by Tony Dungy
We use faith all the time in football. The Cover 2 defense requires a great deal of faith, and it can take players quite a while to get acclimated. Some never do. Because the defense is so assignment oriented, players need to have trust and faith for it to work. They aren’t allowed to freelance and simply run to the ball. They have to protect their areas, stay in their gaps, and “trust the system.” They have to trust that everyone else will do his particular assignment and have faith that if that occurs, the defense will be effective.
Offense requires faith as well. Peyton Manning would throw most of his passes to a set spot before the receiver made his final break. He had to have faith that the receiver would run the proper route and arrive at that spot when the ball gets there. The receiver has to have faith that if he runs his route at the proper depth and with the proper speed, the ball will be thrown to the spot where he can catch it. Life works the same way. If you are experiencing something difficult right now, or perhaps even if you aren’t, here’s a message of hope and encouragement we all need.
You’re not in control.
We can act like we’re in control, or that we’ve got things figured out, but Jesus was clear that we are not promised tomorrow. Only God knows how everything will play out. And our lives will be more effective if we live according to His game plan rather than trying to take matters in our own hands. Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” This doesn’t mean that everything will work out the way we hope, but that God has everything in His sights, and that He will cause everything to work together for His purpose. In His time. Our problems, our worries, our sins, and our pain will all work together in God’s time and for God’s purpose.
Have faith.
And that is where faith comes in. Some things are beyond our comprehension. Some days-or years it seems as if nothing is going right,and we get on a losing streak. Our teenage children don’t listen to us, and they behave in ways that worry us. Our marriages may be going through a desert, where things just aren’t what we thought they would be. Our coaches, our teachers, our parents, or our bosses may be acting unreasonably or treating us unfairly. Even in the face of all of our circumstances, God is there. God is with you, every step of the way, and He knows where this is all headed.
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