Trusting in God

I like to play basketball, watch football on T.V. and watch baseball in person.

Like all sports, there are many analogies that we can apply to our Christian lives. All of life, H.I. Ironside once said, illustrates Biblical truth.

The recent AL Divisional playoffs come to mind.

According to the experts, the Yankees were supposed to win the series. In fact, according to the experts, the Yankees were supposed to win it all this year.

Think of all they had going for them: They had the best record this season; they won 97 games. They had the largest payroll in the history of baseball; the average player salary is $10 million a year. And they have the best players in baseball; this year 9 Yankees — virtually their entire lineup — made the all star team.

The Detroit Tigers, on the other hand, were just three years past setting the AL record for most losses in a season; many of the players on the current roster were on that team. It’s an inexperienced club; 18 Tigers had never seen postseason play. This was supposed to be a building year for coach Jim Leyland. They didn’t expect to make it this far.

There's no telling how much further the Tigers will go. As for the Yankees, it's clear that their oversized payroll and impressive roster didn’t take them where their owner, George Steinbrenner, thought it would. Some things can never take the place of the will to win.

In the same way, too often we put our trust in the wrong assets. We expect money to bring us peace of mind, relationships to bring us happiness, possessions to bring us satisfaction. It never works, at least not for long.

In the ministry, we sometimes expect a better property to attract new people, or better PA equipment to make the worship more dynamic, or a power point presentation to improve the preaching. These things are all good — we should use them when we can — but they’ll never take the place of power of God.

David said, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (Psalm 20:7)

What are the chariots and horses in your life? What things do you look to for fulfillment instead of looking to God?

This week, every time you catch yourself lamenting your lack of money, your lack of personnel, your lack of resources — remember David's words. And remember the New York Yankees. You already have the asset you most need in order to do the work God has called you to do: you have his power on your side.

Wallace Johnson, founder of the Holiday Inn, said: "I am totally dependent on God for help in everything I do. Otherwise I honestly believe I would start to fall apart in months."

This is where every Christian, and certainly every minister, needs to be: fully dependent on the power and the provision of God to get through every challenge and meet every opportunity.