Think about it.

Each of us, like the Jewish people of old, can point to idolatry in our lives.  We have made idols of our bodies.  We have made idols of money and possessions.  We have made idols of family, friends, time and entertainment.  We have even turned our own religion into an idol.  All of us have those things to which we turn for fulfillment or validation that exist outside of God and His will for us.

And because of our idolatry, like Israel, we are surrounded by Babylon.  The Babylonian king was a tool used by God to punish His people and break them from their idolatry.  And, like Nebuchadnezzar, the pressures of this life are used by God to bring an end to our idolatry.

Maybe we have idolized a lifestyle we cannot afford, and God is using financial crisis to turn our heart back to Him.  Perhaps we’ve made an idol of food or substances , and God is using health problems to call us away from our dependence and back to a place of health.  A failed relationship, a lost job, or any number of things could be that Nebuchadnezzar besieging our lives, putting pressure on us to give that area over to God.

I understand this is not always the case.  I’m not saying all sickness or financial trouble is a result of sin in our lives.  Jesus made that clear in Luke 13. Sometimes things happen for reasons we do not understand, and we cannot walk in a constant state of guilt, like we have brought all our own problems on ourselves.

But what if it is?

What if it is our fault?  What if God is using our own private Nebuchadnezzar to bring us back to where we need to be?  Isn’t it worth exploring?  If so, we would be wise to listen to Jeremiah’s advice to the people of Judah,

Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him.  For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the LORD. “It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”

God has laid out that same choice to you and I as well.  If you stay entrenched in your idolatry and worldliness, you will die.  Failed marriages, broken lives, lost opportunities, and addictions are but a few examples of the death that comes from refusing to let go of our idols. Our churches and families are littered with the destruction that comes from Christian people refusing to lay down their idols.

But if you humble yourself and accept the destruction of your false gods, you will live.  Accept His correction and repent of our idolatry, and watch as His healing power begins to transform our lives.  I’m not saying we are guaranteed all our problems will disappear when we submit to God (in fact, they most likely will not.)  But I am saying the path to spiritual and emotional healing begins with giving in to God’s call to forsake ourselves and follow Him completely.

Like Israel, it might take 70 years of captivity.

It might be humiliating and uncomfortable to confess our idolatry.  It will be scary to let go of the gods to which we have clung so tightly in false security. To lay down our arms and stop fighting God will take incredible faith and trust in a loving Father who ultimately is using crisis to prove His love for us.  Think about that for a minute.  God ultimately allowed Israel to be destroyed because He loved His people enough to not allow them to continue in their wayward state.  Are we willing to trust that same love in our lives as well?

In the end, do we have a choice?