Get that ball back!
How is victory defined? When is victory determined? We can lose the battle but still win the war.
No one wins all the time. No one bats a thousand. We are all losers at some point along the way.
It is important to put winning into perspective. We may in fact have to lose in order to win. There are times when we are called to lay down our ways in favor of another. It is also always best to yield to the leading of the Lord even when yielding seems bleak.
With two minutes in the football game the losing team was in the red zone. Score and they would go up by the one point they needed to win. Time was running out. The urgency and tension could be felt throughout the stadium. The ball was hiked and the running back walked into the end zone with ease. He had been met with little to no resistance. Score! There was a new leader on the board!
The opposing coach smiled. He looked at the clock. He now had the time he needed to return the favor. His strategy to lose the battle had worked. His opponent left him just enough time to get the ball back and get within field goal range. And that is exactly what he did as his kicker launched the ball through the uprights as time ran out. Score! A new leader was on the board! Game over!
We often need reminding that losing the battle isn’t the end. We have to keep our focus on winning the war.
Setbacks lead to comebacks and with a very strategic Lord as our coach, we can count on him to lead us to victory. The play he calls may be counter intuative. We may have fumbled the ball on a few plays along the way, but with him at our side, he has a way of working it all out for good. The mistakes we make become lessons learned that ultimately lead to victory when we listen to our coach.
Let’s listen to our coach today. Our Heavenly Father has a complete playbook with plenty of trick plays up his sleeve. Get that ball back! Listen to him and victory is ours to claim!
(Inspired by Deut. 28:7, 25)
