Where Do You Go For Answers?

“Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?” (2 Kings 1:3)

      The angel of the Lord sent Elijah to make sure the king of Samaria got the message, which, in effect, was this: When you can’t (or won’t) go to God for answers, you’re stuck with phony substitutes. I’ve seen Christians running here and there for answers to important, life-changing questions; and I think to myself, “Why did you bother asking God to save you? Just for fire insurance? It’s like saying to God, “You take care of eternity, and I’ll handle the here and now.” And, as a matter of fact, I am one who is inclined to question the validity of a person’s salvation sincerity, if he or she refuses to allow God to be the Lord of his or her life, especially when it comes to decision making.

         I once heard a professing Christian say, “I have a problem with things like that; I’m a Pisces.” (For you who are as uninformed as I on such things, Pisces is the 12^th sign of the Zodiac.) I’m sorry, but I was unable to restrain myself from saying, “Oh, and do you consult fortune tellers and ouija boards, as well?” Is that where it ends when you begin to seek for direction in life outside the Book of Life?

         No doubt, people like this are looking for instant answers, easy ones that can mean anything we want them to mean. But there is a distinct advantage to going early and often to the Word of God, beyond the obvious one of getting the right answer. When we read extensively by any author, we begin to anticipate his or her thinking pattern. And in the case of the Bible, it’s God we’re tracking here. After awhile, Biblical principles can become such a part of our thinking that, many times, when we go to its pages, it’s not just to find the right perspective, but to confirm our own. It’s a reciprocal thing.

         Best of all, the delicate, supernatural phenomenon that takes place as we immerse ourselves in the pages of Holy Writ, not only provides the right answers, but also—and this is the supernatural part—it provides the inclination and power to act upon them.

         So, where do you go for answers?