In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (Psalms 5:3, NIV)
The best part of every round of golf I play is that moment just before I make my first swing on the first tee. That moment when there is nothing but hopeful expectancy and nothing has yet made me doubt that this is going to be the best round of my life. Hope springs eternal in that one moment.
I feel the same way in the morning when I wake up and say hello to my Creator. In that moment I feel like the world is new and everything is right. I ask him for direction for my day and help with all that will be mine to deal with. Then I get up and face the reality of the world I live in. I know that it will be necessary to wait in expectancy for the explicit direction and help that I will need to navigate through the challenges that lie before me.
The psalmist who wrote our scripture for today understood asking and waiting in expectation. We are so anxious to get through our struggles that sometimes we miss the point of why we are going through them. The hopeful expectancy on the first tee and at first light in our day are part of how we live a life of faith. We hope for the best, expect to be challenged, and have faith that in the end God is in charge. The outcome is in his hands and that allows us to be free not to worry about how it all works out.
Most people would say it is unrealistic to believe that everything will work out according to God’s overall plan. The alternative to that type of belief is to try to manage every detail of your life well in advance of its actual occurrence. A life lived trying to control the future is a life of frustration, not one of expectancy and hope.
I believe God wants us to live a life of expectancy—a life that is alive and dynamic. The kind of life that requires us to trust God and have faith in his sovereign control over us. A life that allows us to move without fear and to know that nothing that comes against us can overcome us if we are trusting God to guide us. We can live and move in the present neither being concerned with the past or worried about the future. I believe that that kind of life is what we were created for.
We are made to be present with God in every area of our life. When we lay our requests before him and believe in his overarching love for us, we can live in expectancy without expectations of a certain outcome.
Life is a surprise, just like the rest of the round after it begins with that first tee shot. Isn’t that why we play golf? It’s uncontrollable and unpredictable, and just when you think all is lost something spectacular happens. Sounds a lot like a life lived trusting the One who made you!
—
Linda Ballard
September 3, 2015
Copyright 2015 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.