Faith and Sports – Eric Jensen

 
March madness is upon us. The number one thing I have noticed this tournament is how huge a role momentum plays in games. Teams go on runs back and forth and in the end whoever has the most momentum swings wins the game. 
 
The Bible is also full of momentum swings. For example, when Jesus feeds the crowd with the loaves and fish he reaches the height of his fame. However the momentum swings back after he rides into Jerusalem.  The momentum swings towards the Romans who now have a huge target on the back of Jesus. 
Think of the huge momentum swing in the Old Testament when the Red Sea is parted. Moses is having a really tough time getting away from the Egyptians and suddenly God intervenes and swings the momentum in the Israelites favor by parting the Red Sea and slamming it down on the Egyptian army. Which, side note, just sounds brutal. Can you imagine the weight of an ocean slamming down on you, crushing every bone in your body?  So much for a merciful God, am I right?
 
The point being: momentum is everything. Even in our everyday lives. We all have runs of good times, and to put it in basketball terms, cold streaks where we can’t hit any of our free throws. God provides us momentum swings because he loves us. He never wants us to stay down too long, but he also wants to remind us we can fight through the adversity, claw back and maybe, just maybe, hit the game winning shot.