Spiritual? or Superstitious?

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
(1 Samuel 4:1-4 ESV)
Things were starting to improve in Israel.  God had heard Hannah's cry and sent her a son, Samuel.  Samuel began to listen, and heard from God.  But a lot of things needed to be turned around.  One of them was bringing the people out of the spiritual dark ages they had fallen into, thinking of their God as being in a box - that if the box was not there, He was not there.  Again, they were taking their cue from the pagan culture around them, who all believed in local deities who needed to be appeased and taken care of.  Their thinking was half right.  The LORD was the one who defeated them, not  the Philistines. Their mistake was in thinking they could use God like a vending machine to get the victory. This is not going to end well.  Yet, how many things do we enter into superstitiously, and not spiritually?  How many ways do we think our actions, or words, can get God to do what we want, instead of seeking Him and pursuing what He wants?  Are we willing to submit to the sovereign Creator and Ruler of the universe, not just our little turf?