The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18, NIV)
It happens every season. Unexpected winners grab the trophy. Adam Long did it on the PGA Tour in La Quinta back in January. Australia’s Hannah Green held steady in a huge surprise two weeks ago at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a major. Then came Nate Lashley in Detroit this past Sunday.
Lashley wasn’t supposed to be in the tournament. Never mind that he was the last man in, on alternate status after failing to Monday qualify. Those late breaks happen often enough. What is bigger is that Lashley’s whole career here into his 37th year of life had been a scuffle. For much of his 20s, you would have had trouble even locating him when it came to golf’s plentiful mini-tours.
By now though, if you follow golf much at all, you’ve heard that Lashley’s greatest struggle has been an emotional one, for when he was a junior in college, his parents and girlfriend all perished in a plane crash while returning from one of Nate’s tournaments. Before Sunday, Lashley was quiet whenever he was asked about this tragic loss. Now he opened up: “It took me a long time to get over my parents’ death. Mentally, it was holding me back for a long time.”
The psalmist’s answer lands in a word. Close. God is close.I do not know Nate Lashley. I don’t know if he would use the word “brokenhearted” or the phrase “crushed in spirit” to describe his state of mind in the aftermath of the accident, but it would not surprise me if he did. There is a reason it took him a long time to get over the loss.
You know that one of the most common questions of those who take a good look around them is this: Where is God in the midst of our suffering?
The psalmist’s answer lands in a word. Close. God is close. To the brokenhearted. To the crushed in spirit. To those who need saving.
We have nearly all been there. Lost jobs. Failed marriages. Sudden deaths. Deep depression. Debilitating fear. The lights of life have been turned off and the sobbing of lonely pain overwhelms all precious sounds.
Even in this, God is close. We cannot say that we will one day win on Tour, or whatever the greatest sign of recovery might be for us. But we can say that we have a Savior able to sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15), a Lord who is in all things working for our good (Romans 8:28). Our suffering is his concern; our sustenance comes when we cast our cares on him. In Christ we have life, though the world may look at us and surmise, “They’re as good as dead.”
—
Jeff Hopper
July 3, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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