Last night’s first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was an exciting event with multiple trades and some surprising picks.

Having a desire for their favorite team to take specific players, many fan bases are thrilled about the results today. They trusted the front office to come through with the best selections for the upcoming season and that’s exactly what happened.

The Panthers, Texans, Cardinals, and Eagles seem to be most pleased with how things turned out, as they were able to get the players they wanted and made the right trades to do so.

But as a Panthers fan, I admit to being in the small majority of the fan base that didn’t get the player I wanted. From my perspective, the Panthers should have taken Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud whose size and skills appear to translate better to the NFL.

Not being aligned with the plan of the Panthers’ front office, I have a choice to make.

I can either become bitter, frustrated, disappointed and give up on the team because they didn’t do what I thought was best…or I can trust them, embrace what the Panthers are doing, and align myself with the direction they’re taking this team.

I can choose to go from complaining about wanting a different player drafted to saying, “Whatever the team decides, I’m in!”

This choice can also pop up in other areas of life when we don’t get what we want: the job…the house…the relationship…the promotion…or the opportunity. If things don’t go the way we want them to, we need to determine how to respond and what perspective to have.

As followers of Jesus, we must continually surrender our lives to God and trust His plan, His direction, and His ways while embracing and desiring His will.

Jesus tells us to pray this in Matthew 6:10 (ESV): “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 (AMP) instructs us to “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].”

Unfortunately, at times, we stop trusting Him and our fleshly desires take over when we want life to go according to our plans and how we think is best. We get frustrated when we don’t have what we want or are discouraged when God doesn’t seem to be moving or doing things the way we want Him to.

The Bible references this in James 4:1-3 (NLT): “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them.

“Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”

The key for us as followers of Jesus is seeking God and praying to Him while aligning our desires and will with His. We’ll end up getting what we want because what we want is what God wants. Our greatest desires become knowing, enjoying, and pleasing Him, and doing His will.

Psalm 37:4-5 (ESV) tells us to “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.”

Today, let’s be reminded that God knows best and as we delight in Him and trust Him we’ll desire the right things. We’ll also go from complaining about wanting a “different player drafted” to saying, “Whatever You decide, I’m in!”

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for getting discouraged and frustrated when I don’t get what I want. I trust that You know best and please help me to delight myself in You so that I desire what You want. I pray that Your will be done in my life and I know You will lead me in the right direction. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.