At my Dad’s insistence, I signed up for girls’ basketball in seventh grade and since I attended a very small school I made the team. Thus began my illustrious junior high and high school career as an athlete. Being a member of the basketball, volleyball, and softball teams made me a big fish in a very small pond. What I miss most about those days is being on “the team.” The friendship and support we shared was irreplaceable, and the learning that went far beyond the rules of the games played has proven invaluable. Of course, it also did not hurt that our teams won games! I miss those days and wonder what my life would look like had I continued in my discipline and pursuit of sports through my college years.

Being a member of an elite team comes with honor and prestige. Talented athletes want to play on your team when you are winning. The excitement is palpable when an elite team jogs out of the locker room.

It is not hard to imagine how unbeatable a team would be with the Lord God on it. Talk about unstoppable! The Bible is full of stories of God fighting for His people, and God’s people were victorious in every one of those battles. When God is involved, fighting for His people, there is deliverance and victory in every underdog story. We see this clearly in the miraculous story of the nation of Israel when they were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his army:

“Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’” Ex. 14:13-14 (NIV)

Indeed, the Lord fought that battle at the Red Sea and was victorious over Pharoah and his army. Israel was victorious in every battle, no matter the opponent or how greatly they were outnumbered. Their victories continued under the leadership of Joshua who ultimately led them to their possession of the promised land. Joshua reminds Israel of their source of victory when he tells them:

“The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised.” Josh. 23:9-10 (NIV)

Time and again God tells the nation of Israel that He fights for them and brings deliverance and victory in impossible situations, and time and again Israel forgets. They lose faith, they look to themselves and other nations to help them, and they even go as far as to offer worship to false gods in hopes of receiving their help.

Perhaps there was pride mixed in with their forgetfulness and lack of faith. No doubt they could have benefitted from the apostle Paul’s admonition to the Romans, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought (Rom. 12:3).” It seems their pride affected their hearing. When God said He would fight for them, they heard that God was fighting on their side, joining their team. While it is true that, “If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31),” we must not think we are victorious because God falls in step with us. The victories did not happen because God joined Israel’s team. He is not merely a wringer that we, acting as coach, bring in when the chips are down and we are falling behind.

Miraculous, incredible, deliverance and victory happen when we are part of God’s team. We forget the enormity of our weakness if we fail to recognize that if we are ever victorious it is because God is fighting instead of us. More than once the armies of Israel were told to “stand still.” It was God and God alone, who parted the waters of the red sea, who brought those waters back and drowned the Egyptian army, who brought the walls of Jericho down, who defeated king Ben-Hadad and the Arameans through king Ahab, and who defeated the Moabites and Ammonites through king Jehoshaphat. But, just like a man who looks at himself in a mirror, Israel went away from those victories and forgot how weak and dependent on God they really were (James 1:23-24).

As for me, I am truly grateful that God is not limited to being a team member on “Team Amanda.” How much better for me to be on God’s team? God Himself, not just very mighty but the All-Mighty is the one in charge. He is the captain of the winning team, He is the coach, the star player and forever MVP. He does not need my help or participation at all and yet invites and longs for me to join Him. He invites and longs for me to be in a relationship with Him in which He will provide and He will be everything I need for life and ultimate success (II Peter 1:3).

This is the elite team I have been looking for. My plans are so limited and my wisdom is so small when compared to His. I regret every time in my life when my heart has said, “Come on God! Come join me and we will go so far and gain so much ground! I have looked at all my options, have made a great plan, and this is totally the best way, so come along with me!” Much time, effort, pain, and regret could have been saved if I had, instead, humbly accepted a place on His team.

Learning this reliance on God to be the one who fights instead of us is an ongoing assignment. Deepening our relationship with God by reading the Bible, and spending time in prayer and worship, can be the mirror we need so we do not forget what we look like and what we actually are. We may be forgetful, weak, and limited, but God fights for us! How indescribably glorious that there is a spot on His team for me. He wants me to join, to play with Him, to be coached and guided by Him, and to be victorious. I thank Him for the invitation, humbly accept, and am spreading the word that He wants you too!

Go Team!

The Voice

All of Me