The shrine to the Hindu god sat at the entrance to where we were about to go. It was freshly decorated from the festival that had just taken place the day before, and the stench of milk lingered in the air from the offerings which the people had made (apparently this particular god liked milk). Sweat dripped down my back, and I welcomed the cool air that came from the mouth of the cave. I stared into the darkness, a chill prickled my spine and it wasn’t from the temperature of the cave.
My team and I had made a trip to a rural Nepali village about an hour away from Pohkara; we were with one of the leaders from the ministry that month, and he explained to us that this specific cave had a history behind it. The Hindu god, Shiva, was believed to have married one of his wives in this cave, and as a result, many Nepali people made an effort to treck up this mountain and offer sacrifices in this place.
We left around 10:30 in the morning to begin our hike up the top of the mountain, by the time we would make it back down it would’ve been a five hour journey. We made several stops along the way to catch our breath (and for those of us with asthma to use our inhalers). The entire time I remember thinking how glad I was that I served a God who didn’t require me to make a hazardous journey to worship Him. I remember feeling a sense of joy that I know that I can worship God wherever I am, and that I can know that He hears my prayers.
However, I also felt a sense of sadness: the people who made journeys to this cave did so out of obligation and even then, they were not sure if the god they worshipped and prayed to heard them.
The day we arrived in the village, we found ourselves in the middle of celebration: there was music, people dancing with strange masks on, and paints and offerings along the streets (even the local dogs had red paint on their heads). Our host told us that what we were seeing was idol worship, and the people were celebrating one of the hindu god’s birthdays.
At first I was annoyed by the noise because I didn’t want it to keep me awake, but then the realization of what was happening around me struck, and I was humbled.
I was surrounded by people who did not know the hope that I know, and didn’t have the same assurance that I have, being a Christian. The reason behind their extravagant celebration was to get their god’s attention, and by the end of the day, and when it was all over, they still had no way of knowing that the god was pleased or even noticed them.
Our purpose for being in this village and trecking to this particular cave was to cover it in prayer. I stood, staring into the darkness before me, and followed our guide as he began to lead us on a journey through the cave.
I remember having to totally rely on the Nepali guide who seemed to stroll through the pitch black cave like he was taking a walking in the park. He guided us up slippery rocks, telling us where to put our feet each step of the way, and he showed us where we would need to pull ourselves up with ropes as it got steeper.
We stayed inside the cave for I don’t know how long, and we sang a worship song to the One and only God before our guide led us out and back into the light of day.
It wasn’t until afterwards that I began to think about how relatable my experience in the cave was to all the idol worship I was around. Inside the cave I was surrounded by total darkness, and my legs were wobbly from all the climbing. I had no choice but to rely on our guide to get me into the cave and back outside again. I suppose it’s similar to our walk with Christ in some ways.
Without the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth to us, we would walk in darkness. There would be no way for us to see truth and to know that the steps we are taking will get us to safety.
I began to think about how it’s similar to the idols we may have in our lives. We would never know we even have an idol unless we open our hearts up to the Holy Spirit to let Him show us what we’ve put before God.
Being on the World Race has exposed me to all sorts of idol worship and sacrifices; it’s given me a context when I read about it in scripture. It’s easy to forget how real idol worship is when you live in North American culture and don’t see or hear about it. However, what we forget is that each culture has it’s own form of idol worship, and in North America you wont see people throwing milk in the streets, but you will see people putting things and others before God. It reminds of the song by Jimmy Needham, “Clear the Stage”. Some of the lyrics are:
Anything I put before my God is an idol
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol
And anything I can’t stop thinking of is an idol
And anything that I give all my love is an idol
*** Click here to listen to the song! ***
