The God who is with us
By Charles Christian
A pastor invited a younger colleague to a professional basketball game. The young man had not been to many pro games, so he was excited to be included. My friend was a sports chaplain, so he got in free and was allowed to invite a friend to the games.
The young man who was invited was running late. The chaplain had to go into the locker room for a pre-game prayer with the team, as was his custom. Meanwhile, the young man showed up to the prescribed meeting place out of breath and started to walk into the locker room area. Immediately, he was stopped by security. He gave the security officer his name, but his name was not on any list. Since he was to be the guest of the chaplain, he also had no ticket.
After waiting for several minutes, just as another security guard was preparing to escort the man out of the arena, a voice echoed down the hallway: “Wait! Wait!” the voice said. “He’s with me.”
The security guards turned and recognized the home team’s chaplain, who quickly apologized to the guards for not putting the young man’s name on the list. The chaplain said he figured the young man was running late, but he didn’t have time to alert anyone before going into the locker room. Besides, the chaplain said he thought the prayer time would only last a few minutes. The guards then apologized to the young man for the misunderstanding and walked away. After apologizing for running late, the young man was escorted into the locker room to meet the coach and a few of the players. He then went to his courtside seat.
This is based on a true story that happened several years ago, and I like this story because it highlights an important aspect of faith in God. In the Bible, God promises never to leave us alone. He promises to be with us wherever we go, even though sometimes we may feel alone.
Perhaps the most recognized Psalm in the Old Testament is where the writer states: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you (God) are with me … “ (Psalm 23:4). In the New Testament, Jesus promises those who follow him, “I am with you always, even to the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
Faith means never having to be alone, even when we feel alone. God is with us and finds ways to reassure us and to provide for us, even in our times of greatest need.
