Superstition or Faith

I think we all have thought of questions we’d like to ask God someday. When something happens that seems inexplicable, we may wonder, “Why did God allow this to happen?”

A Sunday school teacher was speaking to her class about this very subject and invited her students to write down their questions for God. Here are some of the questions they handed in:

• “Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that, or was it an accident?”
• “I like the Lord’s Prayer best of all. Did you have to write it a lot, or did you get it right the first time? I have to write everything I ever write over again.”

There were also some comments and complaints:

• “Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy!”
• “How come you didn’t invent any new animals lately? We still just have all the old ones.”
• “I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it.”
• “We read that Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday school they said you did it. I bet he stole your idea.”

No matter how old we are, it seems we all have some questions for God. But I would like you to consider a question God has for us. Our answer to this question will, quite literally, change the course of our lives.

Jesus once asked a hurting, lonely, and isolated man, “Do you want to get well?”

In the story given in the Bible, we see a poor, forgotten man with a disability waiting for the touch of an angel to turn ordinary water into “holy water.” This man believed that if he could be immersed in this water, he would be healed. He waited for something to happen, but nothing ever did. And that’s when he encountered Jesus.

“Do you want to get well,” Jesus asked. “If so, do not look to the things and circumstances of this world, but look to me instead.”

Why is it that so many people are superstitious and think that a tangible thing can somehow help them? Sometimes, it’s as simple as a rabbit’s foot or a good-luck charm. Maybe it is a lucky jacket, color, or number. It might even be a religious object such as a crucifix or other relic.

But we have no need for any of these things. Superstition should play no part whatsoever in the life of real faith. To feel a need for these things can really be a form of idolatry, since it magnifies that which was created over the Creator and disregards God’s rule over the universe.

The truth is that we are guided by Divine Providence, not the “luck of the stars.” The slogan of the believer is not “Que sera, sera—whatever will be, will be,” but “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

Those who put their hope in magical objects or the influence of the stars are slaves to superstition and various fears. But the Scriptures make clear that God alone rules the heavens and the earth. Everything from the motions of the most far-flung galaxy to the buzz of a lowly gnat is subject to His power and authority. Those who live by faith understand that the various material objects and circumstances of this world are unable to bring us any closer to God. We are to look to Jesus.

Now I am not saying it’s wrong to wear a cross necklace. What I am saying is that if you believe there is some kind of mystical, supernatural power in a particular object, then your trust is in the wrong place. If we need a physical object to help us know God, then something is wrong with our lives before Him. True believers should not need nor depend on these things.

When Jesus asked the man whether he wanted to be healed, he was giving him a choice: either believe in rituals or look to me, the one true God, to bring healing. The same question is being asked to each of us today. Which choice are you making?

I am glad the Bible promises us there is coming a day when all of our questions will be answered. In the meantime, we need to learn the important lesson of how to exercise faith. If you are hurting, look to Jesus now.