Handcrafted gods

Psalm 97 (The Message)

God rules: there's something to shout over! On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!

² Bright clouds and storm clouds circle 'round him;
Right and justice anchor his rule.

³ Fire blazes out before him,
Flaming high up the craggy mountains.

⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.

⁵ The mountains take one look at God
And melt, melt like wax before earth's Lord.

⁶ The heavens announce that he'll set everything right,
And everyone will see it happen—glorious!

^7-8 All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry—
And they were so proud of their ragamuffin gods!

On your knees, all you gods—worship him!
And Zion, you listen and take heart!

Daughters of Zion, sing your hearts out:
God has done it all, has set everything right.

⁹ You, God, are High God of the cosmos,
Far, far higher than any of the gods.

¹⁰ God loves all who hate evil,
And those who love him he keeps safe,
Snatches them from the grip of the wicked.

¹¹ Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.

¹² So, God's people, shout praise to God,
Give thanks to our Holy God!

"All who serve handcrafted gods will be sorry."

Good thing we don't build idols anymore...right?

Well, we do, of course.

And wow, they're pretty impressive these days. An ancient person couldn't have imagined computers, the power of the internet, HD television.

They would have bowed down and worshiped in the presence of a TV, I imagine.

Silly ancients. ...right?

What can I do and where can I go that can really help me experience the power of the one true God?

Wherever that place is for you --- it's probably not in front of the tv or computer (unless you're reading the sothblog, of course).

The problem of idolatry is that it's the easy way out. It exchanges the awesome God of Zion for something handcrafted that we can handle for ourselves.

But the easy way is definitely not the best way.

Today I'll think about the gods that I've created and see what I can do to lay them at the feet of the only God that matters.