New York Knicks’ fans are one of the most passionate fan bases in the NBA, despite their many years of frustration and disappointment. 

This season has been especially brutal as they’ve watched their team lose 20 of their past 27 games, and have witnessed the franchise’s owner, president, and star player steal headlines for all of the wrong reasons.

The fans are still wondering whether or not their best player, Carmelo Anthony, will be traded, and why Phil Jackson continues to make the decisions he does.

Last week, fan-favorite and former Knick, Charles Oakley, was confrontationally kicked out of a game at Madison Square Garden because of his poor relationship with owner, James Dolan.

I don’t see how this entire situation in New York gets better anytime soon, but I do feel somewhat bad for the fans. They have placed their trust in Jackson, Dolan, and Anthony to bring an NBA Championship to New York, and all they have seen is a disaster.

We shouldn’t be that surprised, however, when we realize where they’ve placed their trust. Phil Jackson is an amazing coach, but he’s never run a front office before.

His moves have been extremely questionable, considering he placed his confidence in a rookie head coach, Derek Fisher, and traded for and signed injury-plagued players, Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Whether viewing the New York Knicks through the perspective of the fans or the franchise, the bottom line is they’ve placed their trust in people who have let them down, and are now left figuring out how to fix the mess.

 In sports, and in life, trust plays a big role in relationships and decision-making. We must ask ourselves who we trust to provide peace, security, and satisfaction.

Do we trust people, possessions, and our jobs more than God…and place more importance on them to fill the longings of our hearts? Do we trust in our own abilities over God and His power?

The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:5 (ESV), “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.'”

On the flip side, Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV) tells us, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

The situation with the New York Knicks is a good reminder to take a look at our hearts today, and decide if we’ve given our full trust to Jesus to be the Lord of our life…and believe He’ll provide everything we need. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for placing too much trust in myself and other people to provide what only You can. I pray that my full trust would be found in You. I believe You are good and faithful, and that I have no reason to be anxious when I trust You. Thank you for never letting me down. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.