Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6, ESV)
My long-time golf buddy was struggling with his iron play — his driver was good and his short game terrific, but his irons were, like a 99-year-old criminal, weak and crooked.
So I told him about a YouTube golf instruction channel I thought would help him, and he said, “I’m not going to watch it. In fact, I don’t even think about golf when I’m not on the golf course.”
In my mind, I said, “Ah! The world must be in perfect balance, because I think about golf a lot when I am not on the golf course.” I didn’t say that out loud, though I’m saying it out loud now.
What he meant is that he doesn’t think about how to play better until he is actually playing. He watches and follows golf. He genuinely wants to play as well as he did just a few years ago, but he has to go about it the way that works best for him. I get it.
I am sure there are many golfers like that, and perhaps even more Christians share the same approach.
How many of us think about being “better Christians” the same way we think about being better golfers? Do we say, “I’d like to know the Bible better,” but never read or listen to it outside of church or a Links Fellowship?
Not surprisingly, one proven formula for getting better at golf and in your relationship with God is the same: pray and practice. That’s not a typo — pray is the right word.
How that works in Christianity is that you talk to God about your desire to grow, ask him to help you do that, and then have additional talks with him about how you’re doing. (Remember that prayer is a two-way conversation, so make sure you’re taking time to listen rather than talking the whole time.)
In life, practice isn’t merely on the range; it is also on the course. As doctors practice medicine, Christians should practice living as Christians.
When it comes to family, friends, and especially Jesus, don’t just think of them when you are “with them,” think of them often. Pray about them, then put what God gives you into practice. Pray and practice. That is the formula for success in almost every area of life. It even works in golf.
Prayer: Father, may I seek your will in every part of our life, then put what I hear from you into practice. For your glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen