The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. (Proverbs 21:1, ESV)
A player once told me that she tried to give each shot a chance to be the best of the day. It may seem obvious, but who knows, you may value that holeout for bogey more than the tap-in birdie, or that punch shot that got you out of trouble. Your shot of the day could happen at any time over the course of the round. She made a good point and it has stuck with me ever since. Give each shot a chance to be the best of the day and eventually you’ll be right!
Timing is everything and not only in the golf swing but in life. We may think we know the path we are headed down, but God often has other plans for us.
Repeatedly we see God is faithful but at the most unexpected time.
Think of Sarah and Abraham. Sarah was 90 years old when she gave birth to Isaac, and Abraham was 100. In Genesis 18:14 we read, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
Give each shot a chance to be the best of the day and eventually you’ll be right!Think of Joseph, who was sold into slavery at age 17 by his brothers and then at age 30 was released from prison and brought in to be second in command of Egypt. He famously said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20).
Think of Moses, who at 40 years old killed an Egyptian and, when he was called out by a fellow Hebrew about it, fled to Midian for 40 years! Then at age 80, God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. After doing this, he spent his last 40 years wandering in the wilderness. One big year when he turned 80, then loads more difficulties and trying times to end his life walking around in circles.
Think of Elizabeth, who was advanced in years and had never had kids, then gave birth to John the Baptist, the forerunner for Christ. She had gone through the anguish of infertility at a time when not having children meant not having God’s favor and isolated you from society. In a moment, her life changed, and she became a mother to the greatest among men.
None of the above were accidents. They were all predestined before the foundations of the world to come to pass by the one whose timing is always perfect: the Lord. He perfectly laid out the plan for 400 years of silence before Jesus came on the scene and for Jesus’ life to span a whopping 33 years with just three years of it being the ministry we read about.
Brothers and sisters, we do not know God’s timing, but we can be faithful in loving and serving him and others in the interim. I know that you and I are living in 2019 by no accident, because with God there are no accidents. Give each day the chance to be the very best (seek God first). Eventually you’ll be right.
—
Aimee Neff
January 24, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.