Victory

“But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV

Disclosure, I am a Kansas City Chiefs fan. I grew up in Kansas City. I played the sport from fourth grade through part of college. I love everything about football except the CTE and other impacts on people who play it. I got emotional at the end of the AFC Championship game. I was six years old the last time they made it to the Superbowl. Amazing.

I have always found it interesting as players from various teams prepare for any game. They discuss how faith impacts their game. One of my favorites was a highly emotional player from America’s now mediocre Team stand up in the locker room and say loud and proud “I thank God for this victory. Hell yeah!”

What I am wondering is this, when a player from the Chiefs claims victory in the name of Jesus, fully convinced that God will deliver it, what happens when a player from the 49’ers claims the same thing? It happens every week throughout the season. After every game numerous player’s from one team are fully convinced their faith assured victory, while one team goes back to the drawing board after seeing their faith smited by a superior opponent - maybe next week Raiders.

Football is not for the faint of heart. Not everyone likes to get hit. Not everyone likes the conditioning, the drills, or the coaches demand for excellence. Participation trophies are nice in tee ball. You want to win a football game, you have to earn it. You want to play in the NFL, you had better work hard enough to earn being one of only 1,696 active players on an NFL roster – on EARTH.

What we see on television or at Arrowhead Stadium is spectacular athletes making the extraordinary look normal. When we see a great catch, what we need to realize is we are looking at a player who has worked to exhaustion every day since he was around 10. That player is running nearly 20 miles an hour then jumps 4 feet in the air while competing for the ball with a defender who has never missed a practice who is also going that fast. Both players have conditioned and sacrificed for the right to be there. The ball is hits a target the size of a dinner plate from 40 yards away after being thrown by a guy getting chased by 300 pound men who can run nearly as fast and who can lift a car. It is amazing. If everybody prays for victory, who does He listen to?

I have a theory, but I have no idea whether it is theologically correct or not. I think God sometimes just turns into a fan. He watches with joy even though He already knows the outcome. It’s sort of like watching the highlights after the game. It may look bleak, but you already know who wins so you do not have to worry about it. I do not think He dictates every outcome. That would turn us into robotic creations with no soul, like the Patriot’s.

No, we are vibrant, living works of art. I think He watches as we show up every morning to see if He has anything to teach us. We show up every day just in case. When He does speak to us, we listen. We read His word like a playbook and it sticks inside of us so that it can be recalled when we need it. What’s my key on this play or in this situation? What is my job and how can I best do that job so that I do not let my team down. Single mom working every day in spite of exhaustion. Parents staying together in spite of hard times. A mom who would rather die than quit. Dad hitting the road every week to make a living. Marriages honored. Normal, everyday life spent in an effort to honor Him. We see people make the extraordinary look normal every single day. I can imagine God’s voice as He tries to correct and guide. I can imagine Him and all of heaven roaring when we do something to honor Him. The tomahawk chop never looked so good.

Did we both show up for practice this morning?

Have we spent any time in the best playbook ever written?

Challenge: Next time we ask God to deliver something, let’s put in the work to follow Him.

Rick Claiborn