Sharing Glory with Idols

Have you ever wondered why some people experience the miraculous more than others? Does it seem as though some people have a hotline to Heaven, while others can't get a prayer through?

I'd like to address some possibilities to consider. It is very interesting to compare cultures and their response to the gospel of Jesus. Those who are poor are nearly always more apt to receive the news of Jesus than those who are rich. That appears to be an unfair statement, but in this case, experience agrees with scripture.

Mat 19:23 MKJV
(23) Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

Why is this the case? Jesus answers this as well:
Rev 3:17 MKJV
(17) Because you say, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

Rich people are just not needy people. The flesh tells a lie. It says, "All is well. Relax." And the spirit goes to sleep, not realizing the peril it is in.

But back to our question. Why does it seem as though God responds to some and ignores others?

We cannot deny that our nation has been immensely blessed. Most of this blessing has come 'after' the formation of the nation of Israel, for once it formed in 1948 we blessed their existence as a nation. As a result, God has blessed us - as He promised to do in Genesis 12:3. And He did not bless us 'just a little'. We have for decades consumed the majority of what the world has produced.

But now we turn our backs - publicly - on God and on Israel. What happens now? Hardship. Famine. Terror. Drought. Disaster. Pandemic.

Our reliance upon God is ending - as a culture. That means we rely upon other things. Idols. If we get sick, we rely upon medicines... or doctors... or science (please please please find a cure!). If we are impoverished, we rely up charity organizations or government programs. If we are lonely we look to church (ouch... that can be an idol?). If we are bored we look to sports. I'm not just pointing fingers outwardly, either. How many football games kept me up so late I didn't want to read my bible? I plead the 5th, but God knows.

Shift the focus to Ethiopia. An aids victim may get healed by a prayer of healing. A blind man might receive his sight. This stuff happens daily. Why? They have no faith that medicine will arrive, or that doctors will come, or that they could afford help if it were there. If you tell them God can heal, they believe. God doesn't like sharing His glory with idols.

This is not to say that medicine is bad. Idolizing it is. Putting it before God is.

Also notice that some nations are in continual drought or war or famine. WHY? Because if the 1% of Christians in those nations do pray for relief, 99% of the people give credit to idol gods. We are heading in this direction as a nation.

Then what should we do? Scripture says in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that if God's people who are called by His name will humble themselves, pray, and seek His face, He will heal their land. But He never says He will heal 'all' the land. Just their land. It's like living in the bubble of the Lord's protection. Put your faith in the One who is in control, first. Next, look at what He might be using for your provision - be it medicine, government, or science.