I’ve never really given much thought to Tarot cards but their influence is clearly growing according to an article written by one well known novelist recently.

Her interest in Tarot began as a “bit of a lark” but now she consults the cards every time she makes a major decision and offers to do readings herself on a regular basis.

And people today are not just enthusiastic about Tarot she says, it is “crazy popular” at the moment.

So how can we explain this? Well I reckon the author makes a very valid point when she argues that given the complexities and pressures of everyday life we’re all tempted to look for a source of wisdom which is beyond our limited human comprehension. In days gone by, she suggests most of us turned to organised religion but today we are left with a void.

I had to smile when I read this because it reminded me of G K Chesterton’s famous dictum that “When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything

All of which prompted me to look for explanations as to why people think such a strange practice “works”. But I failed. The best I came up with was her sales’ pitch that included such comments as “How ………….is still open to question”, “does it even matter?” and “Do you know how your iPhone works? Just roll with it.”

I’m sorry but I can’t be as blasé as this. The fact that something “works” doesn’t mean I should get involved with it. In fact the Bible clearly tells us that God does not want us to engage with such “powers”.

The popularity of Tarot is yet another symptom of a basic human need. We are instinctively religious but for one reason or another most people today don’t think they’ll find much reality in the church. And that makes me sad because when the church is living as it is meant to live it enjoys the presence of His supernatural Spirit who can do the most amazing things. He can predict the future, He can give us clear guidance but most importantly the assurance that God loves us and His plans are always for our good.

I was reminded of this the other day when a dated photo popped up on my Facebook page. My initial thought was “shock horror” It clearly came from a different century.

It shows me smiling alongside the staff of the school in Gwent where I taught History and French. I look so young, and had much more hair then. I wasn’t a dad and certainly had no intention of becoming a pastor. As far as I was concerned I was happily married and my career path was clearly laid out.

But (thankfully) God had other plans. Just three years later I became convinced He wanted me to abandon my teaching career and train as a Baptist pastor.

My mother thought I had “lost it” though. We already had one child, were expecting twins and knew we had no guaranteed source of income for at least three years. I can still vividly remember the look on her face when I told her that I believed God would look after us. The only thing she could say was “You should have been a monk!

I did leave teaching and we did “live by faith” for three years. And we always had what we needed. In fact God has looked after us throughout our entire married life. He has guided us; He has supplied our needs and He has given us a far richer life that we ever thought possible when we first said, ”I do”.

It makes we wonder why so few of us trust Him. We would be so much happier if we did.

Rob James is a Baptist Pastor broadcaster and writer who currently operates as a church and media consultant for the Evangelical Alliance Wales. He is available for preaching and teaching throughout Wales and can be contacted at [email protected]