Skip to main content

Don't Go Knocking or Crossing

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “knock on wood.”  You’ve probably also heard “keep your fingers crossed.” 

“Knock on wood” is a common superstition or good luck charm for people to say in the hope of bringing good fortune or to ward off back luck.  Some will actually knock their knuckles on a piece of wood.

“Keep your fingers crossed” is also a common superstition or good luck charm people say in the hope that something good will happen.  Some will physically cross their fingers and maybe even encourage you to do the same with them. 

There’s sort of an equivalent in the Bible that predates both expressions:

Jeremiah 7:4 says:  Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!”  (Jer 7:4)

At that time, people had evidently developed a false sense of security in the invincibility of Jerusalem because God dwelt in the temple in Jerusalem.  They used the expression “this is the temple of the Lord” as a type of good luck charm that would supposedly protect them, and the city, from harm.

Jeremiah’s triple repetition of the phrase may have been his way of mocking the false sense of security.  Or, it could be that the people repeated the phrase in an effort to bolster the good luck in their good luck charm.

I’m wondering if there are modern day equivalents for us as Christians.  Do we intentionally or unintentionally use some “Christian” things as a type of good luck charm?  Maybe it’s in:

What I say;

What I put on;

What I am involved in;

What or who I associate with.

I could go into detail with any of those but it would likely just raise some hackles.  Regardless of whether you use one or even what it is, if we aren’t supposed to look to charms to bring us what we think we need, what should we look to?

James tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…”  (James 1:17).

What we really need does not come from some lucky charm but comes down from our heavenly Father. So don't go knocking or crossing.  Look up!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Year Trash or Treasure?

You probably know the old saying:  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  I am not going to try to prove or disprove it, just look at it from a different angle. Cheryl and I were recently walking on a beach in Florida .  A man was walking along with a bag and was picking up trash and putting it in the bag.  Was he picking up things of value? We also saw a different man walking along the same beach with a metal detector.  He would swing it back and forth and would occasionally stop and dig in the sand.  Was he looking for things of value? Both were intent.  Both were focused.  Both were diligent. I’m guessing that the one picking up trash was not looking for things of value.  I’m also guessing that, by picking up trash, he was valuing the beauty of the beach and didn’t want the trash to mar it.  The one with the metal detector, I’m guessing that he was not looking for metallic items of trash but was looking for...
1 comment
Read more

Beyond Understanding - It's a Wonderful Thing!

In my last post, I wrote that that God keeps certain things hidden (Deut 29:29).  In some cases, these hidden things are beyond our understanding.  In response to that, one Psalmist wrote that he did not occupy himself with things too great and too wonderful for him (Ps 131:1).  That’s a healthy response as we, as humans, are finite and cannot completely know everything about an infinite God. A quote attributed to American novelists, Philip Roth, speaks volumes on this:  “All that we don’t know is astonishing.  Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.” From a more spiritual perspective, one commentator put it this way:  "What God has thought proper to reveal, he has revealed what is essential to the well-being of man, and this revelation is intended not for the present time merely, nor for one people, but for all succeeding generations. The things which he has not revealed concern not man but God alone, and are therefore not to be inquired af...
Post a Comment
Read more

Don't Get Tripped Up

I do enjoy traveling and I keep an eye out for good prices. I also enjoy looking at trends in travel. For a while, the travel industry focused their advertising on taking those trips that might be on your bucket list.   That faded a bit and I started seeing ads about taking the trip of a lifetime. I guess both those campaigns have been waning since I’ve been seeing information about taking an “epic” trip.   Recently I noticed the phrase “unforgettable trip” in advertising.   More recently, I’ve been seeing promotions about taking “sustainable” trips and even “reconnecting to our roots” trips. As I’ve been pondering these advertising campaigns, I thought I’d consider what their ideas encompass and then look at them from a spiritual perspective: 1.   “ Bucket list trips ” are based on a list of the experiences a person might hope to have before they “kick the bucket” (i.e. die).   While I can certainly come up with a bucket list of trips, I’m thinking a bu...
Post a Comment
Read more