What If You Were The Plan?Sýnishorn

One of my dearest friends is married to a middle school football coach. He’s been at it for over two decades. Some years there’s more to work with in the talent pool that others. When his team wins he rewards himself by stopping for dinner at Whataburger. If he loses, he drives through another fast food establishment and eats alone in his vehicle in front of the garbage dumpster as a personal incentive to move the team toward accomplishing the goal. 

You wouldn’t think middle school athletics would be so eventful, but he invariably has a story to tell. One of my favorites occurred during a game that early on lost all hopes of becoming a Whataburger evening. Coach was diligently calling plays and trying to awaken and then wield whatever skills are available in seventh grade boys from a poor neighborhood, but he seemed to be speaking Pig Latin. His team wasn’t following. At one point, Coach called a play. The center hiked the ball accidentally over the quarterback where the runningback then mistakenly stumbled toward it, kicking it unintentionally—sending the ball and the entire offense into a humiliating heap. Immediately a parent yelled, “Coach, that ain’t never gonna work!” as if THAT was the play he had purposefully orchestrated!

Can you imagine how the Israelites felt receiving the instructions for taking Jericho? They could probably foresee a disastrous end for following such a cockamamie course. Surely the temptation was there. Who in their right mind proposes conquering a walled city with a few trumpets and some noise? It was logistically, militarily, and as a matter of survival—absurd!

When faced with peculiar instructions for battle that could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be linked to the desired end result, the response was obedience and trust. There was no heckling negativity in the mix. No hesitation. No hidden swords under the ram’s horns. 

They believed God. 

Then they went forward with Him even though it didn’t make sense or seem reasonable. They kept walking through the uneventful circlings and discouragements when it seemed like they may have misunderstood the calling.

God may speak directives that seems a little illogical or even somewhat nutty over us at times but they’re always consistent with His character and His Word. 

Pray for clarity. Talk it over with a godly friends. Seek His Word. Then walk it out.