*Today’s devotional is an excerpt from the book we’ve written, The Fantasy Football Fellowship Playbook. You can order yours on Amazon to read the rest of the weekly Fantasy devotionals all season long.

The Fantasy Football draft is one of the best days of the year! Feeling like you’re an NFL general manager and selecting the right players for a winning team is exhilarating.

When a player we want is still available and we’re able to draft him, the excitement escalates…and getting praise from the other owners for an impressive pick we make is also very satisfying.

Although being with friends and talking football is a lot of fun, there’s also a level of chaos and intensity while concentrating on the building of our teams. There’s pressure to select great players, find value in those who slip to a later round, and do last-minute research for up-to-date information.

We also have to make sure to pursue and listen to trade offers from other owners, keep track of the players already taken, and pay attention to our roster so we don’t take too many tight ends.

The stress really kicks into high gear when we’re actually on the clock to make our pick. As we look at all of our options, we start to doubt ourselves, go back and forth on who to take, and get nervous about making a mistake.

The clock ticks away while everyone waits for us to choose our player. Eventually, we must confidently make a decision and move forward.

In the end, our selections are only for Fantasy Football and the stressful scenario is all in the context of an enjoyable hobby. However, in real life, we often find ourselves in the middle of a stressful, overwhelming, and head-spinning season of life.

When everything is moving at a rapid pace, we can feel like we’re “on the clock” and can’t keep up with all of the decisions that need to be made and the options that need to be considered. It starts to feel like there’s chaos all around us.

Although most of us have these types of challenges from time to time, the truth is that we can’t thrive or even survive in the mayhem unless we rely on Jesus for strength and peace. Even when we can’t prevent stressful situations, we must remember to pause and invite Christ to get us through.

The following Bible verses provide encouragement for these difficult times in life:

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NLT) says, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you His peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.”

We can repeat this prayer from Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) – “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!”

Psalm 29:11 (NLT) tells us, “The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.”

When considering our own “draft room” with high gear stress, and situations that cause us to be “on the clock” (nervously going back and forth on what to do so as not to make a mistake), let’s remember that Jesus can give us peace and strength to overcome the craziness.

Instead of letting the chaos take over, we can confidently rely on Him for wisdom to make a decision and move forward. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I find myself overwhelmed, stressed, and exhausted. I can’t get through this alone and I need the strength and peace that are found in Jesus. Help me not allow the craziness and chaos of life to take me off course, but instead cling closer to You. Thank you for Your peace. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Discussion Questions for PACKS:

1. How do you normally handle situations that require tough decisions? What is your process?

2. What emotions tend to take over when you feel like you’re on the clock?

3. In your life right now, what situation has you feeling like you’re on the clock?