But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ (Jeremiah 7:23, ESV)
When our Links national staff gets together, three things happen:
- We talk about Jesus and the joys and challenges of serving him in our unique ministry.
- We eat together and talk more about Links and the amazing things we see God doing.
- We play a little golf. I won’t say there is no trash talk because sometimes we play for yogurt. Serious stuff!
We recently met in Colorado, and four of us took off alone in one round. The club required a caddie for the group, and we were glad to have Joe along.
He ensured we knew where to aim our tee shots, gave us yardages, read putts, and generally helped make the round even more enjoyable.
Caddies like Joe are usually excellent golfers, often better than the players they work for. He had to judge our games quickly to give us appropriate advice.
We also had to assess his ability to guide us, read greens, and decide if we could trust him. We decided we could.
So when Joe told us, “This 12th we’re hitting into is a pro-green, much too challenging for most players,” we took it as a word of caution.
It was my shot, and I had 150 yards to the precariously placed pin, so I asked Joe what I should do.
He said, “Hit it 145 and land it between the back bunker and the pin.” Then he walked across the fairway to help another player.
“OK,” I thought, “if Joe believes I can do that….” And I hit the shot.
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Sometimes we are wise enough to ask the expert. He knows the target, he knows the circumstances, and he knows our abilities.
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Joe walked back, saw my ball close to the hole, and said, “Nice shot.” I said, “Thanks for the good advice,” and he said, “Thanks for executing.”
I laughed and said, “You mean not everyone does what you tell them they should do?”
And that is how Joe can relate to God, whether he knows it or not.
Like I did on the 12th, we want to know what we should do in life. Sometimes we are wise enough to ask the expert. He knows the target, he knows the circumstances, and he knows our abilities.
In addition to all of that, he wants us to succeed. I was thrilled with the shot I hit, but so was Joe. Can you imagine how happy it makes God when we ask for his advice and then follow it?
“Obey that it may be well with you,” God said. The immediate results may not always be noticeable, but the final results will always be exactly right.
Prayer: Jesus, teach us to ask for your wisdom, trust your counsel, and obey your commands.