We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. (Proverbs 16:9, NLT)
I was watching the final round of the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open on TV when the thought came to me that I should hit the record button and go play a little golf of my own.
The sky was cloudy and occasionally spitting rain, but I had a rain suit. I was planning to play alone, get in a quick nine, and be home to see the end of the tournament.
As I drove to my club about 20 miles south of TPC Scottsdale, I listened to the tournament on the radio, and the announcers said, “The rain is really coming down now!” I kept driving. It wasn’t raining on me, at least not yet.
God does what he does with us—pairs us with whom he will—for his purposes. It may be for our own instruction or for the benefit of others.I hit a few balls on the range and headed to the tenth tee. I was carrying my clubs. There were players on the ninth green, but I figured I could jump in front and get out of their way. I teed it up and hit a solid drive. As they approached the tee, I told them I’d be happy to wait, but I was going to play fast and would try to get in front of them quickly.
And I did, but there was a foursome in front of them I hadn’t seen, and there was nowhere to go. God had it all planned out, of course, and the group very kindly invited me to join them.
It was a father and mother (she was riding along) with their daughter and her fiancé, who were walking. The parents were new members, but I had met their daughter a year earlier when she was in town visiting her brother. She was then on the Symetra Tour, but had played on the LPGA Tour. Her fiancé was also an excellent player. And even though we did get rained on, it was great fun.
Has it ever happened that you had plans to play alone, or with one friend, when God paired you up with other golfers, perhaps people you had never met? Often I ask God to do that as I head to the course, and he does, but that day I just wanted to play a quick nine alone.
We can make our plans, Solomon wrote, but God gets the final say. Solomon also wrote, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (19:21, ESV). God does what he does with us—pairs us with whom he will—for his purposes. It may be for our own instruction or for the benefit of others. Often it is both.
The daughter remembered I was with Links Players, and I remembered that she had worked with Ray Carrasco, a pro and Links Players staff member in Southern California. In fact, Ray also taught her fiancé and is going to officiate at their wedding!
Be happy when God directs your steps. It is good for the kingdom, good for you, and often it is great fun.
—
Lewis Greer
February 13, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.