“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” — Zephaniah 3:17
Drastic Times, Drastic Measures
I knew the incredible stories of the Bible where David slew Goliath, Jesus walked on water, and the walls of Jericho turned to rubble. I knew them and loved them. I loved hearing about this God who defied all odds and chose the least likely of people to spread the Gospel.
I knew all of these things and yet I chose to live a life that was not glorifying to God. I made soccer my idol and I worshiped it. I only cared about being the best soccer player and I wanted others to talk about me when they watched my team play.
When I was 18 years old, my entire life changed. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. For the first time in my life, I realized I wasn’t in control. I was scared. I didn’t even know who or where to turn.
Soccer didn’t take my fears away. Soccer didn’t comfort me when I was lying in my hospital bed. Soccer wasn’t able to reassure me that things would work out. But knowing that God loves me, no matter what I had done, did!
Christ’s love was the only thing that got me through the hardest time of my life. The truth that comes from knowing Jesus as our Lord and Savior was the only thing that brought me true peace. The truths I learned growing up began to come alive in my heart. It is because of those truths that I now play for a greater purpose – Jesus!
— Gregg Schroeder
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“David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. ‘I cannot go in these,’ he said to Saul, ‘because I am not used to them.’ So he took them off.” — 1 Samuel 17:39
When I was 15, I didn’t make my high school baseball team. I had trained all offseason and even went to a three-day hitting clinic where several major leaguers from the local area were some of the coaches. I thought I had performed well enough during the tryout to at least make the roster.
But when the coaches posted the list of names, mine wasn’t there. I scanned the list again, hoping I had somehow skipped past my own name out of excitement. But reality set in. My mind scrambled to make sense of the situation as I balanced a mixture of shock, sadness and embarrassment.
That rejection hit particularly hard because I had started building my identity around being a baseball player. Suddenly, I felt left out and unsure of who I was.
My good friend David had made the team, and later that spring while at his house, I found his baseball jersey in his closet and tried it on. I wanted so badly to feel like I was on the team that I thought wearing his jersey would give me that feeling.
But there was no way to escape the cruel reality the mirror was spitting back at me — David’s jersey didn’t fit me. He was much taller, so the tail of the shirt almost reached my knees, and the sleeves covered up most of my arms. I would’ve had to wear several layers so it wouldn’t hang so loosely off my body. Instead of making me feel like part of the team, all it did was remind me of what I didn’t have.
This makes a lot more sense to me years later. That jersey didn’t fit because it was never intended for me. I didn’t earn it. It didn’t feel the way I wanted it to because it wasn’t supposed to. It simply wasn’t my jersey.
This is what comparison does to us. I was so focused on fitting into David’s jersey that I missed out on all the metaphorical outfits in my own closet that I actually fit into. The ones that were intended for me, that were my size. I was seeking joy and belonging from something I was never intended to belong to. God had different plans for me, I just wasn’t in a place where I wanted to embrace them yet.
Another David understood this before facing Goliath. Before the battle, King Saul dressed David in armor: a bronze helmet, chainmail and a sword. It was the gear of kings and warriors, but David couldn’t move in it (see verse above).
Instead, he walked into battle carrying what God had already equipped him with: stones, a sling and confidence in the Lord. David refused to fight dressed as someone else.
How often do we do the opposite? We wear borrowed armor — chasing approval, success, influence or someone else’s definition of significance. We convince ourselves that our gifts aren’t enough, our story isn’t enough, or our calling isn’t enough.
But God never asked you to wear someone else’s jersey.
The battle in front of you doesn’t require borrowed armor. It requires faithfulness with what God has already given you. Comparison says, “You need what they have.” God says, “I’ve already equipped you.”
So rather than questioning whether your stones look as impressive as someone else’s sword, reorient your heart to trust the God who placed the stones in your hand in the first place.
The world of NASCAR suffered a tragedy recently with the death of one of its top drivers, Kyle Busch. The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, who ranks ninth in all-time Cup wins, died suddenly after a brief illness.
Of all major sports, NASCAR embodies the spirit of family like no other. Christian faith runs deep throughout the racing industry. The danger of the sport may contribute to that, but there is spirit of joy within the NASCAR community that can only come from a knowledge of a living Savior. Busch is one of many on the NASCAR circuit who have openly declared their Christian faith.
Less than a week before his passing, Busch won the Ecosave 200 in the Craftsman Truck Series. His excitement after winning the race spilled over into reality as he was quoted saying, “You never know when the last one is.” I am sure Kyle wasn’t referring to the shortness of our lives like the “morning fog” that James writes about. He had something else in mind — the reality of uncertainty.
Will another win come about? What is certain to come about is God’s plan for us. While we live in a reality of uncertainty, it is only uncertain to us. God has a plan for each of us and it will unfold as is scheduled. We can be sure God’s purposes are best for us and always designed to bring Him glory.
Unexpected tragedies may shake our faith if we lose track of the reality of what is certain: God’s sovereignty and His love for us. As NASCAR has many family members to support each other, all Christians have each other in God’s family, and in that we can be certain.
From left: Brazil's Alisson, Belgium's Jérémy Doku, USA's Christian Pulisic, Mexico's Santiago Giménez, England's Bukayo Saka. (AP Photos)
For the first time since 1994, the men’s FIFA World Cup is in North America. The 48-team tournament kicks off Thursday in Mexico City and ends on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Players from around the world will be giving glory to God as they participate. Here are 11 Christ-followers to keep an eye on as they take the field to represent their countries.
Alisson Becker, Brazil A two-time Premier League champion with Liverpool, Alisson has established himself as one of the world’s premier goalkeepers over the past decade. He has been the starter in net for Brazil at the past two World Cups and is projected to be the No. 1 choice again. The 33-year-old won multiple Goalkeeper of the Year awards in 2019 and has openly shared about his faith throughout his career. “As I got older, and I experienced more of life — both joy and pain — I realised that God is closer than you can ever imagine,” Alisson wrote last year in a piece for The Players’ Tribune.
Jérémy Doku, Belgium Doku is electric with the ball at his feet, and Belgium will be trying to get it to the 24-year-old as much as possible. He produced eight goals and 12 assists for Manchester City across all competitions this season, helping the team win the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup. But every time he takes the field, his ultimate goal is to glorify the Lord. “On the pitch, I have His presence with me. That’s the difference. I’m just happy that now I can just deliver the way I want to play without any fear or doubt or anything,” Doku told NBC Sports in November.
Eberechi Eze, England After getting his first major international tournament experience at Euro 2024, Eze is hoping to play a larger role for the Three Lions this summer. He scored seven goals for Premier League champions Arsenal in his debut season with the club, appearing in 32 league games. As Eze’s star continues to rise, he remains grounded in his faith. “That faith is a foundation, it’s a pillar for me in my life, of course because of my Christian background and how I’ve grown up. For me, that’s just an anchor of how I live my life. I see everything through the eyes of faith,” he told Sky Sports in May.
Matt Freese, U.S.A. All signs point to Freese being the starting goalie for the U.S. He played every minute of last summer’s Gold Cup and has started eight of the team’s last 10 games. At the club level, he led NYCFC to the Eastern Conference Final last season. Freese draws confidence from knowing he is a child of God. “God’s given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career,” he said during a recent appearance on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “I still have a role to play in that. I still have to do my part and take that opportunity and do something with it.”
Cody Gakpo, Netherlands In his last two major tournaments (2022 World Cup and Euro 2024), Cody Gakpo has found the back of the net six times and assisted on another goal. The 27-year-old Liverpool winger scored in all three group-stage games in Qatar 2022 and will lead the Dutch attack again in North America, as he leans on his relationship with the Lord. “Faith gives me peace,” Gakpo told NRC in 2022. “And strength when I need it. I often read the Bible before I go to sleep. It is a kind of love letter that tells us how we should treat each other.”
Santiago Giménez, Mexico Giménez made his national team debut in 2021 at the age of 20 and started every game at the 2024 Copa América. He had a 23-goal season for Dutch club Feyenoord in 2023-24, which eventually led to him joining Italian powerhouse AC Milan. His faith is the source of the passion that he plays with. “I only ask Him to light up my spirit. It’s just that He lets me be the fighter that I was, that He lets me be that child who had fun before,” Giménez told SempreMilan last year. “Simply, it’s the passion that I have for football, that He reawakens it in me, because when you do things with passion, they turn out well.”
Kenji Gorré, Curaçao Curaçao are in the World Cup for the first time, and Gorré’s goal contributions are a big part of the reason why. The 31-year-old was involved in a team-high six goals (three goals and three assists) during qualifying. As he steps onto the world stage, Gorré is giving the glory to the Lord. “God really does make the impossible possible. … That’s why the God that we serve is alive,” he said in a soon-to-be-released interview with Sports Spectrum. “The God that we serve does want to make your dreams come true and He is with you in your journey.”
Maxence Lacroix, France Lacroix has become a key player for Premier League side Crystal Palace, helping the club win the FA Cup in 2025 and the UEFA Conference League in 2026. His performances earned him a national team debut in March and a spot on an extremely competitive French World Cup roster. He has not been shy about thanking God for the success he’s experienced. “Win titles. Win games. This is very important for a player to win, but look after God first and He will give you what your heart desires,” Lacroix told the Professional Footballers’ Association in 2024.
Mark McKenzie, U.S.A. A product of the famed Philadelphia Union academy, McKenzie just completed his second season in France with Toulouse. He has made 60 Ligue 1 appearances for the club and played 29 times for the U.S. His faith in God has played an important role throughout his career, he shared in a recent interview with Sports Spectrum. “Every day that goes by is a day where I have to look up and say, ‘Thank You, Lord, for seeing me through this,'” he said.
Christian Pulisic, U.S.A. Pulisic is the face of the U.S. men’s national team and its fifth all-time leading scorer with 33 goals at just 27 years old. The AC Milan winger scored the crucial goal against Iran that sent the U.S. to the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup. He has publicly discussed the role faith plays in his life on multiple occasions. “I’ve had to continue to prove myself over and over again,” Pulisic said at the end of a 2021 postgame interview, via CBS. “But, as always, I reach out to God and He gives me strength. With that behind me, nothing can stop me, really.”
Bukayo Saka, England Saka netted three goals at the last World Cup and is a central figure in the England squad that reached the Euro 2020 (played in 2021) and Euro 2024 Finals. He just won the Premier League title with his boyhood club, Arsenal, and started in the Champions League Final against PSG. At the 2022 World Cup, he talked about the peace he finds in the Lord. “It’s really important to obviously have the presence of God in me all the time, and it gives me more confidence that God’s plan is perfect so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back,” he said in a pregame press conference.
“‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’ … And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?” — Luke 18:4b-5, 7
Jesus tells this parable in Luke 18:1-8 with a clear purpose: to pray always and not become discouraged. That means persistence isn’t optional — it’s essential. The widow in the story had no power, no status and no leverage. All she had was determination. So she kept coming. She kept asking. She refused to quit.
The judge wasn’t moved by compassion or righteousness. He was moved by persistence. The widow’s continual coming wore him down until he finally acted. Jesus then flips the story and asks a powerful question: If an unjust judge responds to persistence, how much more will a loving Father respond to His children?
Faith is not a one-time prayer; it’s a posture. It shows up in the “kept coming” (v. 3), the “keeps bothering” (v. 5), the “cry out to him day and night” (v. 7). Faith pushes through silence. Faith keeps praying when answers are delayed. Faith refuses to let discouragement have the final word.
“Keep pushing” doesn’t mean forcing God’s hand; it means trusting God’s heart. Your Father is with you, even when Heaven seems quiet. Persistence isn’t proof that God isn’t listening; it’s often the evidence that He’s strengthening your faith.
So where do you need to keep pushing today? What prayer have you been tempted to give up on? God is still listening. Justice is still coming. Don’t lose heart. Keep praying. Keep believing. God is looking for that faith — and He delights to respond to it.
