Now is the time.... To Hold the Ball

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

As we watched the nail-biting finish of the Rugby World Cup which the All Blacks won by just 1 point, I was interested in the tactic used to hold the ball in the scrum for the last 2 or 3 minutes and gradually just edge little by little towards their own end of the field. It worked and though the ball was not being played it remained in their hands (or feet) until the final whistle blew and victory was assured.

This spoke to me about our Christian life. Sometimes we are faced with situations that challenge us so much that we almost lose our way. Sometimes the battle is long and hard, and after an initial spurt of "running with the ball" and making good ground, we become weary and discouraged and want to give up. It seems that this battle cannot be won; the enemy whispers in our ear, "You're done, you can't win this one." And you believe him. You are tempted to just give up and throw it all in and settle for comfort. If you do that, the battle is over and lost.

I wonder how many times David was tempted to stop running from King Saul and just settle down in some safe place, or just let Saul kill him in battle. But he knew God had anointed him to be King over Israel. He would replace the disobedient Saul, but in God's timeframe, not David's. He was tempted a couple of times to take matters into his own hands and kill the king and take his place, but he refused to take control, instead letting God be the One to put him into leadership. In the meantime - his training time - his job was to 'hold the ball' and keep pressing toward the mark, stopping the enemy from taking ground, and being prepared to take the victory when it was granted. That is our challenge too!



Prayer:Heavenly Father, please give me your grace to continue to press in and press on towards the prize of the high calling you have ordained for me. Let me not be weary or faint in battle so that I may finish my race for your glory. Amen