I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. (Psalm 37:25, NIV)
Today is my father’s 80th birthday. He has taken to shooting his age rather often, so I am sure he is happy to be given another stroke’s leeway in doing so. We’re playing together as part of his celebration, so I only hope I can hold him off.
Many of my memories of the game include my dad. This is true for a lot of golfers I talk to. Though it was never a whole family sport for us, he and I shared the game with other fathers, sons, and daughters, so it’s easy to look back and take pleasure in the opportunities we have been given to enjoy time together around the game. Golf can be the most social of games and the most individual; it may be unique in that way.
Get to a conducive location of your own, a place where you can pause from the hurrying demands of daily life and consider without interruption the way God is faithful to you.If you play the game alone from time to time, you recognize the quiet a course can offer, especially at the ends of the day when the shadows are longer with the light playing through the trees. The serenity that comes with so much open space to oneself allows for reflection and a resulting peace.
Scripture encourages us to look both backward and forward. When we see the blessings and promises that God has delivered, we find hope that he will come through again. So we want to make time to reflect on the work of God no matter where we are in life—as those who are young, those who are old, and those who are in-between. The golf course provides room for such reflection, as does time spent in biblical places such as the Psalms.
As you hear in today’s accompanying video, Lewis Greer especially appreciates Psalm 37. One of the themes of this psalm, written by David, is God’s support of the righteous. Its words leave much room for reflection, as it describes the practices of the righteous, the attacks they receive from the wicked, and the care of the Lord that sustains them. We gain much when we come to a psalm like this, both in instruction and encouragement. We gain more when we think back on it again and again.
Our On Location series comes to a close (or at least a pause) today, but let us encourage you to get to a conducive location of your own, a place where you can pause from the hurrying demands of daily life and consider without interruption the way God is faithful to you.
—
Jeff Hopper
September 6, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
OTHER DEVOTIONS IN THIS SERIES
On Location 1: Gathering Together
On Location 2: Then and Now
On Location 3: New Ventures
On Location 4: Partners in Ministry
On Location 5: Making Connections
On Location 6: The Round Ahead
On Location 7: Helping Others
On Location 8: Stepping Out
On Location 9: Lifelong Learning
On Location 10: Tough Stuff
On Location 11: Learning Together
On Location 12: A Good Solid Why