“Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.” — 2 Samuel 12:20
>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<
University of Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett accepted the historic reality of the situation after his team lost to UMBC in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He acknowledged the shock and embarrassment that came with being the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed.
Bennett also refused to let that game define him or his players. He was able to appreciate the weight of the loss without giving it more significance than it deserved. Of course, the Cavaliers went on to win the national championship the following season.
King David had to deal with a different kind of pain and embarrassment after sleeping with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. When David learned Bathsheba was pregnant, he brought Uriah home from battle in an effort to cover up what he’d done (2 Samuel 11:1-11). That didn’t work, so David sent Uriah back to the battle and had him killed (2 Samuel 11:14-27).
The Lord then sent the prophet Nathan to David, and Nathan helped David see the awful thing he’d done. Nathan told David his son will die because of his sinful behavior. David pleaded with God until he was told his child was dead. The very next thing he did was go to the house of the Lord and worship (2 Samuel 12:1-20).
We are all going to make mistakes we wish we could take back, and we’re all going to encounter adversity. We can’t do anything about the past other than be accountable for our actions and learn from them. What we can control is our response.
Our worst moments can bring us closer to God if we are humble enough to lay all of our flaws and struggles at His feet. We can give our sin the attention it deserves without letting it weigh us down and prevent us from being who God made us to be.
It all depends on our response.
— Joshua Doering
If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com.
Click here for all Sports Spectrum Daily Devotionals
>> Purchase “The Increase 52 Week Devotional” to further grow your relationship with Christ <<
