I was walking recently when it occurred to me – since my mom is now secure in heaven, I am now free to step on the cracks in the sidewalk.  What a relief!  

That is a crazy superstition – probably generated by an ancient obsessive compulsive.  And yet most of us once cautiously hopped over many a crack on the way to school.

So, what is a superstition anyway?  It is a belief or behavior which is irrational and grounded in the fear of the unknown.  It’s the understanding that certain events or things will bring either good or bad luck. 

Now did you know that there is superstition in the Scripture?  Wait a second!  Let me explain. What I mean is that the Scripture sometimes tells stories about superstitious people. 

Consider Acts 28:3-6, “When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.  When the local people saw the creature hanging from Paul’s hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself has not allowed him to live!”  However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. But they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.” – NETBible ®

Paul became a snake handler – not by choice.  The Maltese natives regarded the snake as a sign that fate was meting out justice to Paul for a former crime.  When he shook it off unscathed, they changed their minds and promoted him to a god.

At another time the people of Israel turned the Ark of the Covenant into a rabbit’s foot.  They believed that by carrying the Ark into battle, victory would be guaranteed. (1 Samuel 4:3)

Judge not, because we also have our little superstitions.  Some of us believe a four-leaf clover will give us fantastic luck.

I recently watched a basketball team of Christians duke it out on the court.  One player stepped up to the free throw line and put an unusual spin on the ball before he took his shot as if it would help him score.  He performed this ritual with every free throw.

Some of us have a lucky shirt, or pair of shoes that must be worn to seal a business deal, or to golf a respectable game.

At other times we are concerned that we might accidentally do something to put ourselves in jeopardy like have a black cat cross our path or pass beneath a ladder. 

Shayna refuses to talk about her mother’s cancer because she believes it will hasten her death.

The truth is this: God is in complete control of all things.  Fate, chance and luck have no power over us or impact on us.  They are concepts that do not exist.  Proverbs 16:33 states a liberating principle: “The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the Lord.”  

If ever fate had power to impact us, it would be in throwing of the dice.  But Solomon tells us that the Lord even controls how the dice roll.

Romans 8:28 tells us that “He works all things together.”  He commands everything in our world and the universe at a large.  He is behind it all, working it all together. 

So, what then does God think about our superstitions?  He says this, “reject those myths fit only for the godless and gullible and train yourself for godliness.” – 1 Timothy 4:7.

Forgettaboutit!  When things are good, know that God is refreshing you. When they are difficult, know that He is refining you.  Either way it’s all God – the same God who so thoroughly loves you.

A Prayer: O God help us to transfer our faith from the frivolous to You.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible (R)