Dear God, Is it OK for Us to Pray for our Team to Win?

This is Super Bowl Sunday and if you're not a Rams or Patriots fan, you may not be inclined to feel "passionate" about today's game. You probably don't care one way or the other who wins. But if you are one of those team's fans, you may be as passionate about your team, as I would have been if my Dallas Cowboys had made it the distance.

I heard my son and his buddy talking about the game yesterday. Ryan was giving his support for the Patriots: “Why wouldn’t we want to see the Patriots set records and win again? They have proven themselves to be champions. They have arguably the greatest quarterback of all time and Bill Belicheck is the greatest NFL coach of all time. They’ve created one of the most dominant sports dynasties in American sports history.” Then his buddy declared his case for the Rams: "Sean McVay is the youngest coach in history and Jared Goff is the youngest quarterback at 24 to go to the Super Bowl since Brady won his first Super Bowl at age 24. It’s time to give others a chance to prove themselves!” I was amused at their bantering.

I was also amused by a Fox News story of a pastor who was asking: “Is it OK for us to pray for our team to win the Super Bowl?” I was so taken with his article that I make it part of my post today. Here are some excerpts: “I grew up in New England so you can guess who I am rooting for to win the Super Bowl. I was an athlete and my two boys played college football, so I’ve always prayed for a win.

The majority of people don’t believe you should pray for God’s help. I’m sure most of them think God has better things to do than concern himself with whether the Patriots win their sixth Super Bowl. But the Bible tells us in Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything.” Everything includes sports. If you care about your team you can pray for them. Of course, there will also be people praying for the other team. We can pray for success because God wants us to be successful. He wants us to live life to the fullest. My definition of success is fully living out your life’s purpose. God equips us with talents, gifts, passions, and opportunities. And He expects us to fulfill our potential. When we do, we are a success.

Genesis 39:23 tells us, “The Lord was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.” We can certainly pray for God to make us successful too. For the players in Sunday’s game, success means doing their very best with the gifts, talents, and opportunities God gave them. They can certainly pray for that and we can pray that for them as well.

Go ahead and pray for your team on Sunday. Pray that every player on the team plays to his fullest potential. It’s likely that the ones who don’t on either team will decide the outcome of the game. And if by some chance all the players perform to their fullest ability, then the Super Bowl champions will of course be…the Patriots!" -- Pastor Rick McDaniel

I loved the “take away” from this pastor’s post. Pray about everything. That’s our call to action. Pray about our country. Pray about our families. Pray about our neighbors and our friends who need prayer. In the end, God will still be the ultimate, great and sovereign Umpire Who calls the plays and gives penalties OR rewards. That’s what God asks for – to perform to the greatest of our ability and keep praying. We are on the winning team, God’s team and we always win! Just check out the end of His play-BOOK!

Having a God-is-in-Control Mindset

Thank goodness for the winners of the political races because now we can breathe easier. The ones who won their seats in the House and Senate proclaimed that they would fix the economy, solve the issues on immigration, health care, and give their supporters whatever they want from them. So, no concerns or worries! NOT! It's a fresh, new day to realize “God is in control”! I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know WHO holds tomorrow!

It may sound like a cliché but I assure you “God’s got this!” In a culture fixated on the present and ourselves, it's understandable that there are many who are ecstatic about the outcome of yesterday's elections and others who are disappointed and anxious. We are right to be concerned about our nation, but we are wrong to worry about our future: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). When we do, (verse 7) "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". We must remember this: Our mighty God, is in control.

I am so happy that my peace, well-being, and hope for tomorrow doesn't depend on what a man or woman promises in some political arena and, if elected, what my life will become. Here's what I do know and here's what I'm staking my life upon. I believe God's ways are so much higher than ours and His sovereign plans and purposes will be carried out. If we are people who live by faith, we will just keep overcoming because we know that God is in control -- no matter "the who" is in the White House, the schoolhouse, the greenhouse, House of Representatives, or a household.

Instead of being in that "I'm-so-worried-about-what-our-future-holds mode", how about us looking at a penny and stand by those words engraved on it that say "In God We Trust"?

This morning is another gorgeous day for us to say again “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” I looked for a flag that depicted who we are as Americans. This one below is the one I found. I just added the words. I have a vivid picture in my mind: "THIS FLAG stands for freedom. I'm proud to be an American where I know I am free, and I won't forget the men and women who died who gave that right to me. And I'll proudly stand up next to you and defend her still today, cause' there ain't no doubt, I love this land, God bless the USA!" And as much as I love that song sung by Lee Greenwood, more than my beloved American flag, the cross of Jesus Christ is my statue of liberty. In GOD I Trust! With Him, our future is secure.

No Prayer is too Small

Yesterday was a day of hearing “Please pray for me." and “Please pray for her and her family." and “Please pray I do well on my test” and “Will you please agree with me in prayer for….”

Hearing “Please pray” so many times in one day certainly put the onus on me TO PRAY. I did. There is nothing like having a friend we can call that we know will go to the throne of God in prayer with us and I don’t think there’s anything that brings God more pleasure than seeing AND hearing His kids check in with Him. Don’t we love it when our children connect with us and visit with us a few minutes and then they get to their bottom line… ”Please pray with me for…..” I heard those words yesterday, and it brings me so much joy to know they know me and trust me to pray. Praying is conversation with God. We are His children and He longs for our attention.

Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Prayer has unbelievable benefits to us, even when we're just praying about a lost set of car keys (been there) or finding our cell phone (been there many times). Praying for the little things, as well as the big things, helps us to acknowledge our dependence on God. When we become so self-sufficient that we don't leave room for God's ideas, creativity, and resources, then we're deliberately unplugging from our greatest source of supply. It's like unplugging a lamp from its electrical supply. No electricity -- no light! And when we choose to plug into God’s unlimited power, an abundance of God's grace, wisdom and understanding comes flowing to us.

When we choose to seek God’s provision for something that seems as insignificant as a parking place, or just-the-right wording of a letter, or the most effective words to give in a speech, or what clothes to wear to the office, we’re acknowledging that we want and need God’s direction in every aspect of our day. We’re inviting Him to be the end-authority of every last detail of our life. And that kind of praying gives us hundreds of opportunities, every day, for sweet communion with God. "Hello, Father. It's me, your girl again. Can we talk?"

The Rhythms of Life and How They Ebb and Flow

Life is interesting, isn’t it? We go through different stages of life in what seems like a blink of an eye. After my sweetheart left for his heavenly assignment, the sweet rhythm of God’s grace and love had steady flow that kept me wrapped up in such peace and security. I had my family, church, church family, a home in a lovely community and the friends that went along with it. Sure there were ups and downs, but they came in and went out – like the tide’s ebb and flow. Beautiful rhythms.

Then the big change came for me when I moved from those comfortable rhythms in that season of life, to Texas where, honestly, I’m still endeavoring to establish some consistent rhythms again. I get it -- I've wandered for a while from city to city and church to church – store to store – street to street – looking for familiarity and a consistent rhythm.

Night before last, I went to bed feeling completely out of sync. But, during the night, I had one of those “King David” moments (1 Samuel 30:6) when he encouraged himself. I encouraged myself. I determined to give the worries to God and recognize that I can’t, but HE CAN! He tells us so in this scripture: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest (sweet rhythm) for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29.

I bounced out of bed yesterday morning with an empowered mindset. I took matters into my "rhythmic" hands that are empowered by God's strong and mighty hands and made some positive decisions. The best part, I realized I have the opportunity to use my faith to make those “walls of discomfort” tumble down by praising and thanking God for so many blessings. Philippians 4:6 “Don’t worry about anything, but in EVERYTHING, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Did He say EVERYTHING? Yes, and what’s so exciting is that we are told to come in confidence, knowing, with relief, that He loves us enough to want us there, right at His feet resting in His love and grace.

Most importantly, I got out of myself and into sharing God’s love and encouragement with a young tow truck driver (that's a story for another day) and an air conditioner technician (another story for another day) -- and was even able to pray with one to find his way back to God. It’s amazing how people open up when they sense "a rhythm" of God’s love coming at them.

Thank you, Lord, for the slow and smooth rhythms that are so sweet, but I thank You for even the staccato, disconnected rhythms – because more than anything I desire to be in sync with Your ebbs and flows – in tempo that connects me to your ways which are so much higher than my ways!