Magic or faith?

When I remember something from a book I read a year ago, I know the author struck a deep chord.

A year ago I read John Ortberg's "All the Places to Go."  In it he writes: "There is a huge difference between faith, on the one hand, and magic or superstition on the other... Superstition seeks to use the supernatural for my purposes; faith seeks to surrender to God's purposes."

"That's it!" I remember saying as I put down the book. THIS is why I am so deeply disturbed when I hear the local Christian radio station "I believe" hour where people call in their "I believe" statements. Far too often the "believe" statements are things like "I believe I'm going to ge that raise!" Rarely is it "I believe in this world there will be suffering!" (a far more biblical statement!). 

It's not just the Christian radio station. In too many conversations, people tell me they're confident that God will "work things out"...and then they begin to lose faith when God is not the genie in the bottle, doing what they hope.

Will God "work things out"? Of course...if we understand this in light of the cross.  The way Jesus "worked thing out" in this world was to be betrayed, suffer, die. 

I realize this may sound hopeless...but I mean it to be exactly the opposite. Our hope is not in magic, or superstition, or silly "I believe" statements, or in a God who can be limited to a genie in a bottle. (Therefore our hope is not lost when don't get that raise!)  Our hope is in Christ, who takes betrayal, suffering, and death...and brings resurrection.

May you and I be people of faith, not magic.