Isaiah 30:19-26
When I was sixteen, I test drove the sunroof-bearing car of my dreams. When I discovered that someone else had purchased the car first, I cried over that sunroof. When my sunroof dreams were crushed, my parents gently told me that something better was out there for me. Though I couldn’t see that in the moment, they were right. “Little Red,” as I affectionately called the 1997 Honda CRV I ended up buying, steadfastly carried me through high school, college, seminary, and the first eight years of marriage. When our family needed more room in 2017, we traded Little Red in. It was still going strong at 270,000 miles, even without a sunroof.
Isaiah tells the people of Zion that when they discover God’s direction, when they hear, “This is the way; walk in it,” they will scatter and defile their idols and say, “Away with you!” (vv. 21-22).
The idols in my life are like my sunroof fixation, something I think I need and cannot survive without. We need wise guides who can see a flourishing future beyond the idol’s grip. Isaiah calls such a visionary a “Teacher,” who, once silent, emerges to give us clear guidance.
I still fixate on useless idols: people-pleasing, managing my image, forcing progress, the list goes on. Thankfully, God continues to bring wise guides into my life who help me see the uselessness of my idols, urge me to shrug them off, and help me learn new ways to thrive in God’s hopeful future.
Consider
What personal idols or useless fixations do you identify in your life? What would it take for you to cast down those idols and say “Away with you!” (v. 22)?
Pray
Divine Teacher, help us to see what contributes to our tears and internal decay. Come alongside us, teach us new paths to take, and lead us to freedom and thriving in your hopeful future. Amen.