Wait for the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:14, NASB)
I finally turned on my TV two Sundays ago and caught some of the LPGA’s opening tournament at the Diamond Resorts. I say finally because, for some odd reason, despite severely increased time at home, I have watched very few sporting events this past year. I was treated to the women putting on a display of golf that I can only dream of, as evidenced by winner Jessica Korda’s winning score of 24 under par and runner-up Danielle Kang recording her first and only bogey on hole number 69.
This was also a celebrity tournament, with every other threesome composed of celebrities. As a result, the pros often had to wait around for the celebrity group in front of them, which seemed to happen between every shot. We have all experienced waiting on the golf course, and depending on how well one is playing, that can be a bad thing or a good thing.
There is a reason God asks us to be still before him. Simply put, it is good for us.Watching them wait around to play reminded me of a conversation my wife and I had several weeks ago. While there is a normal amount of waiting involved in everyday life, these past 12 months added a few items to the list. We waited to see when the virus was going to hit America, we waited for the results of the impeachment trial, we watched and waited to see how bad the virus was going to be, we waited to buy Lysol wipes (didn’t happen, so we switched to alcohol wipes), we waited to figure out if we could go on our annual beach vacation with relatives—we did not—we had to wait for the golf courses to open up, we waited to see if baseball would have a season—they did, but somehow I missed it—and then for the election results and then the Georgia run-off, and now we wait for the vaccine program and hope God will use it to return life to some sense of normalcy. It has been exhausting. I have left many items off this list, but I am sure you have your own list.
And yet, Scripture encourages us to wait on God. Seriously? More waiting? Fortunately, this kind of waiting is different. It is the kind of waiting that brings peace to our inner beings. It changes the way we see things and our perception of reality. It enlightens the eyes of our hearts. It reminds us to relax, that life isn’t about our handicaps or missing out on a vacation or having to be on yet one more Zoom call. It is about knowing and entrusting oneself to the One who is in control of all things. There is a reason God asks us to be still before him. Simply put, it is good for us.
So today, “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, ESV)
—
Bob Kuecker
February 1, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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