We seldom watch the NBA anymore. What used to be a marvel of teamwork has become grandstanding and superstar showcases not worth my time. When players were unselfish and all about the team, they worked like the proverbial well-oiled machine. They always knew where every teammate was and exactly what he would do because it wasn’t about one person trying to steal the show and get more accolades than anyone else, and whining when he didn’t get the ball often enough to suit him. It was a marvel to watch.
So certainly I remember what happened on May 26, 1987. Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals and the Boston Celtics found themselves one point behind and about to lose the game, allowing Detroit to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Isiah Thomas inbounded for Detroit. But Larry Bird—Hall of Famer, winner of three consecutive MVPs who led his team to three NBA championships—stole the pass, passed it to Dennis Johnson just as he seemingly read Bird's mind, running under the basket and making the layup with one second to go in the game. Boston won.
As the four of us sat there watching replay after replay of what became one of Bird's most famous plays, snagging victory out of the jaws of defeat, we all thought, "Of course he did. He's Larry Bird after all." He could shoot, he could rebound, he could pass/assist, he could block, he always knew where everyone was on the court, and yes, he could steal, so why was anyone worried at all?
If we can think that way about a mere mortal, no matter how skilled he is in something as trivial as basketball, why in the world would we ever doubt God, the Creator of the universe, who holds the world in His hands, directs the courses of the stars, and controls even all the nations in the world, making it all run the way He desires? Abraham knew exactly how to trust God. "The boy and I will return to you," he told his servants. "God will provide," he told Isaac. In his mind, he had already arrived at the conclusion that God could raise his son from the dead. Of course He could. That is how Abraham faced the greatest test of his life. He didn't doubt God for a moment (Gen 22:5,8; Heb 11:19). Job, even in the midst of all his troubles, also seemed to understand the power and sovereignty of God. I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted Job 42:2.
So where is our faith when times are hard, when life is unfair, and we have no idea why? Like those servants of old, we should be thinking, God can do anything. Of course He can. It doesn't matter whether I understand what I am going through or not. What matters is that I continue to trust Him, to believe that He knows best, and to stay faithful. If we truly believe and trust God, it will become second nature to us. And who knows but that somewhere someone is watching us live this way, always faithful no matter the circumstances, so that after we are gone, when someone says in wonder, "He never gave up on his Lord; he stayed true," the one who knew us will answer, "Of course he did."
Look, I am Jehovah, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me? Jer32:27
Dene Ward
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