God's Coaching #162

God's Coaching #162

Who’s hungry for a Strasburger? Washington Nationals fans, that’s who. On June 11, 2009, the buzz around Stephen Strasburg made him one of the biggest pitching prospects in Major League Baseball history. The Nationals drafted him first overall and awarded him a record $$151 million contract. In his major league debut a year later, he struck out a whopping 14 batters—a team record for a rookie. His 100-mph fastball easily earned him a 5–2 win over Pittsburgh.

Washington fans dubbed the evening “Strasmas.” Newspaper and magazine headlines read, “Dazzling debut,” “Amazing arm,” and “National treasure.” DC-area restaurants sold “Strasburgers.” Even the National Baseball Hall of Fame requested items from the historic evening. The good times kept rolling. In his first 11 games, Stephen went 5–3 with a 2.97 ERA and 86 strikeouts in just over 63 innings. He seemed to be well on his way to the National League Rookie of the Year Award and a fabulous career. Then disaster struck. On August 21, 2010, Stephen threw a pitch and felt pain in his arm. He left the game and found out a week later that he needed season-ending elbow ligament replacement surgery. Just like that, his season was over, and question marks surrounded his future.

What’s the Score?

Stephen’s injury was a sobering reminder that many things in life are out of our control. No matter how much we want things to be a certain way, life often takes us in a different direction. Sometimes bad things happen just because we live in a broken world. But God can use even those situations to humble us and remind us that he is in charge. As the Bible says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9, NIV).

The fact that we are not the boss can be tough to swallow. Most people like to feel they are in control. But the more quickly we learn this important lesson, the better off we’ll be. The Lord wants us to remember that he is God, not us.

On the Ball

List three things you want really badly in life.

1.

2.

3.

Now pray that God would help you loosen your grip on them and understand that he is in control.

Coach’s Comment

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)