Before the commencement of Qatar 2022, bookmakers tipped Argentina to lift the trophy. The odds favoured them because of the array of stars in their squad. On paper too, their opening match was against a country you might describe as minions in football – Saudi Arabia. They took an early lead when their captain converted from a penalty kick, but that was as far as things went. Saudi Arabia did not only equalize early in the second half, but they went on to win the match. As the referee blew his whistle to bring proceedings to an end, the text before us jumped at me. Truly, the fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. By every standard, Argentina was the fastest and strongest in this context, but they lost.
“The fact that we cannot afford to rely only on our strength, skill, or any other advantage to win in life. After securing all the advantages that we can, we must still heavily rely on God.”
What does this leave us with? The fact that we cannot afford to rely only on our strength, skill, or any other advantage to win in life. After securing all the advantages that we can, we must still heavily rely on God. David understood this lesson. In Psalm 44:6 he said, “For I will not trust in my bow, Nor shall my sword save me.” He had the bow and the sword, but he looked beyond them for victory. This should be our attitude too. Notwithstanding what we have going for us, our gaze must be firmly fixed on the Lord who has full control of all things.
