What validates your life?

I Kings 18:25-26  Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you.  Choose one of the bulls and prepare it and call on the name of your god.  But do not set fire to the wood.”  So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar.  Then they called on the name of Baal all morning, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!”  But there was no reply of any kind.  Then they danced wildly around the altar they had made.

When I read these verses, I am struck by the futile foolishness of these prophets of Baal.  Scripture tells us that there were 450 of these men devoted to the worship of Baal.  These men were living utterly foolish lives.  They were committed to the worship of Baal.   They devoted their lives to a god who was no god at all.  Think about it.  In spite of the fact that Baal was nothing but wishful thinking, they persisted in chasing after the hope that maybe they were wrong, that maybe Baal was real after all.  Even though none of what they hoped that Baal could do for them ever had happened, they refused to let go of their hope that somehow he was a god.  They refused to humble themselves and admit that they were wrong, that Baal was no god at all.

These prophets were from the people of Israel.  They should have known better.  They were exposed continuously with the reality of God’s presence.  They had constant opportunities to hear about God and witness His workings amongst them.  However, they refused God’s witness and chose to follow Baal instead.  They devoted themselves to chasing after empty promises and lived lives that were hopeless with no one who could help them.  They were so deep into their foolish thinking that they could no longer see the truth.

How futile their lives were!  They were desperately hanging on to the hope that their lives had meaning, hoping that their god was a god after all.  They did everything they could to validate their beliefs.  They gave it their all.  They ranted and raved in front of their god, trying to get a response.  They not only were trying to give purpose and meaning to their lives, they were trying to convince those watching them that they were not mere fools.  Can you imagine the noise and confusion as they desperately tried to make their god real?

What are you chasing after in order to validate your life?  What gives your life purpose?  What gives you the assurance that life is worth the living?  If you are trying to find what you are looking for apart from a relationship with Christ, you will never find it.  It is utter foolishness and life lived chasing after that which can never satisfy is futile living.  Jesus alone can give life purpose and meaning.  He alone is real.  He alone can help you.  He alone is worthy of your life devotion.  He alone can help you.