“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.” — Psalm 40:1-3

God has placed me in this place, position and time for a purpose, and I have full confidence in Him. He’s already laughing at the plans I thought I had for my career because He has better plans for me — ones which will prevail.

This Psalm has become so powerful and meaningful to me. I was in a very desolate place last year, praying to God, “Lord, I need You to rejuvenate my mind and my body if you want me to do this work You’ve set out for me to do.” I know He’s always had big plans for me, big things for me to do. Through everything I’ve faced in the last year — having lost almost every game last season, then being uprooted and traded to a different team — I’ve seen Him place my feet on solid ground. He rejuvenated my mind and body to bring me to the place I am today, showing me His plans are good.

The last part of this verse says, “Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.” That’s what this is all about: that people would see His glory and put their trust in Him. I want something so big to happen this year that people will say, “This can only come from God!” That’s starting to happen both in my own game and with our team’s performance. It’s about His glory — that’s all I really want to see.

It’s in adversity when we really struggle to wait. Last year I waited and waited for God to change the circumstances I found myself in. I would cry out to God, “I don’t know what’s happening, but I know You’re near. I know You’re going to change my situation, but I don’t know when or how.” I had to wait patiently for Him to move. Before anything changed, God wanted to work in my own heart, mind and body so that my confidence and peace would be in Him alone.

Now, God’s been showing up in a mighty way. I’ve experienced a huge change in my game. Glory to God! Our team is doing things nobody expected. Glory to God! He heard my cry and the way He showed up is amazing. If I’m playing well, I want to play even better so His light will shine even brighter. If our team is doing well, I want us to do even better so His light goes forward. I want people to see that God hears us and He can change a situation according to His will.

If a team people counted out all of a sudden starts doing the unexpected — winning games it was predicted to lose — they begin to fear that team. In the same way, when people see God at work, doing things no one expected, they will fear His name. Certain things can only be explained by God and that’s scary to people, but the Bible says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Fear of the Lord leads us to trust in Him.

Sometimes God allows you to go through a storm to bring you to a place of reverent fear of Him. He wants to make you stronger for the storm that’s coming next. He understands the final picture and wants to mold you into the person He’s created you to be, while giving you a glimpse of His unexplainable power.

When we cry out to Christ, He will turn to us and set our feet on solid ground. With our foundation firm in Him, whether we go through good times or bad, we know it’s all for His glory and our joy cannot be taken away.

— Demario Davis

Demario Davis is a linebacker with the New York Jets and a regular contributor to The Increase and will be providing monthly articles and opinions.

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