Growing up in my grandmother's house was anything but dull. She is extremely superstitious, and we had to comply with her many interesting but puzzling ways around the house. For example, no one is allowed to give a compliment directly. Instead, to pay a compliment one must utter the opposite of what one means.

I later found out that a similar means of complimenting someone exists within the Turkish culture. If you come across an adorable baby in Turkey, you are to say that the baby looks like a donkey! This may sound ludicrous, but you are actually paying the baby and its mother a major compliment! This custom is rooted in the belief that there are evil spirits all around, which may grow jealous and cause bad things to happen to the little one. Hence to avoid bad luck, you deceive the evil spirits by uttering the opposite of what you mean.

Another custom in Turkish culture intended for protection is the use of the nazar or "the evil eye." Any visitor would not miss it. It is a round piece of blue glass with a center that looks like an eye. The nazar is believed to have protective powers that guard the bearer from whatever evil that may be cast upon him. The eye, therefore, serves as a protection from evil as it watches over the bearer.

This, in principle, rings true for us as Christians--we believe there is one watching over us. But He calls us not to fear the unknown or to live by unnecessary worry. In various psalms the writer talks about how the eyes of our heavenly Father are always upon us: "The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them" (Psalm 11:4.) But not only does the Lord watch over us, we have the assurance that He protects and saves those who fear him: "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine" (Psalm 33:18, 19).

How often do we live as if this is reality? How often do we go through our day conscious that God is really present? Instead, we are often burdened by unnecessary fear and insecurity about all aspects of life from health to finance. We live bound to what might happen like those who live according to superstitions. There is no denial that life offers its daily challenges--some more severe than others--but we need to perpetually remind ourselves that God is not indifferent to our concerns. He is watching over us constantly in love, and He can, and will, provide help.

Aware of our tendency to live with one eye on the possibilities that might befall us, Jesus reminds his followers to not be anxious. Just as God cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, He will give us what we need. We seem to know this truth abstractly, but we struggle to live it out in the daily grind of life. While we want to believe that we are not alone in our struggles, we find it difficult to internalize this truth with certainty. Sometimes it even seems like life continues to get even tougher by the day, and you may even find yourself questioning if God sees or cares.

This experience of doubt is not alien to any Christian. The writer of Psalm 33 seems to handle this uncertainty by going back to the very beginning. Celebrating the goodness of God, the writer looks to the creation of the heavens. Remembering how God has directed human history from the beginning to the present serves as a powerful reminder that God is still in sovereign control over all. Even when it appears God has left us alone with our anxiety and his hand is far from our trying circumstance, our trust in Him can be grounded in his goodness and faithfulness, and not on our limited sight of reality. As author Bruce Demarest comments, if as Christians we have trusted God with our eternal destiny, we can surely trust him with the concerns of this brief life.(1) Who is more worthy of our confidence and hope?

Living in the awareness that God is watching over us calls for a daily response on our part. During times of uncertainty or moments of routine we must continue to look to Him as the faithful God who helps and delivers. Then we, too, can echo the faith of the psalmist instead of the qualms of the superstitious: "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame" (Psalm 34:4,5).

I'Ching Thomas is associate director of training at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Singapore.

(1) Bruce Demarest, Soul Guide (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2003), 59.