Did you watch the Super Bowl a couple of Sundays ago?
You weren’t alone. I enjoy watching the big game, but not for the same reason that most men like the Super Bowl.
I like watching the commercials. In fact, the day after the Super Bowl, I discuss the ads with my students in class and we talk about which ones we liked and why.
Most of my students liked the funny ones.
One of my students wrote a list of all the ads and he came up with about 50 ads during the game itself, each selling for a cool $2.7 million. Someone made some serious money during the game.
My personal favorites are often the Budweiser, Coke and Pepsi ads. I guess I’m like the students; I like the humorous ones.
As far as the game itself went, I was torn about who I wanted to win. It would have been exciting to witness the Patriots having a perfect season, even if you aren’t a Patriots fan. I have to say that I was kind of hoping the Green Bay Packers were going to play the Patriots. Then I would have known who I wanted to win the game. I have been a Packers fan since I was a little kid watching Bart Starr play quarterback. As the game progressed, I found myself rooting for the underdog Giants. It bothered me that most of the predictions were against them. That seemed unfair.
They earned the right to be there, you can’t discount that. I understand that it was an unevenly matched Super Bowl, that the game should have been easily won by the Patriots. It was the whole David versus Goliath thing played out on the gridiron.
I’ve learned you can’t underestimate the situation, sometimes fate pulls for David.
The longer and longer that I’ve walked with the Lord, the more I’ve learned that God likes to let the odds stack against him. He likes to let the enemy think they have God’s man or woman cornered; it’s simply a matter of finishing them off.
The world wants to discount men and women of faith. The world trusts what is seen, the odds are stacked against the man or woman of faith.
The person of faith must not trust their eyes; they have to trust what is unseen. God will not allow injustice to prevail, but he requires men and women to stand up against injustice and against the odds.
The world laughs at such faith, calling it nave. But God honors such faith and allows victory for those who stand for Him.
Who would have thought God might destroy the earth and save a simple preacher and his family?
Would you have believed Noah? If you had been in Las Vegas betting on the battle between David and Goliath, you probably would have put your money on Goliath.
Would you have believed that a bunch of slaves would plunder a nation before leaving to find a better land?
Most of us would have thought that Pharaoh and the Egyptians would have slaughtered the Israelites before letting them go with all their treasures.
If you had to vote on who would win a battle between a bunch of slaves and the inhabitants of a major city with huge stone walls, you probably would have voted for the inhabitants of Jericho.
We all know what happened in each one of those stories.
The underdog won. The world does not consider God in the equation of victory or loss. People of faith have learned to trust the God of the impossible. I believe God wants the odds stacked against him so he can show his strength for those who love him. He wants to build our faith on a solid foundation filled with the personal experience of a God who never lets us stand alone, who never fails those who trust in him. If the skies look threatening, don’t allow doubt and fear in your heart, look through the eyes of the spirit and see your victory.
If you find yourself facing Goliath in your life, please allow me to encourage you to stand strong and never doubt in the God of the impossible. God is bigger than any situation you face, no matter how terrible and hopeless it may seem.
My God can do far beyond all that we ask or think. Be prepared to fight. Give God your absolute best. Never doubt that victory is within reach, and step forward into the battle with the confidence that you do not fight alone.
Doug Creamer teaches marketing at East Davidson High School. His Web site is www.dougcreamer.com.