Ninth-seeded Florida State put together a great tournament run until falling to third-seeded Michigan, 58-54, in a competitive game coming down to the final seconds on Saturday night.
At the end of a close basketball game, it's common for the team that’s trailing to extend the game by fouling their opponent. They want to stop the clock hoping the team with the lead misses some free throws. If they do miss, the team that’s behind has a chance to come back.
With 11 seconds left and down only four points, Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton unexpectedly elected not to have his team foul Michigan and prolong the game. Confused studio analysts emphatically disagreed with Hamilton for not fouling and allowing time to expire.
Reporter Dana Jacobson asked Hamilton why his team didn’t foul Michigan at the end. The interview consisted of an awkward and uncomfortable interaction between the two, as Hamilton didn’t like being questioned about his decision. His salty response included, "The game was over."
But the tournament is called "March Madness" for a reason. Crazy things can happen with 11 seconds left in a four-point game, and most of us overwhelmingly agree that Florida State shouldn’t have given up so easily.
When unpacking this story today, how often do we pull back, throw in the towel, stop trying, or give up when it appears “the game is over?” The truth is, there's usually enough time on the clock for something miraculous to happen.
Unfortunately, we give up too early on people, ourselves, our dreams, and our circumstances, despite serving a loving and supernatural God who has the ability to do anything - even with only “11 seconds on the clock.”
A desperate team that keeps fouling at the end of a tight game believes they can still get the win and remains persistent until the buzzer sounds.
As we place our faith and trust in God, we can keep seeking Him, pleading with Him, and making our requests known through continuous prayer.
In Luke 18:1-8 (NLT), Jesus shares the parable of the persistent widow: "One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 'There was a judge in a certain city,' He said, 'who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, "Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy." The judge ignored her for a while, but finally, he said to himself, "I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!"'
"Then the Lord said, 'Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?'”
Today, let’s have a persistent faith that doesn't give up because we trust our loving God can find a way...even with "11 seconds left in a four-point game.”
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray I wouldn’t give up so easily, but remain persistent and faith-filled. I know You are good and faithful and can do amazing work when it appears the game is over. I’m reminded of the cross and the resurrection. Thank you for Your power and grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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