WHOOPS!!

The picture that you see here is of Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1 tennis professional. Just recently in a tournament in Brisbane in Australia, he was beaten in an opening match. Now, the player who beat him was actually rated way down the list of top players at nearly 300, so it was a bit of a surprise defeat! Mind you, his opponent stands at almost 7 feet tall, so just imagine the height and speed that the tennis ball comes to you when it is served. But what it did show was that Djokovic is only human and the occasional glitch happens.

Our verse for this year, 2025, is from Proverbs 16:3 which says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans”. The important thing that stood out for me was the word, “Commit”. So what has this got to do with the world No. 1 tennis player?

When you look into the life-style of Djokovic you will see his commitment to his sport and his aim to be No. 1. There is the obvious practice of serving, ground-shots and overhead smashes. But behind all that, is his commitment to his fitness regime, weight training, muscle building and the like. On top of all this is his commitment to a strict diet, no burger and chips, cream cakes or greasy breakfasts, everything is balanced and weighed out to keep him fit, healthy and in top trim. You don’t reach the top by being half-hearted or ‘just when it suits you’!

So, coming back to our verse for the year, are you committed to the Lord in whatever you do?

Sometimes, like Novak Djokovic, we may have a glitch, but then we are human, but the challenge then is to renew with determination our commitment to the Lord. It may be our prayer life needs to deepen, or our reading of the Bible needs to be more regular as we aim to be more Christ-like in our lives.

The second part of the verse for the year says, “….He will establish your plans”. So if we dwell closer with the Lord and walk in His way, the plans we have will succeed because we are daily seeking His will for us.

What a challenge this verse is for us! What about you, and me, are we ready to commit this new year to the Lord?