“…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, NIV)
Golf, we know, is different in so many ways from other sports. One such way that does not get much attention is how we root for players when we watch competitive golf.
As we reflect on this unusual September with its three big events—the Tour Championship, the ANA Inspiration, and the US Open—we are quickly reminded of this difference. When the week begins, we have a couple of our favorites in mind to win. But golf is so fickle, and those favorites can shoot themselves out of the tournament in a day. So we modify our preferred winners. By Sunday, we’ve narrowed it to another one or two. But again, a string of bad holes and we may find ourselves starting over. The player we root for over the closing stretch may have been far down our list when the week started.
We’re golfers, though, and we’re used to the twists and turns of the game—whether we’re playing or spectating.
He really does know what’s best, and when we pray “your will be done,” we acknowledge that God’s glory shines through God’s will.Perhaps you recognize the same factors when it comes to an election season, much like we find ourselves in the midst of here in the United States. (Those of you who live elsewhere will recognize similarities in your own democratic processes.) The candidates that remain in late September may not have been at the top of your list when the primary season began. In the case of the presidential incumbent, who is almost always an automatic selection by his party, he may not have been your preferred candidate in the primaries four years ago. Since ballots don’t offer a “none of the above option,” you’ve adjusted your choices, whether for President, Congress, or a state office. Now you’re ready to vote.
Or are you? That is, how much praying have you been doing this season?
It is common among God’s people to recognize that we are to pray for and honor those in governmental leadership—no matter who they are—after they take office. But what about praying now? And what should that prayer be?
One place we may turn is to the prayer Jesus gave his disciples as a framework. In that short outline, Jesus told them to pray for the kingdom of God to take hold and the will of God to be established. This is, of course, what always happens. God’s will always prevails. And yet, we are to pray for it. Maybe what God knows is that our own hearts need preparing for an outcome different than the one we are sure is the “Christian way to go”—for just as with golf tournaments, elections don’t always turn out the way we think they should (and the way, we sometimes declare, God would have them to be).
So whether we’re heavily invested in the coming election or only mildly interested, we do well to turn the whole thing over to God in our hearts and in our minds. He really does know what’s best, and when we pray “your will be done,” we acknowledge that God’s glory shines through God’s will, even when an outcome doesn’t match our expectation or desire.
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Jeff Hopper
September 28, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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