Baker Mayfield was released by the Carolina Panthers earlier this week, ending what turned out to be a very disappointing short stint with the team. However, the quarterback-desperate Los Angeles Rams claimed him off waivers. He showed up with the team on Tuesday and they had a game last night against the Las Vegas Raiders. There were rumblings about him playing in the game, but that seemed hard to believe considering he hardly had any time to learn the playbook, get to know his teammates or get on the same page with the coaches. But surprisingly, when I turned on the game, there Baker Mayfield was in a Rams uniform on the field leading the offense. Although it was crazy to see him out there, the game was expectantly ugly and low scoring with the Rams down 13-3 at the end of the third quarter. We couldn’t expect Baker Mayfield to just show up a couple of days before a game and be ready to ignite a struggling Rams team to beat a Raiders team that had been playing much better…or could we? Since I had seen enough of the Rams unable to move the ball and doubted the game would turn around, I ended up turning it off. Unfortunately, I woke up this morning to find out that I turned off the game too soon! Baker Mayfield helped the Rams put together an exciting comeback with under two minutes and zero timeouts, delivering on a 98-yard game-winning drive. The Rams overcame the odds and pulled out a 17-16 upset in dramatic fashion. Again, I missed it because I gave up on the game too early! As sports fans, it’s always disappointing when we miss the miracle finish, but when it comes to other areas of life how many times have we found ourselves in a similar situation? Have we been ready to give up? Have we doubted things would turn around? Have we believed there was just no chance for the outcome to change? There may have been situations in the past where we “turned off the game too soon” and our lack of faith caused us to give up early. However, my encouragement for us today is to hang on longer. We must persevere and endure even when we don’t like what we see and everything appears bleak, ugly, and unlikely to turn around because, in these moments, God is worthy to be trusted. Jesus says in Matthew 19:26 (NIV), “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” We don’t want to “turn the game off” before witnessing God miraculously showing up as He delivers, provides, restores, and redeems the crazy and challenging circumstances we find ourselves in. While we keep watching and waiting for Him, we can be encouraged by Psalm 31:24 (ESV): “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” We can also echo Colossians 1:11 (AMP): “ strengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy…” As sports fans, we are reminded over and over of the importance of enduring a game until the very end instead of “turning the game off too soon.” As followers of Jesus, we are reminded over and over of the importance of enduring until the very end instead of giving up and missing the miracle finish. James 5:11 (NLT) tells us, “We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.” I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, some days I want to give up, but please give me the strength and patience I need to endure. I trust that You can do the impossible and help me persevere as I wait for You to show up in a miraculous way. You are worthy to be trusted. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
1. When has there been a time when you are so glad you didn't give up, even though you wanted to?
2. What are you enduring and persevering right now as you wait for God?
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