Seven Heaven
I am writing this the morning after the Minnesota Vikings divisional playoff win over the New Orleans Saints. It was a literal last-second win when Stefon Diggs caught a Hail Mary pass and ran into the end zone for a highly emotional but improbable win. I confess that I was one of those Vikings fans, having endured four Super Bowl losses and any number of last-minute defeats, that thought here we go again. I was tempted to turn the television off but decided to watch to the end to see if by some miracle that could actually pull off the unexpected and win. And they did.
Quarterback Case Keenum and receiver Stefon Diggs both gave thanks and glory to God for being allowed to be a part of such a remarkable play. This wasn’t surprising as we have heard other athletes give the same kinds of speeches after similar kinds of events. But there was any number of intriguing storylines that came out of the game for me. Like did God really have any influence on how the game came out as some of the testimonies suggested? Or as some offered it was destiny that caused the Vikings to win. In other words, they couldn’t have lost because of some force, presumably God, was at work ensuring their victory regardless of their desperate circumstances. And what about the defensive back for the Saints who missed the tackle, Marcus Williams, what happens to him? Does it end up defining his career as a football player or does it ultimately propel him to something bigger and better? Only time will tell. There is any number of storylines that could be pursued but the one that stood out for me came from a post-game interview with Vikings head coach, Mike Zimmer.
The play that was called, the play that ultimately won the game was called ‘Seven Heaven.’ It basically is a play where all the receivers run different distances, to various positions on the field and the quarterback looks for someone to be open. In this case, it was Stefon Diggs, the deep receiver, who was open, made the catch and scored the touchdown. What struck me about Zimmer’s interview was that this desperate, last second, chaotic looking play was a designed play that had been practiced hundreds of times. It actually had been run a couple of times previously in the game and once in this particular series. Since the beginning of training camp in July, coach Zimmer had his players run the play over and over in practice. Another Vikings receiver, Jarius Wright said they have practiced Seven Heaven “a million times this year” but Diggs never had the ball thrown to him in practice, “never.” But each time Diggs would faithfully run his route!
It seems the Holy Spirit is always teaching me spiritual truth out of the natural experiences of life. A couple of reflections where I believe God is saying our spiritual lives mirror our natural existence. First, I believe the Holy Spirit will “coach” us through life if we are listening. He knows the future and what we will need to be successful when life happens. In John 16:13 Jesus says “when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth.” The process of Holy Spirit sanctification is designed to make us more Christ-like so that we can be successful when opportunities, challenges or disasters come. We must trust God, who knows the beginning from the end, to get us where we need to be. The temptation is to want to run our own lives and turn to God only when we find ourselves in a tight situation. But that view of life is short-sighted and we deny ourselves the opportunity to walk in divine wisdom for all of life’s circumstances.
Second, there is the role of preparation. I am sure most of the players thought to practice a play so many times was a waste of time and energy but in reality, it prepared them to be successful in a crisis situation. This would have been an especially strong temptation for Diggs who had run the same route hundreds of times without even having an opportunity to catch the ball in practice. But faithfully running that route, all those times, put him in the place to be successful when the opportunity finally presented itself. Likewise, God often has us doing things over and over, to the point we don’t need to think about them. They become a part of our operating system and when the crisis comes we can perform what needs to be done with confidence. God has instituted spiritual disciplines like prayer, studying the Word of God, meditation and listening to His voice as a way to prepare us for all of life, especially times of crisis. For many, they seem like a waste of time but they ignore them to their own detriment.
While many will be talking about the Vikings last-minute victory for months, maybe even years, the more important lessons will be lost on them. For that is only a football game but in the game of life, the quality of people’s lives, maybe even their final destinies are at stake. Are you listening to the Holy Spirit and living out the truth He reveals? As the ultimate life coach, He really does know what is to come and how to prepare us for it. The quality of our lives, and those we love, depends on it. And what is your attitude toward the repetitious dimensions of walking with God? Those routine tasks that are done over and over seemingly without any reward.
They are all questions worth reflecting upon and more importantly asking God about. It is a certainty there is a situation in your future the Holy Spirit is preparing you for. A life circumstance where you won’t have time to get prepared but will need to be ready. Are you cooperating with Him? Your future success depends on it!
Author
Pastor Bruce is the Executive Director of God's Living Stones. He lives in Omaha, NE, with his wife Barb. They have two adult children.
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