Cheering For the Underdog!

This past week, my two brothers and I took our annual trip to the US Open in Queens, NY. It’s always an exciting day, watching tennis players from around the world fight to move on to the next round, and possibly into the finals. This year has been especially exciting as throughout the tournament there have been multiple upsets and the rising of some very young stars, including three 18 year-olds.  What I noticed the day we were there, as well as in the matches I’ve watched on TV, the crowd seems to almost always get behind the underdog, even if they’ve cheered for the higher ranked player in the past. 

The second match that my brothers and I got to watch was between Elena Svitolina (Ukraine), who was the fifth seed, and a young unseeded player who seemed to come out of nowhere, Leyla Fernandez (Canada).  Leyla had already beaten the 16th seed, Angelique Kerber, and the #3 seed, Noemi Osaka who has been a crowd favorite. In each of these matches, including the one that my brothers and I got to see, the crowd was on their feet cheering for Fernandez. And the same was true last night, as she fought against the #2 seed, Aryna Sabalenka, to make it into the finals!  Much to Sabalenka’s chagrin, the crowd was obviously behind the underdog.  And, such has been the case not only for Fernandez, but for all the underdogs in the tournament.   

One of the most well-known underdog stories in the Bible is that of David and Goliath. David was clearly the underdog: a teenager coming before the well-armored and battle-ready giant with nothing more than a sling and some stones. I’m sure that David knew that on the surface he was at a great disadvantage. Yet, there was something within David that gave him the courage to face his opponent; that something was faith. David cried out to Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (1 Samuel 17:45 – NIV) 

In the end, David won the battle! And as we read the story, we all cheer for we are given hope that if David the underdog could win, then just maybe we can too. But, let’s not miss the point of the biblical story: David’s victory came about not merely by means of his own courage and fortitude, but because God was with him and helped him.  In fact, throughout the Bible, we find that God is often on the side of the underdog. We might say, God is cheering for the underdog. And, he gives to them some very unexpected victories as they trust him with their lives and the situations they find before them.

I tend to think we all, at some time in our life, feel like the underdog. We all experience those times when we sense the odds are against us, our opponent is too formidable, the task is beyond our capacity, the challenge is too overwhelming. But I want to encourage us to not give up.  Rather like David, and so many others like him, to put our trust in God, for he is cheering for us. And in fact, he just might give to us some unexpected victories! 

“For the LORD takes delight in his people;  he crowns the humble with victory.” (Psalm 149:4 – NIV) 

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris