When It All Goes Away

The wildfires out here in the west have coincided nicely (is that even okay to say?) with the topic of our Bible study at church. As you may have heard, there are a bunch of wildfires going on in Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado. I was on a hike yesterday and could see a huge smoke plume above the mountains to the southeast. Pretty crazy.

Our Bible study group is reading the books of Nahum and Zephaniah which cover the prophesies concerning Assyria and Judah in the Old Testament. Assyria, in its time, was a super-powerful nation, bent on global domination (moo-hoo-hah!). They conquered many nations, including the northern kingdom of Israel and then set their eyes on Judah (the southern). Nahum tells them that they will soon be conquered and, of course, they were. 

The point I’m trying to make with the forest fires is that, no matter how mighty a nation, it can come down. No matter how well-guarded our subdivisions, they can burn, too. This thought troubles me a bit, doesn’t it trouble you? I am constantly fighting off my love of objects. I get super bent out of shape if one of my roommates doesn’t pick up after themselves. I obsess about my camping gear. And yet, it can all be gone in seconds.

I am constantly fighting to keep my priorities in line. How about you? Are you struggling with possessions? Is your hope in something that can be burned away?

I have to keep coming back to the fact that my hope (like Judah’s) should always be in the Lord and not in my stuff. Not an easy battle.