Misunderstanding God: The Deception of Success

Hannah Hurnard has been on my mind occasionally. Actually, since I read her first book, Hinds' Feet on High Places, a few years back, and then did some research on her life, I've been troubled by something. Her book, Hinds' Feet, (which has been on the best-seller list since it came out in 1955) is a beautiful allegory describing her amazing understanding of who God is and His relationship with us. This is one of my favorite books.

Unfortunately, her later books reveal that she moved more and more deeply into New Age thinking. What troubled me was how someone with such a beautiful understanding of God could become so deceived. Today, I finally just sat down and asked God, in general, about how someone can know Him so well and then become so deceived.

Various kings, who became deceived, came to mind.

Solomon: "...the Lord his God was with him and made him very powerful." By the end of his life, his wealth and prosperity allowed him to have anything he wanted...including wives that God told him not to marry..."they led his heart away from the Lord...they turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting in the Lord his God." "Then the Lord raised up...an enemy against Solomon." (2 Chronicles, 1.1; 1 Kings 11.3-4, 14)

"[Uzziah] did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight.... And as long as the king sought the Lord, God gave him success." "...the Lord helped him wonderfully until he became very powerful. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall." (2 Chronicles 26.4-5, 15-16)

They began to rest in their success, forgetting God, and God took His favor away. It is in our nature to trust in ourselves, but it seems like the deception of success is one thing that can more prominantly cause us to trust in ourselves.

Romans 1.18-24 says, "But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful wicked people who push the truth away from themselves. For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. ...So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols.... So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired."

I don't know what it was that caused Hannah Hurnard to develop skewed and heretic views of God, but I do know we have an enemy who is seeking to deceive us ("Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5.8). Protect your heart, your mind, your life by remembering to keep your heart turned toward the true GOD. Know God's Word, worship Him and thank Him, as you surround yourself with solid believers who will remind you of the Truth.