NFL Draftees Waiting

Hearing your name called during the NFL Draft must be an incredible feeling. But waiting for a team to select you must be extremely agonizing. These talented players dream about making it to the league and are told they are good enough to be picked. However, many of them not only wait but wait longer than they expect. Each year plenty of players anticipate going in an earlier round or hope to be chosen closer to the top of the draft. Unfortunately, they end up waiting…and waiting…and waiting some more. Although the waiting is well worth the NFL contracts they eventually sign, remaining patient during the process is still very challenging. They quickly realize they can’t force a team to select them and must humbly accept they aren’t in control. We don’t have to be a professional athlete to understand that waiting for something can be brutal. Most of us are either waiting right now or just finished a season of waiting for something. No one likes to wait, but when we do, our faith and trust in God significantly grow. We learn patience and humility and thankfully look back on our times of waiting with gratefulness for the work God does in our hearts. Although God has the power to answer our prayers immediately, He uses these delays to strengthen our dependence on Him. As our dependence grows, so does our love for Him. When we truly learn to wait with patience and hope, there is freedom in letting go and trusting that God’s decisions are better than our own. There is peace in knowing that He’s in control. The worst thing we can do is try and speed up God’s work and perfect timing. Instead, we need to wait patiently for Him to reveal His answers and even rejoice while we are anticipating them. Psalm 27:13-14 (NLT) challenges us with these words: “Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” As hard as it may be, let’s wait patiently for the Lord, and remember to look back and see how much we grew. Let’s be thankful that God allows us to wait and uses that time for our good. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please give me the strength to wait patiently. On the days that are really hard, help me to lean on You instead of showing impatience. Thank you for using seasons of waiting to develop my character and deepen my reliance on You. Thank you for Your goodness and faithfulness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.