My city’s professional football franchise has a good quarterback. A great quarterback. An All-American quarterback. When he’s at the top of his game, our team is practically unstoppable.
Right now he’s injured.
We have a backup quarterback, but he’s not as talented as the starter, and the fans know it. When the backup quarterback takes the field, the fans sigh and even boo him. He is not performing well. I wonder if the pressure is too much for him to handle.
The Backup
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a backup player in a professional sport—good enough to be on the team but not good enough to play consistently. Even though the backup was probably a great player in college or high school, he gets in the game primarily when disaster strikes. I’m sure the situation would mess with your psyche and cause you to doubt yourself.
At the beginning of the book of Joshua, Moses had died and the Lord positioned Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites. Moses was the All-American quarterback who delivered God’s people from slavery and oversaw the parting of the Red Sea. While Joshua was somewhat accomplished, he was no Moses—he was the quintessential backup. Although those were some big sandals to fill, Joshua trusted that God could mold him into the leader he needed to be. Joshua’s reliance was on the power of God to make up for his inadequacies. As a result, while Joshua was leader of the Israelites, he was immensely successful, guiding God’s people to take possession of the promised land.
No Limitations
Many times we feel like Joshua, the backup on the bench, uncertain if we are capable of conquering the land before us. But we should follow in his footsteps and put our faith in the Lord to give us the tools we need to be triumphant. Do you doubt you have the abilities to accomplish the tasks before you? Devote yourself to God and be confident that he can eliminate your limitations. |L
Steve Carr is the teaching minister at Echo Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife Kelly have one daughter, Kaelyn.
