Keep Your Eye On The Ball!

“K

eep your eye on the ball Blake and don’t be afraid.”  Daddy’s words still echo in my ears as I remember the time he taught me how to catch a baseball.  It was in the summer and I couldn’t have been more than five or six years old.  My grandfather had given me a baseball glove for my birthday.  Daddy and I had written my name and initials on it and he had oiled it and made it ready for use.

One afternoon, my friend, David, and I were in my backyard tossing a baseball back and forth.  Daddy had come home from work early and he said it was about time I learned to use my glove to catch a baseball.  So, here I stood in my little shorts, my tennis shoes, and a tee-shirt with a huge glove on my hand, ready to go. Catching the ball would be a cinch since the glove would do all the work.  How hard could it be? On television, all the baseball players held out their gloves and the ball just fell right in on its own, or so I thought.  Little did I know what was involved in catching a baseball, but I was about to find out, the hard way!

Daddy told me to get ready.  I gritted my teeth, dug my shoe in the dirt, furrowed my brow, concentrated real hard on daddy, and stuck out my glove. He threw a beautiful pass, sending the ball arching through the air toward me. I held my glove up to the ball, turned my head and closed my eyes but nothing happened. The ball landed with a thud next to me.

Daddy explained that I had to keep my eye on the ball, to watch it and to place my glove in a position to catch it. I tried again and again but I just couldn’t quite get the hang of it.  Finally, after several attempts, one ended up in my glove and I knew I had acquired the knack.  From now on, no balls would get past my glove.  Oh the confidence of youth!! 

The next ball hit my glove, bounced out, and hit me squarely in the mouth, knocking out three baby teeth and giving me a bloody lip! I wasn’t sure what had happened but I knew it didn’t feel good.  I screamed and mom came out. All she knew was that I was crying and bleeding and my dad was standing there with a baseball.  Things didn’t look too good for my dad at that moment!

However, after everything settled down and dad was off the hook, he took me back outside and told me to keep my eye on the ball.  I didn’t know what else to do but listen to him.  Although I was scared and although I didn’t know what would happen, as long as I kept my eye on the ball and trusted daddy, I succeeded in catching the ball every time.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that learning to keep your eye on the ball is a lesson that was taught in Israel in the days of Jehosophat the king.  Now, they didn’t have baseball then, but Jehosophat taught his people a valuable lesson about keeping their eyes fixed on God.

A large army from Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir was gathered against Israel and planned an attack the following day.  All the people gathered together, afraid of what the morning would bring.  All eyes turned to the king for support and encouragement.  Jehosophat turned his eyes to God, knowing that if he kept is sight on Him, everything would be all right.

In 2 Chronicles 20:12, we read Jehosophat’s prayer,”O our God, will you not judge them?  For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.  We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.  In this prayer, Jehosophat shares three great spiritual truths.  First, Jehosophat recognizes that it is God’s place to judge and defend his people.  The king knows he hasn’t the resources or the man power to defeat his enemy so he turns to God.  Second, Jehosophat admits his weaknesses.  He states categorically that he is powerless in the face of this great army and that he does not know what to do.  Third, he turns his eyes to God, placing his faith and his trust in Him who is not seen to do that which remains hidden from our view.

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n the Christian life, we are constantly surrounded by our enemy.  He takes every opportunity to defeat us, to battle us, and disrupt our relationship with God.  Far too often we help him succeed because we take matters into our own hands.  The end result to us is pain and suffering.  If we learn to acknowledge our weaknesses, turn our eyes to God, and place our faith in Him, we will find that He will fight all our battles for us, just like he did for Jehosophat.  Are you keeping your eye on the ball today?