A Platform and a Plan

In Psalm 138, we can read about the care that God has for us and how He wants to fulfill His plan
through our lives:
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

In the ESV, the beginning of verse 8 says: "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me."

Each of us has a story of God's faithfulness to us, and some of the components of that story may be His sustenance through trial and perhaps His deliverance from trouble.  We recognize that God is arranging the circumstance of our lives in order that He may be glorified.  He, as the Word says, "orders" our steps, so that we might be strategically positioned in the place to which He has called us. He will give us a platform through which we bring Him honor and He will work His plan for His glory.

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In Ephesians 2, we are reminded about the nature of our salvation, and how we are called to be
followers of Christ, allowing His love and work to be expressed through us:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Did you stick around for the end?   When the Atlanta Falcons went up 28-3 in the third quarter of last night's Super Bowl and Troy Aikman, in the FOX booth, declared that something just wasn't right with Tom Brady and his receivers, you might have thought things were over.   But, here's a great example of what champions do - a man with an MVP career, one of the greatest of all time, Tom Brady, led the New England Patriots back from the brink with a thrilling 34-28 overtime victory.

There are certainly so many memorable moments associated with the Super Bowl, and one of the notable ones has to do with character and faith.  You see, Athletes in Action, the sports arm of Cru, presents its Bart Starr Award, which, according to its website, was "created to honor the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community."  It was presented at a breakfast Saturday morning, and the winner was Matthew Slater of the New England Patriots.  On the breakfast website, you read that:

Slater has been a leader and a positive example to his team both on and off the field. After every game, win or lose, he leads his team in prayer as the stands empty and the lights go down. His teammates admire his poise and professionalism as well as his humble adherence to his faith, striving to be like him as both a football player and a man.

The website says that "he looks at football as a vehicle God has given him to reach people."  His father, Jackie Slater, won the Bart Starr Award in 1996.

In a story on Slater's award at CNSNews.com, the story is told of the phone call that he received from Bart Starr's wife, Cherry, informing he had won the award - he found out during his team's weekly Bible study.  In the article, he's quoted as saying: "It's a platform and it's conceivable to me as well that everything that I've accomplished as a member of this team is solely so that I may have a platform to connect with people, that I can have a platform to share with people my faith, and just to love on people."

On the other sideline last night, injured but still engaged, was Falcons' tight end Jacob Tamme, one of 13 Falcons who caught passes this year.  His shoulder was injured back in late October, but he has a Biblical perspective on the injury, telling Baptist Press:

"I believe that there's a foolproof plan that (God) has for my life and that this is a part of it," adding, "That makes it a little easier when you trust in that. He's been so faithful to me and guided me this far, and I know that ultimately He's in control."  

Tamme also said: "God's bigger than we think He is. God can handle everything that He needs to handle, and I believe that God has a hand in everything we do, both on and off the field."

He added, "God doesn't just shut off when we go on the field. It's something that I do for Him."

Always refreshing and inspiring when you have players who are dedicated to the Lord.  You realize there's something spiritual going on in some of these players' hearts, and perhaps their faith has become contagious and others are considering matters of eternity.

There are two words for today: platform and plan.  Matthew Slater speaks of the platform that God has given to him, a concept also embraced by his father, according to that CNS News story.  Jacob Tamme discussed God's plan for his life.  And, these two items are interrelated:  we have to see that the Lord has called each of us to be His followers, and He has placed us in certain positions in order to be used by Him.  This is according to His plan, and it's important that we are sensitive to be able to respond correctly in the positions in which we have been placed.  

In our families, our churches, our occupations, and maybe sports or hobbies, we can view all as areas through which God wants to use us.  We have to make sure that we are following the Spirit to get into the right place according to His plan.  Wherever we are, we can seek to allow God to speak and act through us.