“Jesus replied, ‘You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.’” - John 13:7

“Tanking” is a very polarizing word in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It is a word meant for teams that cannot compete for a championship, so they make moves to lose games for a better draft pick. I will leave out the strategies or ethics behind tanking, and instead talk about a team that became famous for it.

The Philadelphia 76ers began “tanking” back in 2013. They were the worst team in the NBA and even had a historical 26-game losing streak. This didn’t just last for one or two seasons either. It took several years before they became relatively good again. And their fan base grew frustrated.

During that time, the team’s general manager, Sam Hinkie, coined a phrase that has remained popular to this day. He told the fans to “Trust the process.” In fact, the 76ers best player, Joel Embiid now has the nickname, “The Process.” It was a phrase Hinkie used to let the fans know that yes, right now things don’t look good, but trust what they are doing, and eventually, they will see the rewards.

Now, this is not that different from what Jesus said in John 13:7, “Jesus replied, ‘You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.’”

What is different is that Philadelphia fans are still waiting on the reward of a championship. Hinkie was fired, and we do not know if it will all pan out the way the 76ers hope it will. But what we do know is that in our spiritual life, it WILL all work out.

Jesus is telling us to trust the process. He’s asking us to allow Him to work in our lives. There might be times when things do not look good, but it is not finished. He is still working. And there will come a time when we understand why He did what He did.

While a basketball team cannot promise a good ending, Jesus can. And He does. If you will trust the process that God is taking you on and stay faithful to Him, you will be rewarded. That is a guarantee!