It's getting late in the game. After a hard fought, see-saw battle over the past 58 minutes against your most hated rival, you find your team down by three. "Is God on our side?", you wonder? You would like to think so, but time is definitely not on your side. You are out of timeouts, and your opponent is just a first-down away from securing a victory in this long-standing bitter rivalry of gridiron giants. Then IT happens. As the opposing quarterback takes the snap on third and short... their coach's worst nightmare becomes reality as the snap of the ball is fumbled and your defensive tackle opportunistically pounces on it! A flicker of hope for the good guys!

Now, only 45 yards separates your offense from pay dirt, and your guys are up for the challenge. Your All-American quarterback executes the 2-minute drill to perfection and what unfolds seems to be the game winning drive down to the goal line. It's now first and goal, but the down is irrelevant because the seconds are ticking away in a hurry. All that matters on this one final play, is the 6 inches of grass and dirt that lies between the nose of the football and the impending glory to be found on the other side of that painted line.

00:10 ... 00:09 ... your quarterback is under center ...00:08 ... 00:07.... this is it folks .... 00:06 ....the last play of the game ... 00:05 ... it's do or die ... 00:04 ... and right before the ball is hiked, the tension is snapped by the screech of a whistle and a referee running into mid-field while waving his arms to stop the clock. "Time out... defense," he proclaims over the loud speaker as he points to the opposite bench.

Time to regroup. Apparently the defensive coach didn't like the personnel he had on the field for this last play, but that is OK by you because your team has the perfect play call for this very situation, and this allows you to make some substitutions of your own.

As your team huddles along your sideline to discuss the final battle in this raging war of a game, your coach in the box is watching the other sideline intently to see what player changes they will make for this last play. As he radios over the headset to report what he has scouted out, there is confusion in his voice. Apparently, they have completely platooned their defense and there are 11 new players on the field!?!? " What is going on?" your coaches wonder. But no time for that now... we just have to focus on what we need to do to gain a mere 6 inches and put this victory in the bag. Besides, due to the the prevailing circumstances of how this game has turned in our favor, we seem destined to win!

Self-confidence is now at an all-time high.

As the Huddle breaks and the referee blows the game back into play, your quarterback confidently walks up to the center, and carefully surveys the defense trying to figure out their strategy. None of the faces or jersey numbers are familiar, as they have a completely new lineup in the game for this last play. Then... your quarterback looks into the eyes of the mysterious middle linebacker that is making His first appearance in the game. They are eyes of fire that send a tremor of holy fear through his entire being, and a holy revelation of who this new opponent is quickly follows. He is... the I AM. He is staring into the face of none other than ... GOD ALMIGHTY HIMSELF. Yikes!

What is he to do? There are no timeouts. Even if there were any... it wouldn't help. The CREATOR and SUSTAINER of the entire universe is personally resisting us now, and our doom is eminent. There is no hope of crossing this goal line of victory at this point, so why even try?

And with the snap of the ball, your All-American quarterback hands the ball off to your All-American running back behind the blocking of your All-American right guard, and God blows up the play in the backfield and the game is over. You lose.

“ God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” - I Peter 5:5

Proud = Self-Centered

Humble = God-Centered, others-minded

We need to be careful about selfishly thinking that God is always on our side. Chances are, on both sides of any "line of scrimmage" in life, there are followers of Jesus Christ. Is He more interested in one side's success over the other? I think not! But if we insist that God take a side in our fleshly battles with other people, with a prideful assumption that when He enters the game He will be wearing our jersey, we run a serious risk of being resisted and opposed by God Himself due to our own arrogance and assurance that we have a "corner on God."

What inspired this you might wonder? Two things actually.

First, a quote from the great American patriot Abraham Lincoln. When asked the question "Do you think God is on your side?" with regards to the Civil War, Lincoln responded, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.”

A wise response indeed.

Secondly, I read these verses this morning...

Joshua 5:13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua went up to Him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

14 "Neither," He replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"

And then God responded to Joshua's humility and gave him the victory over Jericho.

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8