The Washington Post ran a story yesterday with the headline, “For the Redskins, Another December of Desperation.” In this article, Dan Steinberg captured the team's current situation following the loss to the Cardinals.
Washington is now 6-5-1 and fighting hard to make the playoffs in a competitive division, with the Cowboys and Giants ahead of them in the NFC East. Steinberg wrote, “It has now been 20 years since the Redskins were better than 7-5 at this point in the season. Each time they’ve made the playoffs since then, it required late-season feats of strength, and weekly tightrope walks.” If the Redskins would have pulled out the victory over Arizona on Sunday, they would be sitting in a much more manageable position to make the playoffs. Instead, they now face desperation again. Many of us can most likely relate to how the Redskins feel right now, as we face a “December of Desperation” in our own lives. My guess is we are dealing with something much more serious than trying to make the playoffs - either struggling with general hopelessness or overcoming illness or battling a financial crisis. We might be desperate to find a job or get married or have a child. Like the Redskins, maybe we’ve experienced the same situation in the past and must consider how we handled it the last time, so that we can trust God even more this go-around. When we remember God’s faithfulness during our last season of desperation, we can hold onto the hope He’ll come through again. Psalm 50:14-15 (NLT) give us assurance with these words: "Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on Me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give Me glory.”
In moments of desperation and trouble, we can cry out to God and totally depend on Him. Let’s remember He is there to rescue us, strengthen us, and meet us where we are. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray that You would reveal Yourself to me as I face desperation. Help me to remain thankful and to call on You when I’m in trouble. I trust You will give me strength as I rely on You to carry me through. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Comments