LETTING
GOD WATCH

Topics: Dependence on God; Experiencing God; Prayer

References: Psalm 127:1–2; Zechariah 4:6; Philippians 4:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:17

The baseball game was tied with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The batter stepped into the batting box and made the sign of the cross on home plate with his bat. Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees, was behind the plate. A Catholic as well, Berra wiped off the plate with his glove and said to the pious batter, “Why don’t we let God just watch this game?”

Letting God watch. That may be OK for a baseball game, but it’s terrible theology when applied to the way we live our lives and carry out the work of the church.

—Ben Patterson in “Why We Don’t Pray,” Prayer Book (March 23, 1997)