Sitting the Bench

Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:16

Have you ever had to sit the bench in school sports? Or perhaps you have a child who has to sit the bench. It’s not easy to do, especially when you feel that you have the ability to do what the players in the game are doing. Sometimes you can feel resentment towards the coach who seems to be ignoring you. Or maybe you have jealousy towards the players who are more talented or preferred over you.

Some people may feel satisfied sitting the bench because they are just happy that they made the team. However, even those people want to get in the game every now and then! Sitting the bench isn’t just in sports. God also has His people sit the bench at times in life.

We may be married and it’s plateaued with apathy, so we want to get off the bench and have more fun. Or we may be single and desire to get off the bench for marriage and children. We may be struggling with feeling like our jobs going nowhere and want to get off the bench to do something else.

Yet if we are patient in these bench-sitting times, we may find purpose and a plan for this season of our lives. Sitting the bench, whether figuratively or literally, isn’t meant to be a passive experience. The players on the bench are supposed to be just as knowledgeable about the team strategies as those on the court.

So it is with God sitting us on the bench—He expects us to use our time on the bench wisely. We are to seek His face in prayer and Bible study in order to end in victory instead of defeat. We learn to wait patiently for our Coach to call us out in His perfect timing.