November 13, 2015 (Friday)
Today is Friday the 13th, a day considered by many to be a “bad luck” day.
I am definitely not superstitious. I don’t believe Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Why then do I even take notice of the day? Probably because I’ve heard about it all my life.
Why is this day supposedly a bad one? Probably this idea originated in the Middle Ages when emphasis was placed upon Jesus and His disciples–a total of 13 men–meeting in an upper room in Jerusalem. The Jewish Friday began on our Thursday at 6:00 p.m., so 13 men met on a Friday, the day Jesus was betrayed by one of His disciples and was crucified. The big emphasis on Friday the 13th being unlucky did not get under way until the 19th Century.
If you are afraid of Friday the 13th, then you are afflicted with a malady known scientifically as “triskaidekaphobia.” Wow, that sounds bad enough to see a doctor.
But what does it mean? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Unless it’s mental illness.
If you are superstitious about anything, you need to change your way of thinking. This is especially true if you are a Christian. We believe that God is our Heavenly Father, and cares about us. We recite the 23rd Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want..” We’ve surrendered ourselves to Jesus as our Lord, and He has invited all who are burdened to find peace and rest in Him (Matthew 11:30). Rather than fearing things, we are called upon to be anxious about nothing, but to pray about everything and be thankful for anything (Philippians 4:7-8).
Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus is the same every day and always will be the same every day yet to come. No day is “unlucky.” In fact, it’s time for Christians to purge the word, “luck,” from their vocabularies and from their minds. “Fortunate” or “Blessed” are much better words for Christians to use for describing situations when good things happen. We believe in Romans 8:28 which tells us that God is at work in our lives. He will never leave us or forsake us. God is good.