Sweet Spot

I have heard that in sports, whether it is baseball, tennis or golf, one of the objectives of the players is to hit the ball on the sweet spot of their bat, racket or golf club in order to maximize the velocity/distance of the ball.

In order to meet this objective, the players must consistently practice to develop a swing that can be repeated when it is needed the most as well as to eliminate any bad habits. For a baseball player, the sweet spot is when he hits the ball with the middle of the barrel section of the bat. For a tennis player or a golfer, the sweet spot is usually at the center of the racket/golf club. This is where the players get the maximum speeds from the ball and if hit in the right direction, the ball goes the furthest.

Do you know that there is a sweet spot with God? The Bible says in Psalm 91:1, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty”. It means that at the center of your mind and at the center of your heart you will have peace and freedom of fear as you dwell, and trust and rest in His shelter.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:9-10, “If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.” It doesn’t mean you will never have challenges. It simply means that your focus amidst the challenges is not on the trouble but on God and His promises to protect you. Just like a player regardless of whether the player is winning or losing, is focused on “finding”, “seeking” and “striving" for the sweet spot, our focus regardless of what is going on in our lives, should be on entrusting ourselves to Him for His protection and pledging our daily devotion to Him.

Is it your desire to dwell consistently in the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty?  To dwell means to keep the attention directed upon God. It means to live as a resident there.

May I encourage you as I encourage myself to try focusing on God by reading and meditating on His Word on a daily basis.  Let’s make it a priority to develop good habits and dwell in the shelter of the Most High. If we do, overtime, we will develop a good habit of meeting God in the most wonderful, delightful, peaceful, sweet spot – both in our minds and in our hearts.

Athletes spend hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars as they strive to reach that “eureka moment” when they hit at the sweet spot. Our God allows us to have that beautiful sweet spot moment with Him at any time of the day when we choose to open up His living Word and let Him breathe life, hope and peace into us.

“Because she loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue her; I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name. She will call on Me, and I will answer her; I will be with her in trouble, I will deliver her and honor her. With long life I will satisfy her and show her my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16