.  Some people take to heart what they read in the newspaper listed under a daily horoscope.  Others start their day with thinking and speaking positive mantras, to convince themselves of their own goodness.  I know of others who have embraced feng shui, the arrangement of furniture to support your personal energy and provide life improvement.  There are probably an infinite amount of things people draw strength from rather than the true source of strength:  Jesus Christ.  We are told in Ephesians 6:10, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."  Human beings are beyond incorrigible, seeking any direction to run but God's way.

The Israelites were forbidden in the Law to make an image of any kind because God knows the human need to worship (Deut. 4:16-19).  All people worship.  All people hold certain things, people, God, or the multitude of false gods in high regard.  We often praise and extol the goodness of actors, artists, musicians, or athletes.  To worship does not necessarily mean the burning of incense, the offering of sacrifice, or the physical bowing of the knee.  Worship is when we treasure something in our hearts.  Idolatry, a grave sin,  is when we adore, reverence, or honour anything either at a level only God deserves or when we honour something in the place of God.  All that is in the world and of the world will perish, but they who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength.  In Christ we have strength which cannot be washed away with disinfectant, lost, forgotten, re-arranged, stolen, burned up, or left behind when our bodies perish.

Instead of being caught up with the worship of the blessings God bestows, let us place our faith in Him alone.  We are called to walk by faith, not by sight.  It is when we look to Jesus that we can say with the prophet in Habakkuk 3:17-19:  "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls-- ¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. ¹⁹ The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills."  Praise God, for He is our strength.