As I am walking through some trials, God has impressed upon my heart that I need to be a “spectator”. 

Not a spectator of a sports event, concert, or any other such activity, but God wants His people to be spectators of what He is doing.

As I imagine myself as a spectator of God, I picture myself at a baseball game. I’m in the stands. God is the only one on the field. My responsibility is to keep my eyes fixed upon Him, so that I know when I am supposed to act or speak. He will let me know when I need to come out of the stands.

I have to remember that He is the Head Coach of the team of believers who follow Jesus.

As the Head Coach, He has all authority to call the plays that I am to follow.

As the Head Coach, He has my best interests at heart.

As the Head Coach, He knows what each “player” should be doing so that we are coordinated for His glory.

God, our Head Coach, leads us in ways that are righteous and holy. He is mighty!  He is mighty to save us from our sins. Zephaniah 3:17 states this truth: “The LORD your God is in your midst, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

Luke 1:68-75: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”

Hebrews 12:2 reminds us of what Jesus has done for us so that our sins, though they be great, are ALL forgiven when we belong to Jesus: “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

As I keep my eyes focused on my Head Coach, remaining in my seat as a spectator, I am able to see Him clearly, and to hear His voice. He will only lead me in ways that are good for me. He will only lead me in ways of purity, truth, holiness, mercy and grace.

He calls me to participate in some hard plays. But God has them all planned out so that I can come out a winner for Him, for His kingdom! 1 Corinthians 15:57 states: “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As I’ve been settling into my role as a spectator, I find that the peace of God rules deeper in my heart and mind the more I set my eyes upon Him. Isaiah 26:3: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Being a spectator causes me to practice being still, so that I can give closer attention to what my great God is telling me. Being still helps me to reorient myself to the Lord. It allows me to calm my anxious heart as I look to Him. 

Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 helps us further understand where we should focus our attention: “As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” We can’t physically see our great God now, but one day our hope will be fulfilled, when Jesus returns and finalizes our everlasting life in and with Him. In the same way that players pay attention to their head coach, looking to receive their step by step plays, we should fix our eyes on Jesus. We need to watch as spectators, so that we know when we are called to step into play. 

Though He is unseen, He is not silent! He has provided us with His Word, the Bible, so that we can know some of His thoughts. John 21:25: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

How might taking on the role of spectator help you find greater intimacy with the Lord Jesus? If you do not yet have a personal relationship with Him, this is the day you could experience His transforming gift of eternal life, as you receive complete forgiveness for your sins.

If I can help you take this step, please contact me at:  ButGodCares@gmail.com. 

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please share it with others!

Note: If the verses for Bible references do not appear when you hover over them, go directly to the website, and they should appear for you. Also, please remember to look at the full context of the verses by reading the complete passage.

Copyright 2025 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.