“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”

Psalms 46:10 NLT

Sandy Koufax is widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time. In the summer of 1954, after pitching just one year at the University of Cincinnati, Koufax began to receive serious interest from Major League teams. A scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates was so impressed with Koufax after watching his tryout he said, “This is the greatest arm I’ve ever seen.” Later on that year Koufax decided to sign with his hometown team, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Despite having a rocket of an arm, Koufax’s MLB career got off to a rocky start, as he struggled mightily with his control. The arm talent was clearly there as his strikeout numbers were high, but so were the walks. It wasn’t until a Spring Training appearance in 1961 when catcher Norm Sherry suggested to him, “If you get behind the hitters, don’t try to throw so hard.” Koufax took that advice. He stopped trying to throw every pitch with all his might, which often led to a lot of walks and frustration. He began to slow down, trust in his God given abilities, and focus more on getting the ball into the strike zone.

From 1961-1966 Koufax went on to have one of the greatest runs of any pitcher in league history. Here are some of his many accomplishments over the final 6 seasons of his illustrious career:

3x Cy Young Award Winner (1963, 1965, 1966)

National League MVP (1963)

2x World Series MVP (1963, 1965)

National League All Star (1961-1966)

3x Pitching Triple Crown (league leader in wins, strikeouts, and ERA) (1963, 1965, 1966)

Threw 4 no hitters

Pitched a perfect game on September 9, 1965

That’s quite the turnaround!

Often times when we face adversity or fall behind in our own lives, our first instinct is to “throw harder.” The same adjustments that Sandy Koufax made on the mound, are the same adjustments we as Christians should make in our everyday lives. In today’s fast paced world it can be very difficult to slow down. You might even think it makes you look weak if you take your foot off the gas, but actually it’s quite the opposite.

God’s pace is not hurried. God’s pace is not slow. God’s pace is perfect. We must learn to trust God’s timing in our lives. When we walk with God step by step, and put our trust in Him, we can reach heights that we never imagined!

– Juan F. Chestang