“The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the Earth be silent before Him.” — Habakkuk 2:20
First thing in the morning, I stepped onto the mound, preparing to do dry reps. There was no one else out there at 8 a.m. There was dew on the ground, the sun was just rising, and it was silent on the field. I was in a place of solitude. I left go of everything else around me and all that had been on my mind so I could focus on God.
That’s what solitude with God looks like — letting go of all else to be in His presence and listen to His voice. Sometimes that takes place as I hold my daughter first thing in the morning, when I’m reading my Bible and spending time in prayer, when I’m on the road or while I’m on the mound. Sometimes this solitude lasts for five minutes, 30 minutes or longer. Sometimes it can be hard to put a time frame on our quiet times with God. I never want to rush God. It may look different each day for me, but it always starts with prayer — asking the Lord to clear my mind and speak to me in whatever way He chooses. Then I listen.
God not only wants us to read His Word and rattle off our endless prayers and thoughts to Him, but He wants us to listen to Him. Let Him respond to what you read in Scripture and what you lift up to Him in prayer. Sometimes I fail to do this, but God is faithful and He always nudges me back to Him. When I start letting the things around me consume me, He grabs my attention and leads me back to surrender these distractions to Him.
Our God is good, His grace is sufficient and over-abounding. He’s forgiving and loving; He never leaves us. His love is endless. To quantify His love is impossible; it’s insurmountable and unimaginable! When we share our burdens and struggles with Him, He always provides a way out while showing us that this trial is not in vain, He has a greater purpose for it. When we fall from His grace, He’s always there to lead us back home.
God calls us to walk confidently in Him. I feel this confidence every time I take a step on the field. But He’s not looking for me to be confident only when I’m playing baseball, He wants me to boast of His Name when I’m off the field as well. The same confidence is with me within the white lines and outside of them because my God is always with me.
— Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers pitcher
The Increase, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is a community of Christian pro athletes sharing their personal stories of the decrease of self and the increase of Christ (John 3:30). Visit TheIncrease.com for more stories and videos
