God's Coaching #257

God's Coaching #257

He was an escape artist in shoulder pads, a slippery phantom in helmet and cleats. He was there one minute and gone the next. At least, that’s the way Gale Sayers seemed to would-be tacklers. Gale was one of the NFL’s all-time great running backs. In 1965, he burst onto the scene with the Chicago Bears as a 22-year-old rookie, rushing for 867 yards and 14 touchdowns and catching 29 passes for an additional 509 yards and six touchdowns. The next season, he racked up 1,678 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns. He appeared well on his way to breaking Jim Brown’s all-time rushing record of 12,312 yards.

But injuries cut short his career. He suffered torn knee ligaments in 1968. By 1972, after several other injuries, he retired at age 29. Despite only playing in 68 games over seven seasons, Gale was a Hall-of-Fame shoo-in, with 9,435 combined yards, 57 total touchdowns, and four Pro Bowl appearances. Yet football fans were left to wonder what could have been if he had remained healthy.

What’s the Score?

Like Gale’s amazing but brief and injury-stained football career, we are often confronted with unexplainable circumstances in our lives. Maybe a close family member has died. Or perhaps you have to endure a chronic illness. Maybe your parents got divorced. Whatever the trial, it is there for a reason—and it’s for our good. However, God doesn’t always explain why it’s there. Consider Job. He was a rich, righteous man, yet God allowed terrible disasters to afflict his health, family, and finances. After much suffering, Job finally cried out, “Why me?”

Interestingly, when God answered Job, he never gave a reason for the calamities. God only affirmed his holiness, power, and authority over the entire universe, including Job’s life. Then he showered Job with greater blessings than before. The message is clear: God doesn’t have to explain why he allows us to experience hardships. But when they come, we are called to trust in the sovereign Lord, not to question his motives or goodness.

On the Ball

Identify one area of difficulty in your life, and pray that God would help you trust him through it.

Coach’s Comment

You asked, “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?” It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. Job 42:3