Using or Submitting

Idolatry comes in many forms, and some may even come in the guise of being "godly" ... 

Israel lost a battle, so what happened next?

And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (1 Samuel 4:3–4 ESV)

Was there prayer? Fasting? Seeking God?

No.

They weren't seeking God, they were seeking a means to victory. They were using something so sacred as the ark as a weapon, like a foreign idol, and worse yet - God as a 'thing' ... 

But most significantly, they were "using", not "submitting"

What a great thing to reflect on today for all of us? In what ways are we trying to use God rather than submit to Him? With all the uncertainty in the world today, the election, the pandemic, our jobs ... are we reaching out to Him to help us, or are we simply reaching out to Him because He is God ... ?

His,

~Matt