Dreaming of Idols and Wisdom from Solomon

I'm almost sure that the prevalent news of disasters recently has provided my subconscious materials that inspired a recent dream. Then again, I rarely ever look at the news; and the little exposure that I do have are in brief media snippets on my home page. This I'm sure is quite enough, as our human minds are capable of plenty of carnage on their own.

Saturday morning I awoke from my sleep and procrastinated waking up. But as I laid there the jist of my dream had not hit me. When I sat down to read my devotion and the Word for the morning it all began to come together. I will try to make this as brief as possible without compromising what I honestly believe is wonderful, as it shows the power of the Lord through His Word.

The Dream: Sleeping on an embankment, alone, insecure, and uncertain of what is occurring, I could recall feeling far away from home. Secondly there had been a great flood, earthquake, or some other huge disaster that had devastating effects. While I was sheltered from the results of the event, the fallout is what hit me hardest. I attempted to reach home and soon learned that everything I treasured had been destroyed. Of the items that I felt the most heartbroken about, I was most saddened by the loss of all my books. I was panicked and immediately began concocting ways to rebuild my "library." This is where I placed my faith and relied upon as my source of "wisdom." Without my books, I am nothing.

The Scriptures: When I began reading my morning devotions and the Word, I came across something that startled me, struck me as odd even. The amazement that came over me was joy and peace, knowing my Lord was speaking to me through His Word. How happy was I that the Lord was correcting me. I read briefly in Matthew 12:41-42 and then referred back to the Old Testament in I Kings 10:1-13. What was so humbling about this experience was that immediately I could see my own sin that was impeding my reliance upon Christ Jesus. I have made idols out of many of my "extra-biblical" sources and not stood firmly on His Word as my soul provision. I am ashamed. But I am grateful He has allowed me to be corrected. Just as Jesus points out, I have been seeking "wisdom from Solomon" and ignoring the presence of my Lord here and now. As valuable as these sources may be, I have exalted them, or prioritized them over my daily Scripture reading. Therefore, I humbly repent, here and now.

Are you idolizing your books and theology?

Update: 5-26 12:39am, Seemingly Tim Challies expresses a slightly similar thought. Check it out, and read the Puritan Prayer he has posted along with his mutual struggle.