Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100, ESV)
I am often asked what a typical practice session was like when I played on the LPGA tour. When I reply that a four-hour session was a short day of practice, a look of amazement follows. Most days are eight to ten hours.
Professional golf is a full-time job: workouts, practice, play, and recovery. During the season, this is six days a week, sometimes seven. A week off consists of lighter practice and play.
Nowadays, as a Legends of the LPGA player, I don’t have as many tournaments to play, but the preparation requires consistent, quality practice and play. Finding life-balance is challenging.
On a recent trip to Phoenix for the inaugural Do Good Talks with our Arizona Links Director Lewis Greer, I had a chance to meet and talk with a monastic nun. This young woman has dedicated her life to religious devotion within a monastic community, taking vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Mother Cassiana is intelligent, kind, thoughtful, and articulate. She has hopes of pursuing her PhD and loves to write. What completely amazed me is the discipline required in her daily schedule. One example is every morning for two hours, the whole community gathers to pray through the Psalms.
I have no problem hitting golf balls for two hours, but I have never prayed the Psalms for the same duration. Honestly, I don’t see myself praying the Psalms for two hours, but I walked away feeling a void of something.
I am like the amateur golfer who wants to play better golf but never practices. I want more from the scriptures, but I don’t consistently sit with them. If I want to know God more fully and experience change in my heart, then I need to be in the Word. Praying the Psalms sounds like a good place to begin.
Praying through the Psalms on a regular rhythm is an act of worship and offers lifelong spiritual formation in three ways:
The Psalms are the language of the soul that give our emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, awe, fear, and disgust—a voice.
Repetition fosters an experience of scriptural immersion where we internalize and feed our souls.
Daily prayer through the Psalms trains discipline and humility. A particular Psalm may not match our current mood, but if we set aside our agenda, the spirit of God shows up in surprising ways.
I’m going to start with a simple Psalm of thanksgiving, Psalm 100. Will you join me?
Prayer: Lord, speak to me today as I pray through your Word. Open my heart, mind, and soul to receive what you have to say to me today.