“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NIV)
…knowing that you were ransomed from the empty ways [meaningless] inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1: 18-19)
What do you do when you are 27 years old, you’ve won your first Masters, you are number one in the world, you are playing great, you have a beautiful wife, you own multiple houses and cars, and you wake up to the realization that your heart is empty?
Bernhard Langer had it all! Or did he? If we measure a successful life by the accumulation of property, a beautiful spouse, the number of wins, and the current state of our game, then Bernhard had it all. But, then, if that’s the case, why was he “empty?”
Something was missing! His heart had an emptiness that no amount of victories, wealth, world-ranking status, various possessions, or religious observance could fill. No matter how hard he tried, attempting to soothe the yearning in his soul with more victories, riches, pleasure, or even doubling down on religious commitments was not bearing fruit.
Listing Langer’s career accomplishments would far exceed the limitations of our daily devotional. When combining his international wins with his PGA and PGA Champions Tour victories, the total surpasses 110.
Add to that two Master’s jackets and ten Ryder Cup appearances—captaining Europe to triumph in another Ryder Cup—and you have a man who has seen it all in golf. Yet, as the Germans would say, “hatte ein Loch in deinem Herzen”—translated, “Bernhard had a hole in his heart.”
What changed? Langer was invited to a Tour Bible Study, where he heard Larry Moody teaching from the Gospel According to John. That night, Larry unpacked the well-known story of a religious man’s encounter with Jesus found in John’s gospel.
In this encounter, Jesus tells Nicodemus, a leading Jewish figure, that he must be “born again.” The idea of being “born again” utterly baffled Bernhard, as it would everyone. Langer’s reaction was pretty typical. He asked, “How can I, as a 27-year-old man at 5’9”, reenter my mom, who is 5’2”, and be “born again.”
Larry explained that Jesus was not referring to a second physical birth; rather, he was referring to a spiritual birth. In short, just as Bernhard had been born physically 27 years earlier, he must now be born a second time—this time, though, it must be a supernatural spiritual birth.
Being “born again,” which can also be translated as being “born from above,” is exactly what both religious and non-religious people must have to enter the kingdom of God, a present and real spiritual kingdom.
Bernhard had been “religious” his entire life, striving to earn a right standing with God through faithful church attendance and liturgical observance. However, rigorous religious performance and professional achievements had not filled the void in his heart. He needed to seek fulfillment elsewhere!
When he realized that salvation was a gift, it radically altered the way he thought about Christianity. The Holy Spirit had convinced him that he was a sinner. He knew he needed a Savior. In the power of the Spirit, Bernhard Langer humbled himself and confessed Jesus Christ as the Lord of his life.
That night, the Spirit of Christ entered Bernhard’s life and unraveled the gnawing riddle of his endlessly frustrating quest. His attempts to quench his soul’s thirst by fruitlessly increasing his religious observance and accumulating professional accomplishments had proven futile; now, he had finally been found by the One who fulfills the soul’s deepest longing.
The Savior who hung on a cross two thousand years ago now resides in Bernhard’s heart through the Holy Spirit. At last, Bernhard’s soul had found satisfaction in a personal relationship with the Risen Savior.
Prayer: Jesus! Come into my heart as you did for Bernhard.