As the last of winter loses grip on the world around us, and the mercury begins a slow climb upward, I find I’m reminded of the game of baseball. It really is an unusual game. There is no clock or time limit. The offense 
never possesses the ball. Hitting the foul pole with a batted ball is fair, and a home run to boot. Stealing is encouraged. Each game lasts around 3 or more hours, but there is only on average about 15-17 minutes of action. Supposedly there are 23 ways to reach first base, and an astounding 12,386,344 possible plays in each game. No wonder you are likely to see something you’ve never seen before every time you go to a game!
Once, manager Alvin Dark of the San Francisco Giants was reported to have said there would be a man on the moon before pitcher Gaylord Perry ever hit a home run. When Perry finally hit one out of the park it was just minutes after the Apollo moon landing on July 20, 1969. Baseball lore is full of such stories with characters no one could contrive. The intricacies, people, stories, and unpredictability of the game of baseball is apropos of life itself.
Perhaps no other lesson of baseball is more poignant than how the game teaches us to deal with failure. What other sport can you fail 70% of the time and be considered great like a .300 hitter? There are errors, balks, called third strikes, missed calls, pick-offs, and sacrifices. You can even get “robbed” of a hit. You could say it is not a fair game, therefore how much more relevant to life could it be?
In the 73rd Psalm, Asaph chronicles what he sees as unfair. His brutal honesty includes a confession of nearly being led astray (v. 2) and how he is afflicted and punished daily (v.14). Asaph is struggling and adversity is his ongoing companion. The wicked and the crooked appear to have it easy as their wealth increases even though they show no hint of integrity (v.12). This culminates as Asaph questions God and His ways (v.13-16). Embittered and wounded, Asaph comes to a startling conclusion in spite of all he observes, senses, and feels: God is as personal as a father holding the right hand of his child (v. 23), counseling and directing (v. 24) us through a world that makes no sense. In the face of failure and adversity, he writes:
My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion, forever. (Psalms 73:26 NIV)
As humans we face trials of many kinds and are tested. Truthfully Asaph saw an unjust world thousands of years ago, and we see the same today. What should be our response? Give in, give up, or give out? This world has only temporal power. One day through the unmatched grace of Jesus Christ, we’ll be safe at home. Asaph directs us away from the weakness of ourselves and toward the God who stands nearby holding our right hand… even when life dusts you with a high and tight fastball, a low and away slider, a blown call, or whatever may be thrown at you.
Malcolm Woody lives in Madison, Ms with his wife and four boys. He is the general manager of a furniture store, life group teacher, and leader of the Jackson Street Ministry, an outreach to the homeless of Jackson. Read more from this author at malcolmwoody.com.
