Trust in him at all times, O people… (Psalm 62:8, ESV)
It has occurred to me with great clarity in recent days just how much trust is involved in swinging a golf club with authority. Consider exactly what it entails and you’ll know why.
To begin, you swing the club behind you, in a direction where you have no eyes to see it. You may do this slowly if you like and even take a look backward to observe what is going on. But in your effort to do this, you will have removed your focus from the object most requiring it: the ball.
So how exactly do you return the club to the ball with any measure of speed and power? There’s only one way. Complete trust.
Trusting God in the real world so often begins with only a wisp of faith. Nothing more.In 1892, an anonymous “duffer” gave us a line later borrowed by Woodrow Wilson or Winston Churchill, or perhaps both: “The object is to put a very small ball into a very tiny and remotely distant hole, with engines singularly ill-adapted for the purpose.” Concentrate on those engines, and you’ll make no good pass at the ball. Focus on the ball, and you’ve still got a big job ahead!
Maybe sometimes you feel like your walk with Jesus is much like this dandy little puzzle. A lot of it seems to be played out in your blind spot, and you’re not sure you’ve got the right tools for the hard work. More than that, one friend is telling you that you need to stay in step with the Spirit—if he only left a trail—and another friend is saying you need to listen for the voice of the Lord—as though he’ll call you on the phone. Real trust isn’t so easy.
What often helps when we’re not sure we’re up to snuff is to look at those whose stories are told in the Bible. Nearly every last one was hit with a big surprise, one that required them to swing blindly. And many of those looked a lot more like the beginner next to you at the driving range, taking the club back only to their knees and swinging through with too little force to kill a fly. Moses begged off from addressing Pharaoh; though anointed to be king by the prophet of God, David cried desperately for help when Saul threatened his life; Joseph tried to quietly cover up the would-be embarrassment; Peter said of the arrested Jesus, “No, I don’t know him!”
Trusting God in the real world so often begins with only a wisp of faith. Nothing more. Yet God calls us to greatness. “Stand up and say whatever I command you,” God directed Jeremiah. “You’ll do greater things than these,” Jesus told his disciples. “Encourage and rebuke with all authority,” Paul charged Titus.
So how can we respond except to do one thing: TRUST! You’ve got to really swing a golf club if you’re going to move the ball. And you’ve got to really trust God if you’re going to step out in faith. When you can’t see what you’re doing, see that God is there and that he can surely be trusted. Then go! Weak, terrified, uncertain—go!
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Jeff Hopper
December 22, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.