The Thirteenth …
“This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord,
whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid.”
Psalm 56:9b-11a
As I write this for publication in a few weeks, I realize that this is my fourth Daily Word assigned meditation published on the 13th day of the month, in the last five months! I don’t believe that I have triskaidekaphobia, that fancy and multi-syllabic word for “fear of the number 13,” but this pattern of my assignments has given me pause …
I do not need to tell you that the number 13 has long been considered “unlucky” in the Western world. There are theories of why this fear arose. Some attribute it to an old Norse legend that evil was introduced into the world by a wicked god who was the 13th guest to arrive at a feast. Similarly, some Christians in the 19th century began to believe Judas Iscariot must have been the 13th guest at the Last Supper. Others attribute it to a curse issued by a leader of the Knights Templar, a medieval military order that ran afoul with the King of France in the early 14th century. Regardless of where it came from, it is rampant, causing 80 percent of hi-rise buildings in the United States not to have the 13th floor, per a study.1
I am not making light of a topic that is very real for many. Fears, anxieties and phobias are a normal part of life, a part of being human, but these normal emotions have taken hold and kept many more people captive.
Throughout 2022, studies were conducted that reported cases of anxiety disorders spiking due to the pandemic, global warfare, mass shootings and political and economic instability. Much has been studied, written and reported about the algorithms of social media that feed fear, anxiety and depression.
It is easy to get caught up in a brain loop of worries from conversations we have or media we have consumed. As St. Paul exhorted young Timothy, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV)
We followers of Christ Jesus must remind ourselves as fear or anxiety begins to rise that our trust is in God and not in the powers and principalities of this world.
As the quote from Psalm 56 exhorts, we are to give God praise because “God is for [us] … in God [we] trust.” Once we establish in whom we place our trust, it becomes more possible to let go of the thoughts and feelings that prevent us from living in and through the peace beyond all understanding, which comes from God. Surrender to God, not to your fears.
(If any of you find yourself stuck on particular fears or anxieties and you cannot move beyond them, please talk with one of the Clergy at St. Martin’s or contact the Hope and Healing Center to get help with these obstinate thoughts and fears.)
