The Lord your God is in your midst,
a victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
(Zephaniah 3:17, NASB)
I took one lesson from Harvey Penick, the renowned teacher for Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, and so many others. I was struggling on the PGA Tour and looking for answers and a fix. He politely watched me hit balls, and do you know what he told me? Three words—take dead aim. I was not focused, and his advice helped me visualize the shot I was trying to play. I was focused on the routine and not the target.
I am now thinking about my spiritual journey. If I were to go to God for a lesson, what would he tell me?
I think God might respond with our verse for today. He would remind me that he is not only with me but that he rejoices over me with shouts of joy. That reality is amazing. He might even say, “Take dead aim. Focus on the target, not the routine. I am always with you.”
Anne Lamott once said, “If I were going to begin practicing the presence of God for the first time today, it would help to begin by admitting the three most terrible truths of our existence: that we are so ruined, and so loved, and in charge of so little.”
I think God may say to us, “I am omnipresent. This closeness is not about a location but about our living relationship. And why did I promise to be with you? You are dear to me, young man, and you have been purchased at a great price. And don’t you really want to be with the ones you love? I do. I am with you always, even to the very end of this age.”
Emmanuel means “God with us.” Our worth is determined by who we are with. This truth changes everything. If God is with us, my question for all of us is: why don’t we make use of this time? If we believe what we say we believe, then spending our best quality time with our Savior should be the priority, not just something we squeeze in when we have time during our busy schedule.
One must be still and set aside moments during the day to feel and know the presence of God. We can’t feel his closeness if we are worried and focused on the routine and not the result. Quiet time must be intentional. We must take dead aim and concentrate on the target. He is not only with us, but he is also for us. He is not only for us, but he rejoices with us. Imagine that!
Today, I am going to try again to get this right. And with God’s grace, I will try again tomorrow. He has patience and is perfecting us now as we travel to Heaven our home. God rejoices as we treasure the journey.
Closing prayer – Thank you, Lord Jesus, for teaching us such valuable lessons daily. Keep us focused. We are slow learners, but you are a patient teacher.