“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.” (Psalm 34:17 New King James Version)
At all levels you will see something entertaining at basketball games. I’m not talking about what happens between the lines, but I am talking about something that happens off the court, on the sidelines. No, I’m not talking about the enthusiasm of the crowds and nor all the arm-chair experts who think they know more about the game then the head coach. The entertainment you will see has nothing to do with the cheerleaders who perform in such a way that they demonstrate more energy than the sum total of energy that I have shown in my entire lifetime. It is not the half-time shows nor the crowd-pleasing mascots jumping on trampoline-like props enabling them to dunk the basketball with power.
The entertainment at basketball games that I am referring to and that really intrigues me is the activity of the players who spend the majority of the game sitting on the bench. When a timeout is called and the players in the game make their way to the bench, the players sitting on the bench stand up, giving up their seat on the bench and looking on with great intent as the coach diagrams a play. After the timeout, the players who are regulated back to the bench race to occupy a seat on the bench that is not too far from the eyesight of the coach. Of course, they are hoping to be seen and sent into the game. Also, the players positioned on the end of the bench, still draped in their unsoiled warm-up attire seem to be in competition with each other, trying their best to be noticed of supporting their team. Yes, they are standing up, cheering, shouting loud, and clapping their hands enthusiastically. All of them, let me call them what we typically call “them;” all the benchwarmers can be seen trying to scoot up on the bench a little further so they can stick their head out a little bit farther than the other benchwarmers, It reminds you of a track event where the runners close to the finish line propel their heads forward in an effort to win a gold, silver, or bronze medal. The entertainment is almost like a continuous chess game after every timeout when the benchwarmer try to find a good seat on the bench. And the poking out of heads gets really competitive as the time on the clock in the fourth quarter is dwindling down, moving quickly to when the game time expires. Oh, there are other entertaining things, all intended to get in the game.
Well, I am glad to tell you that God is not a benchwarmer. But He does want you to call on Him. Why not? It is indisputable that He is good! It is undeniable that He has proven to be One who has helped you have previous victories in your life before; victories over circumstances, concerns, conflicts, and confusion, just to name a few of the things He has and will again give you another “W” in the Win-Loss column of life.
Knowing what we know, why don’t we call on Him? Using sports talk in reference to our situations in life; why do we hesitate to call on Him to intervene and change the course of events in the game of life in a positive way?
God is not a benchwarmer. He does not have to make one move for you to see that you need to call on Him. Although He is invisible you can see where He has been and by faith, you can see nothing is impossible for Him, and go forward, walking by faith and not by sight. There is no problem He cannot handle. There is no predicament too complex for Him to solve. The moves of our opponents will oppose us and try to crush us, but they cannot overcome God. God is not a benchwarmer. So, what are you waiting for, my friend? Call Him and get Him in the game called your life. Then, after you get the win, don’t forget to honor Him with praise and resuming living by His principles. Have a great day! Be blessed!
“Call upon Me on the day of trouble; I will rescue you, and you will honor Me.” (Psalm 50:15 NASB)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King