He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV)
Which clubs are your go-to clubs? I am sure most golfers use a driver off the tee and a putter on the green, and for some these may be the clubs they value most. Certainly, to have a good round, it helps to drive the ball well and to make some putts. But aside from the tee and the green, they are not much good. They are specialty clubs, designed for a specific purpose and situation.
When asked, “What is your all-purpose go-to club?,” golfers don’t often speak of their driver or putter. They think of clubs they depend on in different situations. These favored clubs keep us on track and enable us to get out of trouble; we hit them with a high level of confidence.
Over the years, our go-to clubs of choice may change. I used to carry and depend on a 5-iron and a 7-wood; they are no longer in my bag. Currently, my most valued clubs are my 4-hybrid and my pitching wedge. I use my 4-hybrid to keep the ball in the fairway on par-5s, to get out of the rough, hit out of a fairway bunker, and even to bend the ball around a dogleg (umm… or a tree). Likewise, I use my pitching wedge in a dozen different situations and distances. Please don’t ask me to play a round without them.
I was involved in a project where I was hoping to get direction from God himself, so I started praying about it several weeks ago.I have my go-to verses of scripture as well. While I value all of God’s words to us, there are some verses that form the bedrock of my faith, verses I like to think about regularly and that find their way into my conversations with others: Psalm 1:2-3, Romans 12:2, and Hebrews 11:1, to name a few. Like a new golf club, sometimes a verse is used by God in such a way that it becomes a new favorite, a go-to with expanding application. It could be one with which we are already familiar, but didn’t think necessarily applied to a certain situation.
These verses often pop into our lives when we least expect it. Such was the case these past few weeks. I was involved in a project where I was hoping to get direction from God himself, so I started praying about it several weeks ago, just a quick, “God, I would like your guidance in this decision. I really want to do what you want me to do.”
As is often the case, as the decision time approached, my confidence in getting an answer came under attack. “Does God really care to guide you in this situation?” “Why don’t you simply make a decision and run with it?” “Why is it so hard (at times) to get an answer in a timely manner?” That is usually when I throw in my add-on prayer, “God, I would really like to know days in advance, so it is not so last-minute, if you know what I mean.” Peace seemed to be slipping away; anxiety was on the increase.
Then, sometime in the middle of the night, today’s verse popped into my mind and heart. “Be still, and know that I am God.” The Lord seemed to be telling me something and asking me something at the same time. “Get quiet, Bob, and give thought to who I am. Really, who do you think you are asking? What do you think it means when I say I am God? What am I like? Do you really understand my name, who I am, and how involved I am in your day-to-day life?” Hmm.
Peace returned, anxiety faded away. I had my answer.
Today, be still and know God.
—
Bob Kuecker
September 18, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
Photo by Ariel Camilo from FreeImages