Road to Greatness

Earlier this week, I witnessed in-person a history-making moment as Alex Ovechkin (Ovi) broke the record for most career goals. It was amazing to be in the arena and witness this monumental moment.

Just a couple of days before that, I watched on TV as he tied the then current record of 894 goals. Afterwards, there came a time when there was an empty net. This is when the opposing team's goalie leaves the net, and there is no one to defend against your scoring. Although the Washington Capitals scored a goal during this time, Ovi didn't get the goal. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even on the ice. That intrigued me.

See, to most people watching, this was the most opportune time for Ovi to get one more goal to break the record, in his home arena, in front of thousands of home fans. I later read an article that said Ovi actually refused to go in the game during the empty net to take the easy way out to break the record. His decision meant that he and the fans would have to wait until the next game.

Ovi's action reminded me of someone else who was on the verge of greatness and had an opportunity to take his position early but chose to wait until God's timing. That person was David. God had already lifted His Spirit off of Saul and had Samuel anoint David as King. The Bible tells us that Saul knew his time was up and was literally hunting David to kill him. A moment came when David was hiding in a cave, and Saul came in to relieve himself, unaware of David's presence. David could have killed Saul right then and there and taken his rightful place as king. But David chose to spare Saul's life and wait on God by only cutting a piece of Saul's robe to send him a message.

Listen, I don't know who needs to read this, but I come to remind you that Yah is not slack in fulfilling his promises. I know you've been waiting for a while, but God's timing is always perfect. As a good friend once reminded me, we can't rush God.

Yes, that opportunity seems amazing, but you should stop and ask, is this God's perfect will or His permissible will? The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:23 that while all things are permissible, not all things are beneficial. Just take a look back at Abraham and Sarah. They grew weary while waiting on God's promise and took matters into their own hands. This sparked a series of unfortunate events that could have been avoided had they just waited for God's perfect timing.

If you wait on God's timing, every provision you need to sustain your blessing will be aligned and provided. Just wait, wait I say. Wait on Yah and be of good coverage (Psalm 27:14). So as you continue forward, ask yourself: are you gonna be like David and Ovi and wait on God, or are you gonna continue taking matters into your own hands?

Until next time, continue to walk in obedience to God and replicate His love to your neighbors.