Today is Super Sunday. The Super Bowl is the culmination of what teams aspire to. One of the most important things on a football team is the relationship between the quarterback and the center. This relationship is a delicate balance between trust and intimacy. Their relationship is so intimate, that the center knows the touch of his QB and understands the message of the pressure in that touch, causing him to know when the quarterback is ready for the play.
Let’s look at this as an analogy to your relationship with Jesus. Is Jesus your center? One NFL quarterback actually moved his locker closer to his center’s locker. Are you moving closer to your center? Jesus pursues you, but you can choose to move closer to Him and you will be blessed as a result. God makes paths straight for those who lean on Him.
A QB talks to his center more than anyone else. Are you willing to establish trust and share intimate moments with your center? Intimate moments are not always verbal. Are your actions a reflection of your relationship with Jesus? Get your hands dirty and press into Him so you are ready to receive what He’s handing to you?
You practice how you play in football and you play how you have practiced. The same goes for life. You pray the way you live and you live the way you pray. Prayer is that time of intimacy when you can feel your center and you know He is ready to move. As you move in tandem with Jesus, joy and hope are born within your heart. It’s easy to get busy or to go through the motions of prayer. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands us “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
How do you feel? Are you overwhelmed, anxious, stressed, or busy? Move to a posture of prayer. Start with thanksgiving and enter into prayer. Avoid a cursory, quick prayer. Take time and be honest. Tell God the truth. Is your prayer impacting your life? Cast your cares, be intimate with your God, feel how close He is, lean on Him. If you truly believe and are ready to make Jesus your center, you will be ready to receive and will trust Him.
King David was a great quarterback. He was a man after God’s own heart. He had a lot of godly characteristics because he spent time in worship and prayer. He graduated from being a shepherd to becoming the king of a unified Israel, but he had a lot of trial, tribulation and time before he realized the vision God had given him of being king. Be willing to trust and wait on your center.
Can you serve like David did? He served Saul and honored him without exception, even though he knew God had called him to be king and even though Saul repeatedly tried to kill him. Serve faithfully. Be confident in knowing God will give you victory over your enemy and will place you in your intended destiny.
An additional analogy that becomes apparent on Super Sunday is the power of team. Have you ever wanted to give up? Have you ever felt all alone? A quarterback can’t do what he must do alone. He needs the offensive line to block during a play. Otherwise, there will be no success. If you are not a football fan, think of another sport - maybe swimming. It’s a seemingly individual sport but you still have coaches and trainers who work to make you the best you can be. You still have a support group in swimming.
We are created for community and we need a team to speak truth to us and to be there for us to support and encourage. Proverbs 11:14 says it like this, “Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm], but in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory.” God is first and foremost your captain. He is your most important relationship. But as you seek God’s counsel, He will bring godly counsel to you.
The enemy would love to keep us isolated, alone in our thoughts and doubts. Seek God, get counsel from others but be careful who you let speak into your life. As you link up with others, the enemy can't pull you off your course. As you find your team, take time to pour into them and pray for them. As you have their back, they will have yours. It’s a two way street. Don’t do life alone. Find your team.
The Super Bowl is an annual event that is celebrated all over the world. In Dr. Dave Martin’s book, Another Shot, he writes about determination. The teams today have determination to win the title, the championship. They are contending. Jude 1:3 tells us to contend (struggle, wrestle) for the faith, a prize much more important than a trophy. We need determination and we need to contend because we wrestle against powers and principalities, against spiritual wickedness.
Today we will witness blood, sweat and tears, a clashing of the clans, but they are equipped properly. We need to be equipped too, otherwise we won't do well with the collisions we face. We need the armor of God described in Ephesians 6:14-17 - salvation, righteousness, faith, the Word of God - all through Jesus.
In the end, there can only be one winner. Don't worry about your circumstances and the unfavorable things you face because you will win. 2 Corinthians 2:14 reminds us that God always causes us to triumph. We triumph over sickness, over depression, over relationship and job issues, over all that would come against us. We triumph through Christ. Our struggles are part of the plan and process but in the end, we win.
Press in. Love God and lean on Him. Love people and find your team. Get equipped. You are a winner.
