Those of us living in Louisiana can attest to the fact that “Who Dat Nation” is alive and well. With the Super Bowl bound New Orleans Saints are the hopes and dreams of the forever faithful "Who Dat" fans.
To say that the NFL created a controversy last week when it issued letters telling area merchants that they could not sell merchandise with “Who Dat” printed on it, is an understatement at best. There are those in South Louisiana that would tell you that they don’t need a lot of reasons to start trouble, and the NFL’s statement in their eyes, was grounds for a righteous rebellion. After all, who are they to tell the fans that the chant of the last 20 years was now “trademarked” by the NFL? Their actions even enlisted a U.S. Senator joining the revolt of the people crying against the tyranny of the NFL. “Who Dat!” became a battle cry as well as a statement of a people like a Phoenix rising from the flood waters of Katrina and Rita, stretching upwards on the back of their beloved Saints football team. The Saints were marching into Miami and no person or organization was going to tell them what they could wear or couldn’t wear or say.
I say all of this as I reflected on the original chant, “Who dat say gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?” I woke up the other night with this on my mind (I don’t know why as I certainly have enough other stuff in my life to consume my thoughts). Yet, there it was repeating itself over and over: “Who dat say gonna beat dem Saints?”
I lay there wondering why this would be on my mind (other than the game was only days away), I thought of the issues I was presently dealing with in my world and tried to fathom “why” would I be thinking about “Who Dat?” Suddenly it became so clear.
The passage in Romans 8:28 came to mind (my favorite verse): “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
I realized at that moment God was speaking to me to realize that the “all things” happening my life at that moment had its reasons. Verse 31 continued with, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
I remember the first time in my teenage life when I realized that God was for me and not my enemy. I grew up with the idea that God was just waiting for me to step out of line so He could take me out. How life changing it was when I understood that God was working everything for my good (even if I didn’t understand ‘how’).
The Apostle Paul’s letter continues in verses 36-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It was then that I realized that God himself was the originator of the first “Who Dat”! With that understanding, the “saints” of God can face any adversity that comes our way and know “God is for us” and there’s not a force on earth or a devil in hell that can deter us from finishing out mission in life.
So when the trump of God sounds and the saints of God rise in the air to enter triumphantly through the gates of glory, don’t be surprised if you hear a delegation of God’s people from Louisiana singing, “Who dat say gonna beat dem saints? Who dat…who dat!” Look over your shoulder—I’ll be one of them!
LISTEN TO HOW THE SAINTS PRAISE THE LORD. I AM SO HAPPY THEY ARE GIVING JESUS ALL THE GLORY
--Subject: Saints Give God The Glory
One of the most awesome videos I've seen in a long time!
http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/vod/SB93v2_WS
Posted by: Dot | February 14, 2010 at 04:59 PM