What do I do?!!

A friend of mine was sharing the pain and fear he is experiencing as a result of the slow economy.  He is a single parent and told of how he tries to stay strong for his eight-year old son, but cries when he is alone almost daily.  Losing his house is only a couple of months away.  The vehicle has to go.  And it broke his heart to tell his son that they could no longer afford the cable bill. He so wants to be a good dad and faithful provider for his son.

Hurricanes.  Gas shortages. An economy on the brink of collapse.  Fear of terroristic attacks.  It is a very humbling time.  We are a people who are being reminded that we need God.  What are we to do in response to the crises we are facing personally and as a nation?

When Jesus was asked what He believed was the greatest commandment, He responded, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and will all your strength.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."  He then said, "All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments."  I believe he gave us the answer to every, "What do I do?" question.  "What do I do with my life?"  Love God and love others.  "What do I do if I get cancer?"  Love God and love others.  "What do I if it looks like I'm going to lose everything?"  Yes, love God and love others.

It raises the question, "Ok, how do I love God?  What does that look like?"  Think of how you love anyone.  You delight in them.  You give your heart over to them.  You devote yourself to them and their desires become your priority.  It is your joy to serve them and bless them, and you constantly want to let them know their worth in your eyes.

Communicating to God His worth to us is what we do when we worship.  Worship is more than just singing songs to God.  We are "worshiping" whenever we give our hearts and lives to something in hopes of a return of life.  Sadly, we don't always worship God, the source of life.  We erect idols in our hearts that we believe will bring us security, comfort, or pleasure.  Anything we look to for life and for our needs to be met outside of God or that which God provides is an idol.

If we want to love God with all our hearts, we have to take an honest look at our lives and identify the idols we, even as Christians, are worshiping over God.  The present crisis in our nation is exposing our idols in a powerful way.

The prophet Ezekiel brought the word of God to his children, the Israelites, when they had given themselves over to idols, and the result was to be the destruction of their nation, including the temple of God in Jerusalem.  In chapter 14, he gives the reason why. God says to Ezekiel, "Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces.  Should I let them inquire of me at all?  Therefore speak to them and tell them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:  When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry.  I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols. Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent!  Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!" (vs. 3-5)

God, who is always, always, always, motivated by love "answers" his children's idolatry in order to recapture their hearts.  In verse 13, he speaks of his response to a nation's idolatry: "Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, even if these three men - Noah, Daniel, and Job - were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD.

It is a tragic reality that when a nation's unfaithfulness brings God's loving judgment, even the children of the most righteous in the land will not escape its effect.  Would anyone argue that our country has sinned by being unfaithful?  We've legalized the killing of unborn children. We're beginning to legally affirm same-sex marriages that only helps to keep God's children from experiencing the healing and restoration from the Fall that He longs to provide.  Our greed is ranked among the highest in the world and we are the greatest producer of immoral entertainment. And it's quite obvious that we, as a nation, have a trusted plastic cards and the banks they represent, to give us the life we think we need rather than trusting God who is life.  Ultimately though, the problem is not that the nation has been unfaithful.  What is bringing God's judgment is that we, God's children, the Christians, have been unfaithful.  We have stood silent, we have set up idols in our hearts over God, and we taken on lifestyles of sin.  We have done what anyone will do when they do not know, experientially, the love of God demonstrated on the Cross of Christ, that fills every need.

Loving God with all our hearts requires we acknowledge the idols to which we have given our hearts, and that we renounce them and every detestable practice.  "Repent" is a beautiful word as it admonishes us to reorient ourselves to God who always loves us, who is always for us, and who always is ready to give us true, abundant life.  He is perfectly faithful and committed to providing for our needs, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  The present crises is not a time for panic.  It is a time to be grateful to God for doing whatever is necessary to turn our hearts back to Him.  He knows how good He is and He wants us to experience just how good He is.  He wants to show us again what life is all about.

My friend told me how his son responded to the news about the cable bill.  Smiling lovingly, he said, "Dad, don't worry about it.  We don't need that TV.  That just means we'll have more time to play together."  Isn't that beautiful? The desire of his heart was to be a good dad and provide for his son.  In losing the trappings of this world, he hears his son communicate what he really wants and needs from him: Time together. It's the kind of thing God knows will be experienced all over our nation as he reminds His people what life is all about.  Yes, loving God and loving others.