UNPACK this...From Slump to RestartSample

Waiting for Our Pitch

In baseball, when a player experiences a hitting slump, one of the main reasons is usually his pitch selection. A slumping batter often lets the good pitches go by and then swings at the ones out of the zone. A sure-fire recipe for a slump is swinging at the wrong pitch.

Hall of Famer and baseball hit king, Ted Williams, described this situation in his book, The Science of Hitting. Williams said, “A good hitter can hit a pitch that is over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a questionable ball in a tough spot.”

In other words, a baseball player should wait for the right pitch.

We all encounter periods of waiting throughout our lives. We wait to finish school…meet our spouse…have children…get a job promotion…and begin retirement.

As followers of Jesus, these times of waiting can make us feel distant from God. They can even make us believe that we are in a slump.

But if we don't wait for the right pitch that could be well on its way, we can easily get out of God’s will and miss out on the purpose of His delay.

Psalm 130:5 says: “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His Word, I put my hope.”

As we turn to God’s Word, we are quickly reminded of His power and deliverance and can take great comfort in knowing He hears us and is with us while we wait.

Psalm 40:1-2 tells us, “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”

Today, instead of being impatient and swinging at pitches that lead to a strikeout, let’s be willing to trust God’s timing and wisely wait for the right pitch.

I’m Aaron May and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me with impatience as I get ahead of Your plans and ultimately, out of Your will. I pray I would trust You as I wait and put all of my hope in You to deliver. It’s in Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.