Mitch Holthus’s voice is familiar to all Kansas City Chiefs fans who listen to the radio. For 26 years, he has been the Chiefs Radio Network’s play-by-play personality, announcing each touchdown with his gravelly voice. Before head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes joined the team, they had not seen a Super Bowl appearance in 50 years. He discussed the long drought as part of divine providence. “I had a couple of texts from brothers in the Lord who have said exactly that. Now, God doesn’t care who wins, and God is a God of waiting, and we’re blessed in waiting, but it has been waiting. But now I see His hand in a lot of things, whether we win this thing or not.”

Ruth 1-2 – Divine Orchestration

I believe God works all things together for good in the lives of His children. Whether it’s a football team or Ruth, who was providentially brought together with Boaz (Ruth 2), a wealthy and influential man in Israel, this brought blessings that went far into the future, including a husband and a son. God even gave her the blessing of being listed in the lineage of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). This doesn’t exempt God’s people from sorrow and hardship, and all suffering seems painful at the time. All things are under the sovereign control of God, and nothing can touch us that He has not approved. He sends discipline and heartache into our lives to purify us and make us more like Christ, but the blessings far outweigh the hardships in the long run. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

It’s not too often that you hear someone in sports bring up the word providence unless they are talking about the college basketball team. This is an English word chosen to capture a significant biblical teaching. Here’s how John Piper explains it in his book, Providence. “The word providence is built from the word provide, which has two parts: pro (Latin “forward,” “on behalf of”) and vide (Latin “to see”). So you might think that the word provides would mean “to see forward” or “to foresee.” But it doesn’t. It means “to supply what is needed”; “to give sustenance or support.” So in reference to God, the noun providence has come to mean “the act of purposefully providing for, or sustaining and governing the world.”

The Kingdom Coach & Athlete believe God sees to it that things happen to accomplish His will.

Bible Memory Verse – “But Ruth said, “Do not press me to forsake you in turning back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may Yahweh do to me, and more, if anything but death separates you and me.” Ruth 1:16-17 (LSB)