During the tennis tournament last weekend, my best male player got injured Saturday night during a third set tie-break of a very intense match. He and his wife won, which made them very happy, and the rest of us too, but his ability to play anymore did not look promising.

When the injury occurred, I was instantly in prayer-mode for his safety and on-going health and well being, not for selfish reasons, but for spiritual reasons.

It was not spiritually scientific for me to stand around watching someone suffer and believe the suffering had to continue or be part of his experience. I needed to correct the view of injury in my own mind, and know this loved one of God could only express wholeness, soundness, peace, harmony and on-going freedom of movement, health and well being, not because that’s what I personally wanted, but because that was God’s permanent plan. And that is what I did.

However, the next morning, his leg was hurting substantially, and he informed me that he could not play any longer.

From a captain’s point of view, this was disappointing because we had our most important match that day, and he wouldn’t be able to play in it. But I did not fear, worry or regret. I knew God was meeting all the needs of our team and players, and there could be no loss or lack.

We all joyfully went on to plan our day.

Interestingly, that afternoon, when I was supposed to turn in the line-up for the Big Match, what to do was not forming in my thought.

If you’re not aware, before every match the captain of a team has to write down who will play and in what position and turn it into the administrator of the tournament. Once the lineup is in, no changes can be made.

Well, I had been praying about the lineup for an hour or so, with no clear direction.

I was sitting at a little table in the café lounge all by myself. It was 25 minutes before match time. Normally, I have the lineup figured out and ready to turn in at least 30 minutes ahead of time.

In the front door of the club comes my lead man cheerfully jaunting over to my table. He has this happy grin on his face and he’s kicking his leg out as if to show me something. He says, “You know, I was walking out of Subway with these sandwiches for the team, and I realized my leg was just fine. Look!” And he showed me.

“I think I can play,” he reported.

“Wow!” I replied. This was my answered prayer.

With this new announcement, the line-up came very clear to me. I turned in my form. The team went on court, and he played without trouble the most intense match of the weekend. And won! This victory cinched our top place and sent us to the next level which is in Sunriver next month.

I was so glad afterward that I was patient. If I had grown impatient, I could have easily turned the line-up in before this player had a chance to find me in the lounge and tell me of his discovery that he could play.

I had been refusing to write down the lineup because I did not feel the peace within I always search for ahead of time. I was patient. I waited until the direction was clear. And then the reason for waiting became apparent.

God knows what He is doing. Put His direction first, and you’ll know what to do too.

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Ps 27:14