“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you...“

– James 4:8 (ESV)

The story of Jeremiah is quite a sad one when you dive deep into it. Jeremiah, a prophet of God, spent forty years desperately trying to save his fellow Israelites from the judgement coming. But they would not listen. He spoke with the authority of a messenger of God and even then, it was not enough to persuade the Israelites to give him any attention. Why were they so resistant? Well, the Israelites had an idolatry problem. Yes, the same Israelites who were lead through the wilderness seemingly forgot about the glorious God who freed them and traded Him in for countless other random deities. Appalling and heartbreaking, am I right?

Oh but wait. Giving one’s attention and heart to something besides God actually sounds oddly familiar. Maybe it’s your phone. Or your job. Or your friends and family. Whatever it is, I am sure you can pinpoint an area of your life that you have become slightly obsessive about. Though, the tricky thing about that is how easy and un-sinful it can look.

Hanging out with friends is not a sin, rather it is encouraged. It is how you spread God’s love. Being on your phone or social media is no crime either. It is a great way to stay connected with others and share your life with people too far to see often. And working has been a thing since Adam and Eve. God called them to tend the land since their creation. So what makes these activities dangerous, and really anything else capable of stealing your attention, is that they can so easily become an idol in the mask of a blessing. One of the greatest ways I have seen God’s goodness is in the stories of those around me. But that does not mean they ought to take the place of the one giving the blessing.

Much like the Israelites, we can get so captivated in the blessings God gave us that we make them our idols. In their case it was the beautiful land of prosperity that started it all. But instead of depending on some old prophet like Jeremiah to whip us back into shape, we have the privilege of the Bible at our finger tips.

Just yesterday I spent a few hours at a park in hopes to get away from the crowd and business of school and to honestly just soak in the presence of God. After getting sprinkled on by the rain, I was forced to move my settling under a tree. I never sit under trees because of my fear of spiders jumping on my head. So in order to make the best of it, I laid down and stared at the branches above. At first, I did this with the intent of being prepared to run the moment I catch a glimpse of one of those disgusting eight legged creatures. But as I leaned back and was listening to worship music, I realized how cool the tree looked from underneath.

The branches intertwined in a messy, yet beautiful and supportive way. They provided the perfect formation to hold one another up while producing a fantastic shelter from the rain around me. And then it hit me.

Not a branch, but a good word from the Lord.

Those branches went in a million different directions, but when the time came, they fulfilled the purpose of producing shade and shelter. It was a mess, made perfect by it’s creator. The tree, with respect to the authority of God, allowed it’s every move to be obedient and available for whatever use God had intended for it.

Very often I find myself in the same situation as this tree. Crazy, going a million different ways, uncertain of where each branch of life will end up. But there is a difference between us. The tree submits every part of itself to God’s direction, and I sadly, do not. Instead of seeing scripture as my modern day Jeremiah, promoting a lifestyle centered on worshipping God alone, I take the blessing God gives me, and like the Israelites, I turn away and watch as my life branches out in a terrible mess following the unstable pursuits of my fleshly heart instead the wise provision of God.

And I realized in that moment, the longer I live a life idolizing those things around me, when the time comes for God to use me like He used this tree for a perfect shelter, I will not be ready. My branches will be too far to block the rain or shield the sun.

So my dear friend. Will you get away from the world promoting idolatry like the Israelites, trading your glorious God for temporary things, and will you instead, draw near to God so He can reveal the beauty He wants to make with your life? Please do not wait for a Jeremiah to convict you. Get away and draw near.