“There is none holy like the LORD: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2, ESV)
My first look at the US Open leaderboard came on Thursday morning, just before 7:15 Pacific Time. By then, ugly was in full effect.
Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy were five-over through six. Their playing partner, Phil Mickelson, was “better,” at +3. Bubba Watson was also at three-over, though through eight, and Jason Day was a shot worse.
You couldn’t say it absolutely in that hour, but it already looked clear. The week was ending almost before it began for these top-line players. Indeed, by the time Friday closed, of these names only Mickelson made the cut—though it’s easy to wonder now if he wishes he had missed it.
Then there was Scott Piercy, he who had walked off the course after just four or five holes of his Wednesday practice round. He called his wife to tell her he’d likely be home on Saturday, then called for pizza to stuff his sorrows. By the end of Thursday, he was tied for the lead.
All of which led one Twitter-strong golf observer to say, “That’s why I don’t bet on golf.”
There is none besides the Lord when it comes to guarantees. He stands alone.Whether we are talking chips-on-the-table, money-on-the-books gambling doesn’t matter. Much of life is a wager, a risk. Starting a business is an entrepreneur’s guess, however educated. A computer, or a car, or pretty much anything you can’t fix yourself comes with the buyer’s caveat. Even the staunchest wedding vows are two one-sided commitments; it takes both to tie the knot and keep it tied.
This is not an exercise in painting dark clouds, folks. It’s a reminder that there is no substitute for an unwavering God. We cannot bet on ourselves and we cannot bet on others with any reliability. Not for a golf tournament and not for much else. Even those precious vows come with pointed warnings: for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. The shortcomings of a fallen world test us all.
Into this context, we are blessed with the pictures of the Bible’s psalmists. And the idea of God as a rock, fixed and foundational, helps greatly. Jesus added to the metaphor: “Build on solid rock—obey God.”
I’m with the Twitter guy. I have no plans to bet on golf—and not much else. I will trust the people God brings into my life, but I will trust them because they come from him. There is none besides him when it comes to guarantees. He stands alone. And he alone allows us to stand with any confidence at all.
—
Jeff Hopper
June 18, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.