Returning to Center Court
When I was a younger man, I played a lot of sports, and one of my favorites was squash. Squash is like tennis, but it’s played in a very small room. It’s an incredible game – you must be fit, you’re constantly moving around and it’s very mentally taxing. There is a secret to playing squash and is that you must return to the center of the court. Wherever you are on the court, you must move back to the center to play your best game. I think there are spiritual parallels here, which for us is the cross and our relationship with the resurrected Jesus.
We’re in a civilizational and cultural moment right now. All we have to do is switch on the news, listen to the radio, read the newspapers or talk to friends. We are in a time of stress and strain.
For us, for the people of God – what does that mean? What does it mean to be living in these times of civilizational and cultural moments and movements as people of God? What does it mean to be in the center of the court that God has called us to play on?
Perhaps Psalm 46 will help orientate us:
“God is our protection and source of strength. He’s always ready to help us in times of trouble. So we are not afraid when the earth quakes and the mountains fall into the sea. We are not afraid when the seas become rough and dark and the mountains tremble. There is a river whose streams bring happiness to God’s city, to the holy city of God Most High. God is in that city, so it will never be destroyed. He is there to help even before sunrise. Nations will shake with fear and kingdoms will fall when God shouts and makes the earth move. The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety. Look at the powerful things the Lord has done. See the awesome things he has done on earth. He stops wars all over the world. He breaks the soldiers’ bows, shatters their spears and burns their shields. God says, ‘Stop fighting and know that I am God! I am the one who defeats the nations; I am the one who controls the world.’ The Lord All-Powerful is with us. The God of Jacob is our place of safety.”
Selah (meaning pause and think calmly about that).
What an inspiring and magnificent word, not only for us, but for those who have come before us and those who will come after us as well. David was inspired by God Himself to write this Psalm. As we pray these divinely inspired words, we join both David and Jesus Christ, God incarnate, in the prayer, so we can return to the centrality of our faith which is Jesus Christ and the fact that He is with us, for us and by His Holy Spirit, lives in us.
How is your tactical game going? Are you constantly returning to the center in order to take part most effectively? I hope you will see a little more of Jesus in your leadership, anchored to the center of the court and nowhere else.