By Matt Osborne, Staff Writer
Less than a week after putting together an impressive second-half comeback to earn a hard-fought win in their season opener, the Miami Dolphins didn’t have much to be excited about in Thursday night’s 31-10 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
Though the Dolphins had no shortage of reasons to be disappointed in their home loss, perhaps the most surprising performance came from their typically explosive passing game.
Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw three interceptions in the evening, the last of which was returned by Ja’Marcus Ingram for a touchdown, which put the Bills up by three scores.
To make matters even worse, Tagovailoa suffered a concussion on the next drive, which knocked him out of the game and cast uncertainty on his availability for the future.
When asked about his team’s quarterback situation after the contest, Miami head coach Mike McDaniel commented, “We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation.”
Uncertainty is always a part of the job description as an NFL head coach. Whether it be their players’ health, the schedule they face, the schemes of the opposing team, or the calls that the referees make, NFL coaches operate in a world filled with unknowns.
As McDaniel stated after the game, sometimes the best a coach can do is to continue to operate to the best of their abilities and be prepared for whatever may come their way. It is their job to put together the best game plan possible and then adjust to the circumstances they encounter.
We live in a world that presents us with even more unknowns than those faced by professional football coaches. No matter how much we have a “game plan” for our future, we will always find that the unknowns have a regular habit of popping up when we least expect it.
The Bible acknowledges the fact that we don’t always know how things are going to turn out.
Proverbs 19:21 (ESV) says, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”
Proverbs 16:9 (NIV) adds, “In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”
We typically are quick to acknowledge that there are many unknowns regarding our future. Still, as followers of Jesus, we must also remind ourselves that God’s Word provides encouragement and instruction to help us “operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation.”
Much of the anxiety we face stems from the fact that we obsess over the things we can’t control. When we feel uncertain about how a situation will end up, we get paralyzed by fear.
But the more we grasp that God, in His sovereignty, perfectly establishes our steps and accomplishes His will, the more we can move forward in reliant trust. Although we will never know with certainty what will come in the days ahead, we can prepare to navigate through the unknown because we have confidence in the One guiding us.
After all, even when we are “operating in the unknown,” God isn’t caught off guard and fully knows how things will work out.
Today, when we feel fear or anxiety start to creep in because of the unknowns of the future, let’s remind ourselves of the beautiful truth expressed in Psalm 9:10 (NASB): “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, LORD, have not abandoned those who seek You.”
I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for being trustworthy. I can count on You to faithfully lead me through life’s unknowns. Please help me to overcome fear and anxiety, as I trust You to guide me through my future. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
