This Friday the 13th nonsense is even attributed to the fact that Jesus on Maundy Thursday, the night of the Last Supper, had 13 people at the table, and one was the traitor Judas and He was crucified on the Friday. So thus the number 13 and Friday have become forever intertwined with bad luck. But today though a lot of people are glad it’s Friday, be it the 13th or not, because Friday heralds the start of their time off from work, and most don’t care about the date, like the ordinary workingman who utters this spiel.
‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! Just the thought of the weekend, and no slave labour to attend, lifts my soul and spirit to great heights. I don’t care what anybody else says, but the weekend is always the best time for me, because I can do whatever I want to do and nobody can say me nay! And please doh tell me nothing about this Friday the 13th superstitious nonsense nuh. Steups! What a shame that big, sensible people still hold all these superstitions eh, when time and time again they’ve proven to be merely fairy tales.
But the evil people amongst us just like to have these evil things around so that they can hold some stupid people in grip. But yuh know what? Today, or any Friday 13th, I’m not going to purposely walk under a ladder, or cross paths with a black cat, or break a mirror just to prove it’s all nonsense. I’m way way smarter than that! I’m just going to keep thanking God for Fridays and weekends and let the chips fall where they may!’
Hn! I don’t think that any of us are going to go out of our way to try and prove those superstitions wrong either. (smile) I guess though, that it takes all kinds of things to make up a world like ours, including evil superstitions. But since we have the One and Only, the REAL McCOY: Jesus, as our Lord and Saviour, that kind of stuff doesn’t bother us at all eh… and I hear some low murmurs, as though that isn’t completely true. (smile) Anyway, we won’t go there this morning, let’s just chant our Friday Chant and show the world how we’re purposely different on the weekends.
As one, strong, sincere voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’
Yeh mih people, we can’t bother with all the world’s foolishness, because we have a serious job to do; to keep Jesus’ name front and centre amongst the heathen and unbelieving world. But we must rest and have entertainment, though we can’t afford to let it all hang out, cause that’s when the enemy creeps into our souls and spirits and causes us to be less than who we truly are, or who we want to be. And we do want to be good examples – salt and light, good ambassadors for our Leader.
And I just discovered some very useful and uplifting scripture to help us do that; these immortal words of Bruh David from Psalm 57, on one of the many occasions he hid in a cave from Saul and his other enemies. He declares: ‘Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, in the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.’ (Ps. 57:5-6)
Yeh friends, the enemy is laying all kinds of snares and pits for us to fall into, so that we can cause disrespect to the name of our Lord and Saviour. But if we’re strong and steadfast, stay solidly under His umbrella, the enemy themselves will be caught in their own traps. Now listen to Bruh David as he shows us how to neutralize the attacks of the enemy.
‘My heart is fixed (steadfast), O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. Awake up, my glory; awake psaltery (lute) and harp: I myself will awake early (awaken the dawn). I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations (gentiles). For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.’ (Ps. 57:7-11)
Yes my fellow believers, praising our magnificent and magnanimous God is the best way to diffuse the enemy’s power in our lives. He can’t intrude when we are praying and praising! And you’ll notice that Bruh David, though he was fleeing for his life, after lamenting his situation to God in the first part of the psalm, turned to prayer and worship to lift his spirits and keep him strong. That’s how we ought also to operate.
There’s nothing wrong with telling God our fears and problems, in fact he desires us to come to Him with them, but then we can’t stay in the doldrums forever, we have to use His Word and His awesome promises, and remember the things that He has already done for us to raise our spirits, so that the enemy won’t be able to keep us down, because he knows that the joy of our Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10)
Once we aren’t joyful, he can easily have his way with us. So today my brethren, let’s start praising and glorifying and exalting our great God nuh, despite the many tough situations we face, because that’s the only way we will ever come out of them successfully and do Jesus’ work with diligence and excellence! Much LOVE!
…our problems can be surmounted…by sincerely praising God…
SCRIP-BITS 