“No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety . . . . Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” (Psalm 33:16-19, NKJV)
Even though I don’t wear a team jersey or fly a team flag on my car, I am a Canadian hockey fan. I root for a team that just lost their most valuable player to an injury in the first game of the final playoff series for the Stanley Cup. I thought of them when I read this psalm.
No king, no person should think that their own power is all they have. Even with a great army, battles are lost. Even with strong muscles, defeat can happen. The reverse is also true. Gideon won a battle against an army too great to be counted — with only 300 men. David, a shepherd boy, defeated a fully armed giant of a man — with only a slingshot. Only? Both of them fought in the name of the Lord, and because He was with them, they won the battle. The size or strength of their enemies, or their own resources did not matter. My team could win without their super-star goalie.
What about battles involving parties that do not trust God and are without faith? Does God still control the outcome? The answer is found in His name. Lord of all means just that. There is nothing outside the power of God. I’m sure there are people praying for my team. Does that mean they will win? Maybe, but no doubt there are fans praying for the other team too.
Or does God even care about hockey?
I remember reading of a group that gathered to pray during WWII. Most of them prayed for victory. One of them prayed that God would “do whatever most glorified Jesus Christ.” While freedom and justice are important to God, it seems to me that that prayer hits His heart.
In the big scheme of things, sports can be a way to honor God, or they can be a distraction or a diversion from spiritual things. The psalmist says the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him and hope in His mercy, on those whose desire is to serve Him with their whole heart. God certainly is able to use even a hockey game to bring out spiritual fruit in the lives of His people. Win or lose, what really matters is that I remember to have the mind of Christ and act accordingly while I cheer for my team.
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