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Strength and Weakness
July 21, 2012
By Pastor Tim Richard
St Louis, where I’ve lived for seventeen years, is undeniably a great baseball town. In spite of that I had never heard of baseball phenomenon Josh Hamilton until recently. He joined the Texas Rangers in 2008 and has made the All-star team every year since. He was even named the American League MVP in 2010.
In spite of his amazing success Hamilton’s life has been anything but smooth sailing. He was injured in an auto accident before the 2001 season and that year began a very public struggle with alcohol and drugs. In 2004 he was suspended for 30 days after testing positive for drugs and he didn’t return to the game until 2006. He was committed to staying clean and had developed a deep faith. He readily admitted he needed God’s help with his career and his personal life.
Coming back after being away from the game that long is almost unheard of, but with God’s help Hamilton didn’t merely come back, he excelled in a way few have in baseball history. In fact, many consider him the best player in professional baseball today.
A couple of months ago Hamilton was going through another rough patch. He was battling an upper respiratory infection and was out of the team’s starting lineup for one game. He had to be given oxygen to get through a game on May 27.
However, the real story took place the night before. As the game on May 26 went into extra innings Hamilton began feeling more and more ill. While sitting in the dugout trying to catch his breath he noticed a scrap of paper on the ground and picked it up. He recognized it as the Bible passage his friend Shayne Kelley had given him the night before. It said, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31, NIV)
Those were the words Hamilton needed. He realized God had already brought him through much worse and when he walked to the plate in the thirteenth inning he hit the home run that ended the game and made national headlines. No one knew what had helped him dig so deep and hit the ball so hard when he was so sick… but in interview after interview he acknowledged God’s help when he needed it most.
Our struggles and personal weaknesses will probably never make headlines anywhere. However, the fact that God can help us when we need Him the most is just as relevant when we take the time to acknowledge how much we need His help every day.
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