What power source do you invoke in your time of need?
This question came to the forefront of my mind during a conversation with a friend who is a believer and self-proclaimed “casual” about her faith. When I mentioned my family’s good health recently (for which, thank God, we’ve been quite blessed through the winter season!), my friend exclaimed, “Wait, you’re saying THAT without any wood to knock on? Are you crazy?”
It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that phrase from this particular friend. But I was startled when she doubled down, insisting, “You’d better go find some wood to knock on! Seriously, knock on wood, girl!” I finally had to tell her, firmly, that I didn’t do that and did not believe in it before she let the subject drop—with a tone of “Well, it’s your funeral.”
The incident turned over in my mind a few times until, in casual conversation with another friend (also a believer and more active in her faith), a passing remark was made about a risky business venture…and, without missing a beat, this friend also knocked on wood with full sincerity.
I’ve been thinking ever since about the little ways that people—even followers of Christ—pick up on small habits rooted in invoking a power that is not our God. While considering this tendency, the Lord brought to mind a habit that’s stuck with me since I was eleven years old. A couple friends from church camp convinced me there was lucky power in certain times like 12:34 and 11:11; to this day, over two decades later, if I catch the clock at these times, I instantly remember the little chant we used to do to “claim luck for ourselves” based on the hour.
The human race tries to summon power in many forms: “lucky” items, knocking on wood, horoscopes, mantras, fortune-telling through cards, wishes, karma, and more—many people even engage in seemingly innocent things like social media posts that you just have to “claim” or “share” to supposedly make something good happen or something bad not happen.
As followers of Jesus, we’re meant to call on only one name and power—the power of Yahweh, God Almighty—for our help and sustenance. And yet, these seemingly innocuous little actions embedded deeply in our culture often find their way into us, too. We may see them as harmless and silly habits, quirks, and idiosyncrasies that do not affect us one way or another. We just picked them up to fit in or because we heard them over and over again, like a trend or a phrase, and they were a way to relate to those around us.
But then…we find ourselves getting truly stressed when there’s no wood to knock on. We get anxious without our lucky piece of jewelry. We share that post on Facebook just in case. We believe a horoscope when it says something that does align with how our week is going. We make a wish on a star. We look at the clock and feel the urge to claim luck for ourselves. And if, heaven forbid, something should happen in relation to these things, it only reinforces to us that these are sources of power we should put our trust in.
And that pulls us away from God.
The truth is, none of these things will lead us to our Maker. In fact, they tend to draw our attention away to other sources of provision or protection from the unwelcome; they invoke a power, real or imagined, that is entirely separate from Him. Rather than a prayer or a supplication to the One True God, we seek another source of strength. And when we ascribe significance to those other powers, jokingly or not…well, we may not be fully aware of the ramifications in the spiritual realm or our own hearts.
This week, we encourage you to consider where you might ascribe power—for good or ill—to something other than God. Where can you shift your habits and perspective to appeal to God for a favorable outcome, through prayer and relationship with Him, rather than invoking other sources of “power”, however innocuous they may seem?
As you confront those habits and thought patterns, this is a great opportunity to take those thoughts captive in obedience to Christ! Turn those habits into prayer time; whatever you wish or invoke power for or against, purposely pray over those things. If you have certain times of day, routines, or practices that lend themselves to these thoughts and habit patterns, prayerfully look for ways to shift your routine…or even walk away from these tendencies that draw you away from the Lord!
With all the things that happen around us in the spiritual and physical world, it’s so important that God is our help, our sustainer, our fortress, and our refuge in all things. Let’s ensure, now and always, that we turn to Him to supply every need…whether for good outcomes, protection, wisdom and guidance, or whatever the case!
Our God is for us. Let’s ensure we’re all in for Him, too!
