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!

It’s Super Bowl Sunday! We Win – No Matter What!

My word(s) of the day is/are SUPER BOWL -- the National Football League’s championship game, played annually in the United States between the two best professional football teams: the National and the American Football Conferences.

I’m one of those “fair weather” football fans. If one of MY teams are playing (Dallas Cowboys or Seattle Seahawks), I’m watching the game. If they’re not or they're out, then I’m only watching the big finale – the SUPER BOWL.

I was on a fact finding mission as I created today’s blog post. Today, February 4, 2018, Super Bowl 52 will be played at 5:30 pm at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN with the two BEST teams competing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy made by Tiffany & Co. that cost $50,000.

The prize for Super Bowl players isn't shabby. It’s worth it for each player to give their all for a few hours to be paid $107,000 on the winning team and $53,000 each on the losing team. For most of the top players, this bonus is more about bragging rights because because they already have lucrative professional contracts with their respective teams. New England Patriots average squad salary is around $2.3 million a year which goes to show the Super Bowl bonus is peanuts for them.

To see the big game in person, as of yesterday, the average price of a ticket was $4,000. You can get a bargain 50-yard ticket, 3rd row for $16,887 and an end zone seat at $5,557.

The Patriots are favored to win, but there are those who are declaring the Eagles will crush the Patriots. I understand how the Patriots are favored because Tom Brady has led the Patriots in winning five Super Bowls in his career with them. If winning, Tom Brady will become the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl (40 years, 186 days). Philadelphia Eagles have never won a Super Bowl and haven’t been to one since 2005.

Will Tom Brady prevail again or will backup quarterback Nick Foles lead the Eagles to Philadelphia's first Super Bowl win? In either case, let's hope for a game that's at least as entertaining as the commercials (currently at $5 million for 30-seconds). Super Bowl Sunday is a legend and I’ll be watching for the best team to win.

No matter what....whether you are a SUPER BOWL fan or not…..this day will be just another day in things that matter most. This day will pass away, and in the light of eternity -- it won't matter. BUT, being on the WINNING TEAM is really what matters. I'm not talking about football, baseball or dominoes. Patrick Henry, a REAL Patriot during the American Revolution said, "United, we stand. Divided, we fall." It won't be just Tom Brady or Nick Noles that will win in this game today. It is being united with their team that will seal the deal. United is what we pray for those of us who desire strength and unity in our homes, our country and our faith.

Isn't it time for OUR team to be the one that says "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord?" (Joshua 24:15). The winning team is God's team of fully devoted followers. I've read the Play Book (the Bible) and I’ve read the back of the book.....and this TEAM that REALLY matters -- the one that will defeat the enemy once and for all.....WINS big time. In fact, we’ve already won!

Psalm 108:13 “With God on our side we will win; he will defeat our enemies.”