Friday, May 15th, 2009 "The Long-Shot"

Tsunami Ministries Devotional by Steve Keaton

Friday, May 15^th, 2009

Title: The Long-Shot

Text: Psalm 28:7 (NIV)

⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Have you ever watched a horse race? I’m not much of a “Horse Racing” guy, but each spring it is kind of cool to watch the three biggest horse races of the year. The biggest, of course, is the Kentucky Derby. This race is fondly named “The Run for the Roses” and thousands of people show up to historic Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky for the first race in the “Triple Crown”.

Each year as the race approaches the buzz starts about who is the horse to beat. Then people begin placing bets on who they think will win the big race. The horses that are more likely to win obviously have more people bet of them. If that horse wins the race, the amount of money a person wins is not all that large. But if a person takes a chance and bets some money on the Long-Shot, or the horse that is least likely to win, and that horse happens to win the race, the amount of money that a person can win could be enormous. All it takes is someone who is willing to put their faith and money, of course, in the horse that is considered the one NOT to bet on.

At this year’s Kentucky Derby, the horse that most people felt was not only the one that would not win the “Run for the Roses”, but would probably come in dead last was non-other than “Mind that Bird”. The professional betters in Las Vegas rated the horse as a 50-1 long-shot. Meaning that if, by some miracle, the horse were to actually win the race that included 19 other horse, for every $1 a person bet on “Mind that Bird”, they would win $50. Quite a payday, isn’t it? Well, as the races started and the 20 beautiful horses broke from the starting gate, the horse that very few people had any faith in came out last. About a quarter of the way through the race, as the horses slipped and splashed through the muddy track, “Mind that Bird” was still in the place that most people thought it would be. But while the attention of all of the spectators and millions of television viewers were fixed firmly on the horses at the front of the pack, the long-shot began to make its move. One by one, “Mind that Bird” skipped past horse after horse until, all of a sudden, the horse that was thought to finish last, found itself leading the way, while 19 other thoroughbreds dodged the splatters of mud and muck that was being kicked up by the eventual winner. “Mind that Bird” crossed the finish line with an easy victory. Despite all of those who thought the horse didn’t have a chance, and shouldn’t even be in the race, the long-shot showed them all and won the biggest horse race of the year, while the jockey of the 2009 Kentucky Derby-Winning horse, kept saying that he knew the horse could win. The jockey never lost faith in the horse.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were viewed as the long-shot? Has anyone ever pushed you aside and made you feel like you were less than the rest? Ever questioned yourself because you knew others were questioning you and your ability to do something special? I’m sure you have, and if you haven’t, just wait. It will happen. The question you need to ask yourself is, “When it happens, how will I respond?” Will you listen to all of the naysayers or will you focus on your goal, put forth your best and show them what you’re made of? Will you pack it in and become defeated before you ever take the first step out of the starting gate or will you stand against the opposition, no matter how hard it may be, and cross the finish line with your head held high? You need to know that even when everyone else is betting against you and you feel like the long-shot, that God has faith in you and is never surprised when you show all of the doubters what you are really made of.

If you are an authentic Christ-Follower, the power of God flows through you as much as the blood that pushes through your veins. The presence of the Holy Spirit fills you with a greater volume of air that fills your lungs. God never, ever views you as a long-shot. You are the living, breathing, world-changing presence of God in this world. When we embrace that understanding, grab the reins and begin to push past all of those who want to see you fall, only a fool would be willing to consider you a long-shot. Believe it.

Something to Think About:

• Have you ever felt like a Long-Shot?
• What were the circumstances? How did you respond?
• When considered the long-shot has someone showed faith in you and enabled you to believe in yourself, even when others didn’t? How did you respond then?
• How can finding the strength that God is able to grant you make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you? How can God use that strength to make an impact on this world?

A Few Minutes with God:

God, I know that you have gifted me to do amazing things. I know that you have a special plan for me and the life you have placed in front of me. Help me to fully embrace that understanding, tune out the screaming voices of those who want me to give up, give in and question myself, and be the champion that you know I can be. Amen.