A group of ordinary golfers recently had the chance to play one hole of golf with Tiger Woods. Two thousand platinum-colored golf balls had been hidden in packages sold across America; 24 people were selected from that group. The winners were flown to Los Angeles to play alongside Tiger on the tenth hole of the Trump National Golf Club. In writing about this event, one of the winners talked about trying to avoid nervousness by relying on his pre-shot routine. What could be less routine than hitting a golf ball in front of the world’s best golfer?
One participant put it best: “We all fear the same thing. We don’t want to dribble it off the tee. Everyone is praying, ‘Please, God, let me get the ball airborne.’”
I doubt whether anyone keeps score in heaven, but if I had to make a guess, I’d estimate that God hears four or five “Please, God” prayers for every prayer that says “Thank you, God.” (If I were playing golf with Tiger Woods, I’d be saying a lot of “Please, God” prayers too!) We go through our days primarily focused on what is before us. Occasionally we notice things that make us smile or surprise us with their beauty, like a pink and red sunset, the antics of a toddler, or the sight of a pet playing in newly-fallen snow. Sometimes we stop long enough to say a prayer of thanksgiving to God, the source of life’s wonder and beauty.
Far more often, when our focus is distracted from what’s before us, it’s because something else grabs our attention – a close encounter with a reckless driver, a stressful situation at work when the phone won’t stop ringing and the e-mails pile up, or the lingering memory of being told about a medical test result or the death of a friend. At those moments, we send up “Please, God” prayers. Sometimes they’re bargaining prayers (“Get me through this and I’ll never do that again.”) or perhaps life-line prayers (“I need your help, Lord, with just this one thing.”).
They are honest prayers from the heart. I would never suggest that you shouldn’t offer these prayers to God. But, as you pray those words, I hope you’ll remember two things. First, if you’re driving the golf ball in front of Tiger Woods, keep your head down and follow-through completely. Second, God in Christ is with you always and knows your needs even before you ask. That doesn’t change the fact that you will sometimes hear bad news or face hard times, but it absolutely changes the way you think about living your life in light of those situations.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote these famous words: “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” God’s grace, spirit, power and love are the starting point for our lives each day, and the foundation upon which we stand as we respond to the good and bad times in life. We are children of God, shackled not with spirits of fear and defeat, but set free (through the good news of Christ’s resurrection) to live lives of hope, power and love.
A new year has dawned. As you move through the early days of 2009, filling in your new calendars, celebrating with our nation the inauguration of a new President, confronting the challenges that come your way from snowy storm clouds and inclement economic conditions, remember that you have not been given a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love. The two go together, and with them, through God’s grace, every prayer is heard and answered.