One of the more intriguing NBA storylines right now is the Houston Rockets experimenting with a starting lineup only consisting of players 6 foot 7 inches or shorter.
At the trade deadline, they decided to go all-in on “small ball” by trading away their starting center, Clint Capela, and they are no longer giving minutes to any “bigs” or true centers.
I’ll be honest, I'm not a fan of this strategy because I see the value in having big men out on the floor that can rebound, block shots, be a presence in the paint, post up, and score high percentage shots.
The Rockets would rather spread their players out, shoot tons of threes, and push the tempo. They have proven it can work at times and against certain teams, but I think their “small ball” mentality will limit what they can do against the top teams and also prevent them from experiencing a deep run into the playoffs.
It was only one game, but last night the Rockets were dominated by the LA Clippers (a top team) trailing by as many as 30 points and missing 20 consecutive 3-pointers during one stretch.
The Clippers, however, utilized their size as both of their big men shined. Ivica Zubac had 17 points and 12 rebounds while Montrezl Harrell had 19 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Clippers get the convincing win.
When considering the Rockets' decision to go small instead of big, I'm reminded that as followers of Jesus we need to remove the "small ball" mentality in our lives. We can be filled with a big faith and pray big prayers because we serve a big, strong, powerful, almighty God who is sovereign and omniscient.
Unfortunately, too many people walk around with a "small ball" view of God and live limited lives instead of experiencing a deep faith and a big view of God.
Eric Geiger, author of Identity writes, “I fear we often live bland and boring lives because we don’t press in and enjoy a friendship with God that brings us to the point of asking God to show us His glory.
"I fear we miss out on the greatness of God because we pray small prayers and attempt small things for God. I want to pray ‘God, show me Your glory’ type of prayers and not mild and tame ‘help me have a good day’ kind of prayers.”
The Bible gives us the proper view of God and explains just how big He is and how His power is available to us. Ephesians 3:20 (NLT) says, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
We can approach Him with big, bold, confident prayers that are aligned with His will and purposes, so why would we settle for the "small ball" prayers?
1 John 5:14-15 (AMP) explains, "This is the confidence which we have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
"And if we know that He hears and listens to us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."
The footnotes of that verse are also very encouraging:
"Confident, abiding faith combined with God’s power can produce amazing results if the request is in harmony with God’s will. God is fully capable of doing that which man regards as impossible (Mark 14:36; James 4:3)."
We'll know God's will when we seek Him and know who He truly is and what He's all about. Today, let's decide to stop running around playing "small ball." Instead, let's walk each day in step and in communication with our amazing Lord, Savior, and Creator.
I'm Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for my small view of You and my small faith. I pray I'd have a big faith and pray big prayers because I know you can do even more than I can imagine. Help me to know You and enjoy Your glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What is a big prayer you've been holding back from praying?
How has your small view of God limited your faith and prayer life?
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