It’s that time of year. Daylight saving time, spring break, March madness and bracketology are here. If you are not familiar with the word “bracketology,” it refers to the strategy basketball fans use to fill out their NCAA tournament brackets in hopes of picking the winners. Personally, I do not pay a lot of attention to college basketball until this time of year. Most years I will fill out a bracket, and I find myself watching the games. One of the best things about the tournament is that any one of the sixty eight teams could win. Sure the odds are stacked against most of them, but it’s still possible. Most years a 12th or 13th seeded team will beat a 4th or 5th seeded team. People love the underdog stories. As I write this on Thursday a team I thought would win its first two games is already out, and an underdog I thought would win lost at the buzzer. There goes my bracket (as it does every year). Regardless I still love to see the small schools compete with the powerhouses.

 

The underdog stories we find in scripture are so much greater than the best March Madness games. Jacob went from being the younger brother to being the father of the tribes of Israel. Joseph went from slave to second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. Moses went from spending years on the run to leading Israel to freedom. Gideon went from fearful separating wheat to become a victorious warrior. David went from being the overlooked son to defeating a giant to becoming king over Israel. Rahab went from prostitute to saving the spies to the genealogy of the Savior. Repeatedly in the Bible no one could imagine the way these lives would change and the things they would do. Well, there is One who could imagine it. God authors an amazing story that includes each of these stories. It also includes ours.

 

The God that did these things created us in His image to do things He has designed us to do. When we cheer the underdog story, God is well aware of what those people can accomplish as He works through them. When we lack confidence in our own abilities, God has full confidence in His. He will work out His plan with us as He has countless times before. When we look to the end of the story we know He will be victorious, and we know that He wants His people to be there with Him.

 

Brian

 

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31