Readings for today: Isaiah 43-45, Psalms 80
We live in a world full of false gods. False gods who declare all kinds of things that are not true. False gods who promise salvation but cannot deliver. False gods who proclaim their own greatness and glory but it’s all smoke and mirrors. There’s nothing real about any of it. It’s all one big fantasy we create for ourselves. We know deep down there is something bigger and greater than us. We know deep down life must have meaning and purpose. We know deep down there is good and evil and something that holds us to account. And this why human beings have always been religious. In fact, it’s one of the unique features of our species. It’s something that sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. We worship. We seek transcendence. We look for something above and beyond. Sadly, we too often settle for a projection of our worst fears or our best intentions. Our hearts are “idol factories”, a never-ending assembly line that churns out all kinds of gods for all kinds of occasions. This is true whether one lives in remote villages and worships the pagan gods of the rivers and trees or one lives in Manhattan and worships at the altar of high finance, capitalism, and free markets.
God knows this about us. He knows how our hearts work. He placed eternity there so we would seek Him. But rather than abandon us to our fate and leave us in our helpless condition, God does something remarkable. He reveals Himself to us. He knows we are lost without Him. He knows we cannot find our own way to Him. He knows we will always settle for something less. A god we can control. A god who will do our bidding. But such gods are powerless to help us. They are false gods unable to deliver on what we think they promise. So God Himself steps in. He enters space and time and history. He speaks. He acts. I love how the prophet Isaiah puts it in our reading today, “I, I am the Lord. Besides me, there is no Savior. I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed — and not some foreign god among you. So you are my witnesses — this is the Lord’s declaration — and I am God.” (Isaiah 43:11-12 CSB) This statement changes everything. It changes everything we think we know about the world, about ourselves, and most importantly, about God.
What has God declared? Human beings are made in His image. Chosen before the foundations of the world. Predestined in love to be worthy of adoption into His family. As such, we are of inestimable value and worth. We are endowed with a dignity and glory that is not our own. We are God’s representatives on earth. Given His authority to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and exercise dominion over all He has made in His name. There is no greater or higher calling.
How has God saved? He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to become one of us. To suffer and die for us. To rise again for us. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus saves to the uttermost those who place their faith in Him. He delivers us from the power of sin and death and the devil. He accomplishes for us what we could not and He makes us righteous in God’s sight.
What has God proclaimed? The good news of the gospel. Unconditional love and grace for the sinner. Peace that passes all understanding. Mercy and compassion. Love and faithfulness. Justice and righteousness. Healing for the hurting. Freedom for the enslaved. Release for the captives. Provision for the poor. Strength for the powerless. The favor of the Lord on all who believe.
We are witnesses of these things. Thousands of years of history documenting God’s interactions with His people. Sixty-six books compiled into what we call a Bible through which God has spoken. Testimony after testimony of the lives God has changed. Records of all kinds of miracles and signs and wonders. What more could we want? What more do we need? So let’s set aside the false gods of our own making and turn to the one, true, and living God. He alone is the Lord. He alone is the Savior. He alone is God!
Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 46-49, Psalms 135