Never Ending Praise The Lord

Jeremiah 33:3 NIV Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

I’ve only played with a Ouija board one time in my life. If you don’t know what that is, let me explain. A Ouija board is a flat board marked with letters, numbers and words like ‘yes’, and ‘no.’ It comes with a small moveable pointer called a planchette. Some users believe the spirits guide the planchette but there are scientific studies that attribute the motion to unconscious movement of participants themselves. This is known as the ideomotor effect.

The night I played with the board is pretty vague. All I remember is being at a park with a couple of people and playing with it. Two things happened. First, I thoroughly creeped myself out. It was dark and quiet. It felt eerie. Second, we were involved in a car accident very shortly after we left. Coincidence? Maybe….probably. I was weary of playing with the board anyway. I believe now that the Holy Spirit had been working to discourage me from playing with it, and I just didn’t realize it.

So, novelty toy or tool for divination? Does it matter? My short answer is no, it doesn’t matter. Even occultists that use it for divination practices suggest using it ‘carefully.’ That alone tells me that God would find it detestable. You don’t have to believe it holds any power to recognize that it doesn’t belong in a life rooted in faith.

Another toy worth mentioning is the magic 8 ball. Now, I know this one may seem silly. It definitely felt silly to me at first because the magic 8 ball really does seem harmless. I’m sure I’ve shaken the toy multiple times in my life and rolled my eyes when I didn’t get the answer I wanted. Then, I would set it down and brush the whole thing off as a joke.

In total transparency, it makes me sad to admit that I only saw it as a silly toy when I didn’t get the answer I desired from it. How many of us would put all of our hope in this plastic ball of blue liquid, if we got our desired answer? Maybe I’m only one of a few people who might have, in the past, seen a ‘yes’ and felt my heart soar with hope. Really examine your heart and ask yourself if that could possibly true of you too.

Some of the answers in the magic 8 ball are purposefully vague so that the user will make up his or her own mind about what may or may not happen. This takes all the guidance we find in God and throws it right out the window.

I encourage you to pray for conviction from the Lord, listen for his voice, and stay far away from what doesn’t serve HIM.