During the challenging 2020 baseball season, marked by COVID-19 testing and an extensive list of protocols, Arizona Diamondbacks player Nick Ahmed found a way to replace anxiety with gratitude.

“With chapel not being allowed at the ballpark this past season, we had to gather through Zoom to study God’s Word as a team. There were days on the road when players and coaches were able to meet in a ballroom in order to do a Bible study since we could socially distance ourselves there. No matter where we met, there were great conversations among us. It’s important to remember that when the game makes you stressed or anxious, you’re presented the perfect opportunity to turn to God and practice intentional gratitude. Conversations with others can help you or them turn from stressed and anxious to grateful. This is what I hope to be able to bring to my teammates.”

Psalm 103 – Authentic Worship 

David often expressed gratitude in the Psalms, including Psalm 103. He talked not only to God but to himself as well! The King commanded his soul (all his innermost being) to praise God with gratitude. Maybe he didn’t feel it on certain days. Maybe circumstances weren’t desirable. Or perhaps he felt “on top of the world.” No matter the situation, praising the Lord is always the right thing to do. David gratefully counted his blessings! True worship comes from deep within. It’s based upon logical reason, not emotions, mindless chants, or repetition. God desires authentic worship. Here’s how Steve Lawson defines it in his commentary on Psalms.

“It is a redeemed life, being gloriously occupied with the grandeur and greatness of God. It is a believer living every moment of every day adoring God and being enraptured with His majesty. Worship is not about keeping up an outward facade of rituals, rules or religion. It is about an inward reality of a living relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ. Worship is experiencing God in one’s innermost being—all that I am responding to all that He is.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete know God forgives all their sins (Psalm 103:3). His gracious forgiveness of repentant sinners is a reason to celebrate.

Bible Memory Verse – “And I will ask you [Job], and you make Me know! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you know understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:3-7 (LSB)