“Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” — Psalm 23:4b
>> Sign up here for Sports Spectrum devotionals sent right to your email inbox <<
Sir Alex Ferguson is considered by many to be the greatest soccer manager of all time, winning 1,253 total games from 1974 until his retirement in 2013. Most notably, he guided Manchester United to an incredible 38 trophies (13 Premier League titles) from 1986-2013, building a decades-long dynasty with the club and redefining the standard of sustained excellence for all managers to follow.
Among Ferguson’s many skills was his ability to tailor his coaching style to each player in order to motivate and make him the best he could be. For example, Ferguson made famous what is known as the “hairdryer treatment” in which he would explode in a fiery verbal reprimand of a player delivered at close range, metaphorically blowing his hair back.
Yet at the same time, he knew the “hairdryer treatment” wouldn’t motivate everyone but actually do the opposite. He once said, “You can’t always come in shouting and screaming. That doesn’t work. No one likes to get criticized.”
The “hairdryer treatment” or calm, steady words of encouragement. Either way, Ferguson left no potential untapped. He wouldn’t have been able to sustain such managerial success in this way without truly knowing his players — knowing what they needed and when, what to say and how to say it. He learned them. He was attentive to them and how they responded.
As followers of Christ, we can rest in the fact that we have a God who knows us perfectly. He knows us much better than our family members and friends. In fact, He knows every hair on our heads and every thought before we think it. He knows what we want, but He also knows what we need. God the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf when we don’t have the words to express ourselves. As a mother attends to her precious newborn baby, even more so does God attend to us, and He’s always working for our good.
This is also true when it comes to our lifelong battle to put sin to death. Using imagery of God as a shepherd, Psalm 23:4 says in part, “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Sometimes we need greater discipline as we strive after obedience, and God uses the disciplinary tool of a rod to provide that discipline. But other times we are disheartened about the pervasiveness of our sin, and He uses His staff to gently encourage and guide us in the right direction.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He knows each of us, and He knows exactly what we need to arrive safely at home in the arms of our Heavenly Father.
— Kevin Mercer
>> Do you know Christ personally? Learn how you can commit your life to Him <<
>> Dive more into God’s Word with Sports Spectrum through the YouVersion Bible App <<
If you would like to submit a devotional, please email all submissions to
devotionals@sportsspectrum.com
