Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4: 5b-7 (NASB)“So they brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw Jesus, it threw the child into a violent convulsion, and he fell to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
‘How long has this been happening?’ Jesus asked the boy’s father.
He replied, ‘Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.’
‘What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’
The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!’”
Mark 9: 20-24 (NLT)“For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words…And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.”
Romans 8: 26b, 28 (TLB)“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29: 11 (NIV)
It was a normal-looking tackle during the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, on January 2, 2023.
But after making the tackle and standing back up for a few seconds, Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin, immediately fell onto his back and laid motionless on the playing field in Cincinnati.
Medical crews with an equipped ambulance attended to him immediately where he lay on the playing field, and then soon removed him from the field to a nearby hospital.
We would learn much later and the next morning that Damar suffered a cardiac arrest—his heart stopped while laying there on the playing field.
While all of this was taking place on the field caring for Damar Hamlin, and after he was removed, those in attendance—players, coaches, fans in the stands, the national viewing audience, television and media announcers and reporters didn’t know what had happened to him, how he was, and did not seem to know what to do.
And then it began to happen.
On the sidelines, and on the field, players, coaches and staff began to pray—individually, and together—not knowing exactly what to pray for.
In the stands fans sat in their seats, while others knelt between bleachers—and all prayed.
One television announcer, Adam Schefter, said the only thing he knew to say, as he spoke to the viewing audience all across the nation, was—to pray.
The next day, Tuesday, January 3, 2023, on the 2 PM telecast on ESPN, announcers Dan Orlovsky, Laura Rutledge, and Marcus Spears all bowed their heads as Dan Orlovsky led them in prayer for Damar Hamlin’s healing, and comfort and peace for his family—live on ESPN’s national broadcast.
No one knew what to do. No one knew where to turn.
So, everyone—turned to God.
To the God of the possible. The God of all there is.
The God Who created the universe.
The God Who sees us and draws near to us.
The God Who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live and die for our salvation, assuring the opportunity for us to choose to have an eternal relationship with Him in Heaven.
The God Who loves you, and the God Who loves even me.
We all go through things we never saw coming.
We are hurt, disappointed, abandoned by friends, emptiness hits, uncertainty is around every corner, and relationships end.
Illnesses unexpectedly hit. Loved ones are lost. Finances are stretched to breaking.
We feel lost. Our children and other loved ones struggle.
We feel all alone.
And don’t know where to turn.
And then we remember—God is there. Always. He has gone nowhere.
Turn to Him. Turn to the God of the possible.
The God Who always wants the best for us and will never leave us.
By the way, after a period of healing, rehabilitation, and rest, Damar Hamlin returned to his safety position with the Buffalo Bills.
Praise God.
Turn to the God of the possible. The God Who loves us and is always there.
In His Name–Scott
Be lifted and encouraged as you watch the video and listen to Katy Nichole sing “In Jesus Name (God of Possible).”
