God of the Second Chance
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time…
(Jonah 3:1)
To my way of thinking, this is arguably the most remarkable verse in the entire book of Jonah.
That phrase, of course, alludes to the fact that there had been “a first time.” In that first time, as those of you who are familiar with the book know, when the word of the Lord came to Jonah, he had consciously and stubbornly disobeyed. He literally ran in the opposite direction from what he had been called to do.
And yet, in a display of remarkable patience and loving discipline, God chased him down and brought him to the end of himself. From the belly of a fish, Jonah recognized the foolishness of his actions, confessed his sin, and committed himself to obey. Then, all of his failures notwithstanding, a second chance is offered.
A wrong-way run
This past week I dug out of my files one of my all-time favorite “second chance stories.” On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl. The center for Cal was a player named Roy Riegels.
The game was a defensive battle with neither team finding any advantage until, late in the second quarter, Tech fumbled. Roy Riegels scooped up the fumble and began heading to the end zone.
The problem was that somehow Roy had become confused and started running toward the wrong end zone. Finally, one of his teammates overtook him and tackled Roy just before he scored for the opposition. Roy was inconsolable.
Cal was forced to punt and, wouldn’t you know it, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety as the half ended. The shocked Cal players headed for their dressing room amid the hoots and hollers of the jubilant Georgia Tech fans.
Once there, they took their assigned places on the benches in the center of the room – all except Roy who went to a corner and sank down with his head in his hands.
If you have played football, you know that a coach usually has a lot to say to his team during halftime. That day, Coach Nibs Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Roy.
When the timekeeper came in and announced there were three minutes before the second-half kickoff, Coach Price looked at his team and said, “Men, the same team that started the first half will start the second half.”
The players got up and started for the field, all but Roy. He didn’t move. The coach looked back and called to him. The big center still didn’t move.
Coach Price then went over to where Riegels sat and said, “Roy, didn’t you hear me? The same team that started the first half will start the second half.”
Riegels finally looked up, his cheeks shining with tears said, “Coach, I can’t do it. I’ve ruined you. I’ve ruined Cal. I’ve ruined myself. How can I face that crowd?”
Then Coach Price reached out and put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Roy,” he said, “get up and go on out there.” Then he added, “The game is only half over.”
Roy got up and went out and played. Oh, how he played! In fact, players on both teams later agreed that they had never seen a man play like Roy Riegels did in that second half.
The game is only half over
When I read that story, I found myself thinking how we’re not all that different from that kid. All too often we take the ball and run in the wrong direction. Sometimes we do so mistakenly, like the wayward football player. Other times we do so willfully, like the stubborn prophet.
The resulting disaster – and it’s always a disaster when you run from God’s will and way – is not merely embarrassing, it’s shaming. Though we may begin that run with a sense of exhilaration, in the end, we look like fools and feel like failures.
And it’s then that our amazing Coach, the God of the Second Chance, comes to us and whispers, “Get up and go on. The game is only half over.”
I don’t know where this article finds you. But I have to believe that for some of you, this is the word you need to hear today: “Get up and go on. The game is only half over.”
You may well have messed up in the first half. And to be sure, there’s been some damage done to your life…to your marriage…to your children…to your testimony.
But the One who called you is not only willing to forgive you – He still believes in you. “Get up and go on. The game is only half over.”
You may well have messed up in the first half, but the One who called you is not only willing to forgive you – He still believes in you. Get up and go on. The game is only half over.
PRAYER
Father, how grateful I am that you are the God of the Second Chance. Heaven knows I need that. Thank you for the fullness of forgiveness offered by Jesus. And thank you that you are willing to keep me in the game.
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