The run of the table

 

When I was growing up we had a snooker table in our family home and it became well used by me and my brother. Sometimes it would feel as though you had what we called the 'run of the table' when most shots you played seemed to go where you wanted and it didn't seem to be a huge effort. This created a feeling of being on cloud nine and made me more confident when going for challenging shots. On other occasions you could try to pot the right ball with all your best efforts and it wouldn't happen. Two things occurred when I wasn't experiencing this run of the table: 

 

1) Frustration set in. I could be sticking to the game plan that seemed to work for me previously and struggled with the realisation that it was wasn't working as before. When this frustration set in it could feel that the table was somehow working against me.

 

2) Giving up seemed preferable. When things didn't go well for me on the snooker table I questioned my performance and would tell myself that I wasn't going to get any better so what was the point.  

 

Sometimes in life we have a sense of forward momentum when for no clear reason it appears that we are making some headway. Whether it's real or imagined our efforts at times don't feel strained, it's as if they become 'naturally effortless' or unforced and we don't feel as though we are struggling against some immovable force. At other times, we can find ourselves in similar situations than we have experienced before but for no apparent reason overcoming seems to have become an uphill struggle. Frustration sets in and we begin to doubt that we can keep going as the 'run of the table' appears to have deserted us.

 

In the life of the church, the Bible illustrates that that there are times of growth and momentum but these will be balanced by times of trial and struggle. The early church experienced both. In Acts chapter 2 it is mentioned that about 3000 converts were added to the church in a single day and believers were joyful and well regarded by others. Fast forward a few chapters and a great persecution ravaged the church and scattered members throughout different regions (Acts 8). The relevance for the church today in one sense is that the 'run of the table' can be with us for a day or a season but this can change dramatically. When the going gets tough we will get frustrated but it is then that we must not look inward as if it is about our performance.

 

The Bible encourages us instead to look Godward. One of my favourite movie scenes is from 'Chariots of Fire' when the actor playing the runner Eric Liddell reads from Psalm 121: I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS. FROM WHERE DOES MY HELP COME? MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH (v1-2). The church must stay resolute both when momentum is present and when it appears not to be. The church must abide in God as the source of hope when the church is popular and when it is not. The sceptic will not be won over by a church that loses its nerve when the 'run of the table' is against it. The church is to be encouraged to overcome frustration and to not throw in the towel > Galatians 6v9 LET US NOT BECOME WEARY IN DOING GOOD FOR AT THE APPOINTED TIME WE WILL REAP A HARVEST OF BLESSING IF WE NOT LOSE HEART AND GIVE UP.The church must endure (see Romans 5v3-4). It is not about personal performance. There is no performance formula to make the church grow! Sure, the church can improve how it presents itself to the world but the Bible teaches that it is God who makes things grow (see 1 Corinthians 3v6-7)  Jesus echoed this when he said: 1 WILL BUILD MY CHURCH AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT (Matthew 16v18). So, the next time things are not going to plan  remember that the church is not called to perform its way out of trouble like a business or a company employee but to trust in the One who controls the 'run of the table' in the revelation of where our true help comes from - it comes from the Lord not the circumstances of the moment.